AMD recommends Intel’s Linux distribution for its Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Every user of Linux will know that the OS comes in several flavours, with Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora being amongst the best known. In recent years, we have seen many newcomers to the Linux scene, with Valve’s SteamOS (an offshoot of Debian), being a notable example. 

More recently, Intel has championed its “Clear Linux” distribution, an open-source project which aims to deliver tuned performance for Intel-based systems alongside security features that are suitable for cloud and edge computing. 

When AMD released its 64-core Ryzen Threadripper 3990X processor, the company recommended Intel’s Clear Linux to those who wanted the best Linux performance, and Pheronix’s Michael Larabel has put this claim to the test. 

While Clear Linux is designed for Intel’s processors, it has also proven to be a great choice for users of AMD’s Ryzen and EPYC series processors, offering heightened performance when compared to other distributions, at least on average. 

Pheonix’s full Linux testing is available on their website, but we will showcase the chart below which reveals that across 50 benchmarks that Clear Linux was able to win 48% of them, which is a huge win for Intel’s Linux distribution. Please head over to Pheronix to see exactly where these wins were, which will help you to see if Clear Linux will be able to benefit your workflow with Ryzen series processors. 

It is strange to think that AMD’s getting some of its strongest Linux performance on an Intel-optimised distribution, even so, if pure performance matter, mixing AMD hardware with Intel software appears to be a good mix.