Linux and OpenRGB misery

[codezer0]

Specs for system in question:
i9 9900k
Msi z390 gaming plus motherboard
4x16gb ram (can we not get snarky about it? I bought it years ago when it was cheap)
Creative X-fi sound card
Radeon VII

It has been my test mule for Linux, in part because it's no longer my main pc and to try and see if i can get past the hardware usage stuff thst used to vex me away from it in the past. Also, unfortunately, the nvme in the system has a controller chip that WILL get killed by windows 11, and i definitely dont have the money to replace it.

Good thing is that sound from the xfi is working correctly, so thats a positive step for me. But right now, getting OpenRGB to work properly, has been an exercise in misery.

Previously had Linux Mint installed, for context. Flatpak refused to interface witb the udev thing correcrly, but was able to install with the bookworm deb file. The hardware sync plugin on it, was much more functional than it was for its counterpart on Windows. However, the base program would only detect and work with thr rgb on the ram sticks. At no point could i get it to interface with the motherboard. I know for a fact, the Windows version of the program works there.

So presently, managed to (finally) successfully install and boot bazzite on the system. Used to not do so because no matter how many times i entered universalblue, it didnt work then. Today, for some reason, it did now.

And now, on bazzite, i cant get ANY release of openrgb to install and run correctly.

Flatpak installs, but constantly gripes about udev rules. And even if i manage to get it to execute the udev script, it just does nothing... Acting like the program was never installed.

Neither deb package will even open, much less install.
The rpm wont install.

The AppImage the site wants to have me auto download, tries to prompt for a disk restore... But it never works, or installs.

I cannot begin to fully understate how frustrating this is. It is ironic that the *plugin* i want to use works better on Linux than its Windows counterpart. But it's a hollow victory, if, the base program itself refuses to work correctly.

I'm just so past done with this level of gaslighting. I just want this to work correctly so i can move on to the next layer of testing.

 

[Magsor]

I’m on the same journey as you. I’ve used the Steam Deck before, but I was frisky to make the switch to Linux. So I just jumped in and started installing different distros on my touchscreen laptop. It was definitely a learning experience, so don’t judge.

I started with Ubuntu, but I was really underwhelmed—the main store simply didn’t work. After that I tried CachyOS, Bazzite, Nobara, ChromeOS, FydeOS, then even went back to Ubuntu again (found out about flathub) before finally settling on Fedora. Each distro has its strengths and weaknesses, and going through all of them would take a long time , but for me, the priority was simple: install the OS and Dolphin emulator with no friction, especially for someone like my gf.

I also needed some form of APK support. On Windows I used Bluestacks or LDplayer, but on Linux it seems Waydroid is the best option. It’s not perfect, but the setup was easy enough.

Next was GEforce NOW and moonlight but thats easy on any distro I think.

The next step is getting Windows integration working through Wine and Steam. That’s where I’m at now—transferring my PC collection over which is the new start for 2026.

 

[codezer0]

I’m on the same journey as you. I’ve used the Steam Deck before, but I was frisky to make the switch to Linux. So I just jumped in and started installing different distros on my touchscreen laptop. It was definitely a learning experience, so don’t judge.

I started with Ubuntu, but I was really underwhelmed—the main store simply didn’t work. After that I tried CachyOS, Bazzite, Nobara, ChromeOS, FydeOS, then even went back to Ubuntu again (found out about flathub) before finally settling on Fedora. Each distro has its strengths and weaknesses, and going through all of them would take a long time , but for me, the priority was simple: install the OS and Dolphin emulator with no friction, especially for someone like my gf.

I also needed some form of APK support. On Windows I used Bluestacks or LDplayer, but on Linux it seems Waydroid is the best option. It’s not perfect, but the setup was easy enough.

Next was GEforce NOW and moonlight but thats easy on any distro I think.

The next step is getting Windows integration working through Wine and Steam. That’s where I’m at now—transferring my PC collection over which is the new start for 2026.

And now, back to Mint again. Mostly because it is the furthest along to working.

In Mint, the bookworm deb files work. Base program installed, plugin installed. Plugin id able to read from many more useful sources, in Linux, than on Windows. However, Openrgb refuses to talk to the motherboard in ANY install on Linux.

This was never a problem on Windows (10). Comparatively, the only real setback on Windows is that, on my main pc for example (Solgaleo), it will only read/detect the cpu load, memory usage, or network traffic. It wont detect eff all for temperatures, which is what i want to base the color changing on.