Gaben Made an OS. So I Deleted Windows.

Summary

The creator replaces Windows with SteamOS on a desktop PC and tests the installation process, desktop features, gaming performance, and software compatibility.

Installation guide and problems

SteamOS is installed from a compressed image written to a USB drive with Rufus. The installer did not provide a clear drive-selection screen and appeared capable of erasing a disk automatically. To protect other data, the creator physically removed the other drives—a process that required removing the GPU to reach the motherboard’s M.2 SSDs.

The installer initially failed to detect an NVMe drive. The creator worked around this by editing the installer script and reformatting the target drive as EXT4. These steps can erase data and involve modifying installer files.

After installation, the network connection did not appear in the setup interface. The creator opened a terminal with Ctrl+Alt+F4 and ran systemctl restart NetworkManager, which restored connectivity.

Desktop and everyday use

The KDE-based desktop felt smooth, with polished animations and options for themes, wallpapers, and display settings. Connected monitors and refresh rates were recognized correctly. The system also reported the low battery level of the creator’s Logitech mouse without requiring the manufacturer’s app.

The software center made it easy to find apps such as OBS, Discord, and Spotify. However, SuperTuxKart froze during testing, and the creator noticed a small cursor-display glitch when moving the pointer into Steam.

Gaming and compatibility

The creator reported the following performance in the tested scenes:

• Valheim: About 170–200 FPS at 1080p with default settings.
• CS:GO: Roughly 450–500 FPS with mostly default settings.
• Minecraft: About 800–860 FPS in 4K, rising to around 2,300 FPS when looking upward.
• F1 24: Would not run, displaying a message about Wine, Proton, and Steam Deck not being supported.

The creator cites anti-cheat restrictions as a major limitation for Linux gaming, naming Fortnite, Battlefield, Apex Legends, and Valorant as examples of games that do not work because of kernel-level anti-cheat policies.

An old Xbox 360 controller connected immediately, and using SteamOS on a TV felt smooth and console-like.

Other limitations

Adobe Premiere and Photoshop are not supported on Linux, so users who rely on Adobe software would need alternatives. The creator briefly tries an alternative image editor, but does not clearly identify it in the subtitles.

Main speaker and sources

• Main speaker: The video’s creator and narrator, Rohtu.
• Referenced tools and platforms: SteamOS, Rufus, KDE, OBS Studio, Proton/Wine, and a Linux game-compatibility site referred to in the subtitles as “rvanticheat.com.”