Installing an OS
Tips
Be sure to check the devices page to see what you can run.
Windows
Pros of Windows
- Works on most platforms with minimal tweaking¹
- Generally has better application support
- Better game support
Cons of Windows
- Audio driver is paid (10 USD) for Skylake (6th generation) and newer devices
- USB4/Thunderbolt driver is paid (20 USD) for TigerLake (11th generation Intel processors) and newer generations on devices that require them
- Requires the user to install many drivers
- AVS and SOF users may experience instability at times
Installing Windows →
¹Some devices such as CELES need workarounds. Refer to the known issues page to check whether you need patches.
Linux
Pros of Linux
- Free audio support
- Lightweight and optimal for Chrultrabooks with low storage / slow CPUs
- Most hardware (biggest exception is audio) will work out of the box
Cons of Linux
- Potentially difficult for a new user (depending on the distro of choice)
- Requires some work on the end user (running audio script, configuring keyboard mapping)
- AVS and SOF users experience instability at times
Installing Linux →
macOS
Pros of macOS
- OS experience is near identical to a Mac
Cons of macOS
- Battery life is subpar
- Hardware based DRM (e.g AppleTV.app) is broken
- No audio, mic, or 3.5mm support¹
- Doesn't support all devices.
- Often takes up to a week or longer to set up.
- Limited support
Tips
Any Chromebook with an ARM, Celeron or Pentium CPU is not supported. AMD Ryzen might have support in the future.