Installing an OS

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

  Warning

  Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distributions may have issues and are not supported.

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

Installing macOS →