Valve released the SteamOS 3.9 beta to remove installation barriers for Intel Arc B580 owners. Gamers using this specific GPU no longer need to install the operating system with an AMD card first. This update streamlines the setup process for users who want to run Linux-based gaming on Intel hardware.
Native driver support replaces previous AMD card installation steps
The new beta version enables native support for the Intel Arc B580 graphics processor. YouTuber ETA Prime confirmed that his Arc B580 worked on the first boot up without manual configuration. This direct compatibility eliminates the workaround steps that previous SteamOS versions required for Intel GPUs.
Performance testing on SteamOS 3.9 beta shows playable frame rates across several major titles. Cyberpunk 2077 ran at roughly 80 FPS at 1440p high settings with FSR quality mode. Forza Horizon 5 also hit roughly 80 FPS at the same resolution and settings.
Other tested games maintained stable frame rates under specific conditions. Horizon Zero Dawn ran at roughly 70 FPS at 1440p high settings with XeSS in balanced mode. Fallout 4 and Elden Ring both locked at 60 FPS at 1440p with no dips. XeSS upscaling functions but runs on shader cores instead of XMX cores due to Linux driver limits. XeSS frame generation remains incompatible because the technology cannot access the XMX cores.
We looked at the last SteamOS update earlier while tracking Valve’s release cycle. The previous version focused on fixing black screen bugs in Zenless Zone Zero. This new beta shifts focus to broad hardware compatibility for Intel Arc GPUs.
Source: TweakTown
