YouTuber ETA PRIME tests the AIM MAX+ laptop running Bazzite, a Linux gaming distro, instead of Windows 11. Featuring the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and Radeon 8060S iGPU, the laptop seems to deliver strong gaming performance and is expected to launch in early October 2025 for under $1,000.
Last time, when we talked about the AIM MAX+ laptop, we took a look at the laptop’s specifications, features, and its gaming performance in Windows 11, the default OS the upcoming sub-$1000 AMD Strix Halo laptop ships with. However, in their latest video, YouTuber ETA PRIME has now installed one of the most popular Linux gaming distros on the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395-powered AIM MAX+ laptop and has run games like The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and more.
ETA PRIME mentioned that hardware compatibility is an issue with SteamOS on this chipset, so they installed Bazzite instead. They then customised it using Decky and CSS Loader, tested hardware features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and TDP control, and confirmed that the OS runs well on the laptop. Surprisingly, the YouTuber did manage to install SteamOS on an old 2019 iMac recently and even managed to play some games on it.
Coming back to the AIM MAX+ running Bazzite, the YouTuber began testing with Spider-Man 2. They specifically mentioned that it’s a game that usually struggles on lower-end iGPUs, but the Radeon 8060S iGPU in the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 handled it well, delivering around 74 FPS at high settings with FSR set to Quality at the laptop’s native 1600p resolution.
In their previous video, ETA PRIME had also tested Spider-Man 2 on the same laptop running Windows 11. In that scenario, the game suffered from stuttering, which the YouTuber attributed to an issue with the shader cache. The game was running at the same 1600p high settings but with FSR Frame Generation turned on.
Next, the YouTuber tested Borderlands 3, adjusting the resolution to 1440p to match their external capture setup. They initially attempted the highest graphics preset, but due to noticeable stuttering, they scaled it back to the Ultra preset. The resolution scaling was kept at 100%, and with this setup, the game ran much more smoothly. Borderlands 3 delivered an average of 80-100 FPS, with occasional dips to around 70 FPS during heavy on-screen action.
The third game was The Witcher 3, which ETA PRIME ran at 1440p Ultra settings, achieving over 80 FPS on average, and the game ran well. For the fourth game, Japanese Drift Master ran smoothly at 1440p High settings, delivering 80-95 FPS on average. Shadow of the Tomb Raider followed, averaging 83 FPS at 1440p Highest setting.
Cyberpunk 2077 was tested at 1440p High with FSR 2.1 Quality, delivering around 66 FPS, with potential for over 70 FPS on balanced FSR, the YouTuber said. Lastly, Doom: The Dark Ages crashed at the menu, the only title that failed to run under Bazzite, in this test.
The AIM MAX+ laptop is scheduled to launch in early October 2025 and is targeting a sub-$1000 price tag, which, in both ETA PRIME’s and my experience, usually ends up being $999.99. In the comments section, the YouTuber’s audience seems quite enthusiastic about the laptop.
While some say the laptop is a steal at $999, others feel that while they like it, they would prefer a lower variant, if one becomes available, with fewer cores, as it could potentially come with a lower price tag. ETA PRIME mentioned in the video that AIM plans to produce only a single 32GB RAM variant of the laptop, with no mention of other chip configurations as of now.
The combination of an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Strix Halo chip featuring one of the most powerful iGPUs on the market, in a laptop running a gaming-focused Linux distro like Bazzite, seems to be exactly what many users are looking for in a daily driver. Not only do you get high efficiency, with the laptop requiring just 65W to run smoothly, but you also enjoy something arguably even better, the freedom of Linux.
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Anmol Dubey – Tech Writer – 50 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025
Anmol is the guy who once tamed an entire Instagram channel solo, turned branding into an art form, and could probably benchmark your smartphone blindfolded. By day, he’s a data scientist decoding client chaos. By night, he’s a tech influencer who knows most companies’ product lineups better than their own teams. Somewhere in between, he’s playing Borderlands, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3, and every other action RPG he can get his hands on.
Anmol Dubey, 2025-08- 4 (Update: 2025-08- 4)
