Fedora Complete Setup Guide¶

Fedora Workstation

Step-by-step guide to installing and configuring Fedora on the BC-250.

Overview¶

Fedora is the most recommended distribution for BC-250, offering: - Easy installation process - Mesa 25.1+ in official repositories (Fedora 43) - Extensive BC-250 community support - Automated setup scripts available

Prerequisites¶

BC-250 board with BIOS flashed and configured
USB drive (4GB+) for installation media
Display connected via DisplayPort
Keyboard and mouse (USB)
Internet connection recommended

Download Fedora¶

Recommended Version: Fedora 43 Workstation

Download from: getfedora.org

Desktop Options: - GNOME (default) - Modern, clean interface - KDE Plasma (Fedora Spins) - Highly customizable, recommended by many users

Create Installation Media¶

Using Fedora Media Writer (Recommended): 1. Download Fedora Media Writer 2. Run and select Fedora Workstation 3. Select your USB drive 4. Click "Write" and wait

Using balenaEtcher: 1. Download ISO from Fedora website 2. Download balenaEtcher 3. Select ISO, select USB drive, flash

Installation¶

Step 1: Boot Installation Media¶

Insert USB drive into BC-250
Power on the BC-250
System should boot to GRUB menu

Black Screen Issue

If you get a black screen, the installer is trying to use the GPU before drivers are loaded.

Step 2: Select Boot Mode¶

For Fedora 42/43 with working kernels (6.15.7-6.17.7):

You can try the standard "Install Fedora" option. If it boots successfully, no need for basic graphics mode.

If you get a black screen:

At GRUB menu, select "Troubleshooting"
Choose "Install Fedora Workstation in basic graphics mode"
This enables nomodeset automatically

Nomodeset May Not Be Required

On Fedora 42/43 with working kernel versions (6.15.7-6.17.7), nomodeset is often no longer needed during installation. However, if you encounter a black screen, use basic graphics mode.

Step 3: Complete Installation¶

Select language
Choose installation destination (your M.2 SSD)
Configure network (optional but recommended)
Create user account
Set root password (optional)
Click "Begin Installation"
Wait for installation to complete
Click "Reboot System"

Note: System will reboot with nomodeset still active (limited resolution is normal for now).

Post-Installation Setup¶

Step 1: First Boot and Update¶

# Update system
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Step 2: Install Dependencies¶

sudo dnf install -y git cmake make gcc-c++ libdrm-devel lm_sensors

Step 3: Verify Mesa Version¶

# Check Mesa version
dnf list mesa-\*

# Should show 25.1+ for Fedora 43
# If Fedora 42 and < 25.1, may need mesa-git (unlikely now)

Step 4: Install GPU Governor¶

Option 1: COPR (Easiest - No Compilation Required)

COPR repositories provide pre-built packages for Fedora, eliminating the need to compile from source.

sudo dnf copr enable filippor/bazzite
sudo dnf install oberon-governor
sudo systemctl enable --now oberon-governor.service

Option 2: Build from Source

git clone https://gitlab.com/mothenjoyer69/oberon-governor.git
cd oberon-governor
cmake . && make && sudo make install
sudo systemctl enable --now oberon-governor.service

Step 5: Configure Sensors¶

# Load sensor module
echo 'nct6683' | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/99-sensors.conf
echo 'options nct6683 force=true' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/options-sensors.conf

# Regenerate initramfs
sudo dracut --regenerate-all --force

Step 6: Remove nomodeset and Configure GRUB¶

# Edit GRUB configuration
sudo nano /etc/default/grub

# Find: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="nomodeset quiet"
# Change to: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet amdgpu.sg_display=0"

# Optional: Add mitigations=off for performance boost
# GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet amdgpu.sg_display=0 mitigations=off"

# Save (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)

# Update GRUB
sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Kernel Parameters Explained

quiet - Reduces boot messages
amdgpu.sg_display=0 - Required for BC-250 GPU (kernel < 6.10)
mitigations=off - Disables CPU security mitigations (+18 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077)

Step 7: Reboot¶

sudo reboot

After reboot, you should have full resolution and GPU acceleration.

Verification¶

Check GPU is Working¶

# Check Mesa version
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"
# Should show: Mesa 25.1.X

# Check GPU detected
vulkaninfo | grep deviceName
# Should show: AMD Radeon Graphics (RADV GFX1013)

# Check governor running
systemctl status oberon-governor
# Should show: active (running)

# Check sensors
sensors
# Should show GPU temp, fan speeds, etc.

Install Gaming Software¶

Steam¶

sudo dnf install steam

Enable Proton for Windows games: 1. Open Steam 2. Settings → Compatibility 3. Check "Enable Steam Play for all other titles" 4. Select Proton version (latest is fine)

Proton GE (Recommended)¶

# Install ProtonUp-Qt
sudo dnf install protonup-qt

# Run ProtonUp-Qt and install latest Proton-GE

Gaming Tools¶

# Install useful gaming tools
sudo dnf install mangohud goverlay gamemode gamescope

# MangoHud: FPS overlay
# Goverlay: MangoHud configurator
# Gamemode: CPU governor optimization
# Gamescope: Compositor for better frame pacing

Optional: Hold Kernel Version¶

Since kernel 6.15.0-6.15.6 and 6.17.8+ break BC-250, you may want to prevent automatic kernel updates to broken versions:

# Install versionlock plugin
sudo dnf install python3-dnf-plugin-versionlock

# Lock current kernel
sudo dnf versionlock add kernel

# To unlock later:
# sudo dnf versionlock delete kernel

Troubleshooting¶

Display Still Not Working After Setup¶

# Check amdgpu module loaded
lsmod | grep amdgpu

# Check for errors
dmesg | grep amdgpu

# Verify Mesa
glxinfo | grep -i "opengl renderer"
# Should NOT show "llvmpipe"

Governor Not Starting¶

# Check governor service
sudo systemctl status oberon-governor

# Check logs
sudo journalctl -u oberon-governor

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart oberon-governor

Low FPS in Games¶

# Verify GPU is being used (not CPU rendering)
# Run game with MangoHud:
mangohud steam

# Check GPU frequency scaling
cat /sys/class/drm/card0/device/pp_dpm_sclk
# Should show frequencies changing under load

Fedora-Specific Issues¶

Kernel Auto-Update to Broken Version¶

Symptom: System breaks after update Cause: Kernel 6.15.0-6.15.6 or 6.17.8+ breaks BC-250

Solution:

# Boot into rescue mode or older kernel
# Remove broken kernel (example for 6.15.5)
sudo dnf remove kernel-6.15.5\*
# Or for 6.17.8+
sudo dnf remove kernel-6.17.8\* kernel-6.17.9\*

# Install working kernel
sudo dnf install kernel-6.16.5-104  # Working 6.15.7-6.17.7 range
# Or LTS for stability
sudo dnf install kernel-6.14.4-104

# Lock kernel version (see above)

MTG Arena Crashes on Fedora¶

Symptom: Magic: The Gathering Arena crashes/freezes Workaround: Some users report better stability on Manjaro or Bazzite Possible Fix: Try different Proton version

Performance Tuning¶

Enable Performance Governor¶

# For better gaming performance
sudo cpupower frequency-set -g performance

Optimize for Low Latency¶

# Edit /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

# Add:
vm.swappiness=10
vm.vfs_cache_pressure=50

# Apply
sudo sysctl -p