# Wine 11 Made a Dead Laptop Run a Game at 860 FPS — Up From 110 **URL:** \ **Category:** News & Articles\ **Tags:** tools, hacking, tips-tricks, news, gaming\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/wine-11-made-a-dead-laptop-run-a-game-at-860-fps-up-from-110/322989 "2026-06-12T13:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Prometheus](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/prometheus/32/34950_2.png) [@Prometheus](https://onehack.st/u/Prometheus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/wine-11-made-a-dead-laptop-run-a-game-at-860-fps-up-from-110/322989/1 "2026-06-12T13:49:30Z")
# 🍷 Wine 11 Just Made a Dead Laptop Run a Windows Game at 860 FPS — Up From 110 _Free software. No Windows. One game went from a slideshow to a literal 678% speed jump. Your “too old to game” laptop just woke up._ **Dirt 3: 110 FPS → 860 FPS. Tiny Tina’s: 130 → 360. Call of Juarez: 99 → 224. All on Linux. All free.** The thing that lets Linux run Windows games — it’s called Wine — just got the biggest rewrite of its life. And the people who’ll cash in aren’t gamers. They’re the ones flipping dead PCs. [Full breakdown at XDA.](https://www.xda-developers.com/wine-11-rewrites-linux-runs-windows-games-speed-gains/) ![Retro Computer GIF](https://media.giphy.com/media/IX2sn8cnqDyRq/giphy.gif) Okay so. You know how everyone’s been told “if you want to game, you need Windows”? Yeah. That just stopped being true overnight. And I mean _overnight_. A free program called Wine — the thing that tricks Windows games into running on Linux — quietly dropped version 11, and the speed numbers are so stupid I had to read them twice. We’re talking games running **eight times faster** than before. Not 8% faster. Eight TIMES. You’re not ready for what this does to the price of a “gaming PC.” > **🧩 Dumb Mode Dictionary** > > | You’ll see this | What it actually means | > | --- | --- | > | **Linux** | A free computer system you install instead of Windows. Costs $0. Forever. | > | **Wine** | A free translator that lets Windows programs run on Linux. (Not the drink.) | > | **NTSYNC** | The new piece that does the translating WAY deeper inside the system now — that’s why it’s suddenly so fast. | > | **FPS** | “Frames per second” — basically how smooth a game looks. Higher = buttery. Low = slideshow. | > | **Proton/Steam Deck** | Proton is Wine in a Steam wrapper. The Steam Deck handheld runs on it. So this upgrade flows straight to those too. | > | **Prefix** | A little fake “Windows folder” Wine builds so a game thinks it’s home. | > **🍷 What actually changed (in plain English)** > > For 30 years Wine had to do its translating _up top_, the slow way — like shouting your order across a crowded kitchen. > > Wine 11 moved that job **down into the engine room** of Linux itself (that’s the “kernel level” everyone’s saying). The kitchen now hears you instantly. > > - This deep-level speed trick is called **[NTSYNC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software))** and it’s now baked into recent Linux versions — no nerd setup required. > - Works on Fedora 42, Ubuntu 25.04, and anything with a fresh-enough system. > - It also fixed running OLD 32-bit and even ancient 16-bit programs on modern machines without extra junk to install. > > Translation: games that used to crawl now FLY. [Hacker News had a field day with the benchmarks.](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47507150) > **📊 The receipts (the numbers nobody believed)** > > | Game | Before Wine 11 | After Wine 11 | Jump | > | --- | --- | --- | --- | > | Dirt 3 | 110.6 FPS | 860.7 FPS | **+678%** 🔥 | > | Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands | 130 FPS | 360 FPS | +177% | > | Call of Juarez | 99.8 FPS | 224.1 FPS | +124% | > > Specific games that got hand-fixed too: Nioh 2, StarCraft 2, The Witcher 2, Black Ops II, Final Fantasy XI, and [Battle.net](http://Battle.net). [Wine’s official changelog lists it all.](https://www.winehq.org/news/) > **🪟 Why the timing is diabolical** > > Here’s the part the suits don’t want trending: **Windows 10 hit its end-of-life in October 2025.** Microsoft basically told millions of perfectly-good PCs “you’re too old, buy a new one or go unprotected.” > > So now you’ve got: > > - A mountain of “obsolete” laptops selling for pocket change > - A free system (Linux) that runs on them fine > - And as of Wine 11, those same cheap machines can run real games _faster than they ever did on Windows_ > > That’s not a coincidence. That’s a gap. And gaps are where money lives. [r/linux\_gaming is buzzing about exactly this.](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/) > **🗣️ What the timeline's saying** > > - “My 2014 ThinkPad runs Skyrim better on Linux than it did the day I bought it. Make it make sense.” > - “Microsoft spent 30 years telling us we needed Windows for games. A free volunteer project just nuked that from orbit.” > - The skeptics: “Anti-cheat still blocks some online shooters.” (True — competitive multiplayer is still hit-or-miss. Single-player and tons of online games? Golden.) > - Check any game’s status yourself on **[ProtonDB](https://www.protondb.com/)** — it’s the community scoreboard for “does this run on Linux.” #### Cool. A Free Program Just Killed the “You Need Windows” Excuse… Now What the Hell Do We Do? (ง •̀\_•́)ง ![Pixel Art Windows GIF](https://media.giphy.com/media/QB9rH7NbUQfbN7wrf3/giphy.gif) Listen. The gamers will just… play games. Boring. The MOVE here is that a “gaming computer” just got cheap as dirt, and 99% of people have NO idea yet. That window — the gap between “this works now” and “everyone knows” — is where you eat. Here’s five plays, and yes, I’m telling you which ones expire. > **🍷 The Frankenrig Flipper** > > Dead “can’t run Windows 11” laptops are flooding marketplaces for $30-50 because their owners think they’re e-waste. They’re not. Wipe it, install a gaming-ready Linux like **[Bazzite](https://bazzite.gg/)** (it’s free and basically one-click), and now it runs indie + older AAA games smooth. Sell it as a “ready-to-play Linux gaming laptop.” > > You’re buying garbage and selling magic. The whole trick is that the buyer can’t do the install — but you can. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A 19-year-old in Manila grabs three “broken” laptops off Facebook Marketplace for ~$45 each, flashes Bazzite + Wine in an afternoon, lists them as “plug-and-play game laptops” for $130. Sells all three in a week. ~$255 profit on a weekend. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** First flip in 7-10 days. Stays good for 6-12 months until local resellers catch on and the cheap-laptop supply tightens. > **🪟 The Windows Refugee Rescue** > > Millions of people just got abandoned by Windows 10 and are scared their old PC is now a brick. It’s not — but THEY don’t know that. Offer a flat-fee remote session: “I’ll turn your dead PC into a free, safe, game-ready machine over a screen-share.” > > You’re not selling Linux. You’re selling _relief_. Point them at **[ProtonDB](https://www.protondb.com/)** to prove their favorite games will run, then do the install for them. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A 23-year-old in Brazil posts in local Facebook groups and OLX: “Old PC after Windows 10 shutdown? I make it game again — R$80.” Books 5 screen-shares a week. Steady ~R$1,600/month doing it from her bedroom. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** Demand peaks NOW through mid-2026 while the Windows 10 panic is fresh. Fades as Linux installers get even more idiot-proof. > **🎮 The Dictionary (be the cheat-sheet, own the niche)** > > Here’s the boring-money play. Tons of older or weird games are a _pain_ to get running even now — fiddly settings, missing pieces. Pick ONE franchise or genre nobody’s documented, get every game running, and write the exact step-by-step install scripts using **[Lutris](https://lutris.net/)** (free tool that automates game installs on Linux). > > First person to write the definitive “how to run [obscure series] on Linux 2026” guide becomes the Google result everyone lands on. Slap a tip jar on it. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A 20-year-old in Poland makes clean Lutris install scripts for a stack of old PC games that ProtonDB still marks “borked.” Posts them with a **[Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/)** link. The guide ranks #1, pulls ~$200/month in tips on autopilot while he sleeps. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** Slow first month (SEO takes time to climb), then compounds for a year+. The earlier you plant the flag, the longer you own the keyword. > **📡 The ProtonDB Signal Spy** > > Reverse the data. Every time Wine 11 lands, a bunch of games quietly flip from “broken on Linux” to “perfect.” That info is scattered and nobody’s tracking the _changes_. You watch **[ProtonDB](https://www.protondb.com/)** and Wine’s bug tracker, and publish a weekly “these games just became playable on Linux/Steam Deck this week” list. > > Steam Deck owners are STARVED for this. Build the list, build a following, then game stores and curators pay for the heads-up. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A 22-year-old in India runs a free weekly “Newly Deck-Verified & Linux-Ready” roundup on a Discord + tiny newsletter. Hits 4,000 subscribers in three months, then sells a $5/month “early list + setup help” tier. Couple hundred bucks monthly, growing. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** Audience builds over 2-3 months. Real money once you’ve got a list size — but consistency is everything, miss two weeks and it dies. > **🛒 The Pre-Baked Prefix Plug** > > This one’s pure picks-and-shovels. Some old Windows software (not just games — ancient creative apps, niche tools people are weirdly loyal to) is a nightmare to set up on Linux. So you do it ONCE, package the ready-made “prefix” (the pre-configured fake-Windows folder), and sell the one-click bundle. > > People will happily pay $5-10 to skip two hours of frustration. You build it once, sell it a hundred times. Host the guides on a free **[GitHub](https://github.com/)** page for credibility. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A 25-year-old in Indonesia bundles a pre-configured setup for an old design app that won’t install cleanly on Linux, sells it on his Gumroad for $7. Posts it in two niche forums. 60 sales in the first month — $420 from a folder he zipped up once. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** First sales within 2 weeks of posting in the right communities. Each new bundle adds passive income; the catch is finding software people actually still want. > **🛠️ Follow-Up Actions** > > | Want to… | Go here | > | --- | --- | > | Try gaming-ready Linux | [Bazzite](https://bazzite.gg/) (free, beginner-friendly) | > | Check if YOUR game runs | [ProtonDB](https://www.protondb.com/) | > | Auto-install games on Linux | [Lutris](https://lutris.net/) | > | Read the full Wine 11 story | [XDA Developers](https://www.xda-developers.com/wine-11-rewrites-linux-runs-windows-games-speed-gains/) | > | Get the official downloads | [WineHQ](https://www.winehq.org/) | **⚡ Quick Hits** | You want | Do this | | --- | --- | | 🍷 A free gaming PC | Wipe an old laptop, install [Bazzite](https://bazzite.gg/) | | 💰 Side cash this weekend | Flip “dead” laptops as Linux game machines | | 🎮 Proof your game works | Search it on [ProtonDB](https://www.protondb.com/) | | 🪟 Escape Windows 10’s death | Screen-share-rescue scared PC owners for a fee | | 📡 An audience to build | Track newly-playable games weekly | _Microsoft spent 30 years telling you that you needed Windows to game. A bunch of unpaid volunteers just made your dead laptop run faster than it ever did — for free. Lock in before everyone else figures it out._