Using XeStrata on Radeon: choosing a distro for RX 7000 and 9000

XeStrata does more than send model input to a Radeon GPU for prefill³. The dense matrix calculations used to process input rely on ROCm rocBLAS and hipBLASLt from the distribution, so the GPU's architecture target, or gfx code, must be included in those libraries. Even with the same RX product name, support can differ between Ubuntu and Fedora depending on the gfx targets included in rocBLAS.

This support table is based on the gfx targets in ROCm 7.1 rocBLAS for Ubuntu 26.04 and Fedora 44. Development checks on an actual Radeon used the RX 9060 XT, so treat other listed cards as installation compatibility and measure their speed on your own hardware.

Once the gfx code matches your distribution, choose a package from the xe0.1.43.1 release and download it with SHA256SUMS. On Ubuntu 26.04, select the recommended package for AMD RDNA2 or later; on Fedora 44, choose a listed compatible package. After verifying the file, install it with sudo apt install ./<downloaded-DEB-file> or sudo dnf install ./<downloaded-RPM-file>. Use the actual downloaded filename rather than guessing a package name that is not in the release table.

After installation, run xestrata --check again to confirm the Radeon is detected, then run xestrata --setup. Choose a model, quantization⁴, and context length⁵; the program downloads the model and accepts questions at http://127.0.0.1:8095. Keep the startup window open until you see a first response. The PC may slow briefly while GPU code is prepared, and Qwen3.8-Flash-Next downloads range from about 60 to 110 GB, so the download can take time.

After installing the XeStrata release on Linux, run xestrata --check in a terminal to display the detected GPU name and AMD gfx code. For example, if it shows RX 7600 (gfx1102), compare it with the Fedora 44 row. Starting from a GPU name in Windows or another hardware utility can miss the ROCm library support that XeStrata actually sees.

To compare processing time on your PC, keep the model, quantization, and context length the same and reuse one prompt⁶. Record the GPU and gfx code, distribution, and package name so you can check differences after changing the setup.

If Radeon does not appear in xestrata --check, first check the distribution package and GPU driver. If the device name appears but setup stops, compare its gfx code with the support table and check whether xestrata --setup printed an installation command for a missing GPU library or render group. Run the suggested command and repeat setup to check that requirement again.

If the gfx code is supported but startup still fails, confirm that the CPU⁷ is x86-64 with AVX2 and that Above 4G Decoding⁸ and Re-Size BAR are enabled in BIOS. If the model has downloaded but the browser does not respond, check the first error in the program terminal and confirm the address is http://127.0.0.1:8095. If the message reports insufficient RAM⁹, choose a smaller model file or shorter context in setup. A successful launch means receiving a first response in the checked environment; speed or stability on another Radeon needs separate testing.