I have used Linux for a while, recently switching to Arch, and decided to test frame rates in Arch, Debian, and Windows.
I first installed Windows (just drivers and Firefox, for I wanted to remove the performance hit from using Proton through Steam) on a spare SSD (about the same speed as my main drive) and ran Minecraft to get an average of around 450 FPS.
Next, I installed Debian Stretch w/ Gnome on my main drive, and ran the same test, though I'd installed other apps. The result was around 550 FPS.
Finally, I ran the same test on Arch with i3 which yielded around 880 FPS.
I have looked for an answer but couldn't find one. What I understand is that Arch, especially with i3, is lighter than the other two; Gnome may possibly be lighter than Windows, but is there a reason for the significant performance difference? Is it possibly due to NVIDIA proprietary drivers?