Pop!_OS, PikaOS, CachyOS, and Bazzite are the top gaming distros right now.

I recommend Pop! if you have Nvidia cards. If you have AMD, any of them will work.

PikaOS or Bazzite with the KDE Plasma desktop are going to be closest to Windows 10 in terms of how you use them.

Pop! has a super different UI, almost Mac-like. But it’s based on Ubuntu, the most-used distro. Which means that if anything goes wrong you can search “[problem] Ubuntu” and get hundreds of solution pages.

CachyOS is based on Arch, which is the big, scawy Linux that all the nerds say they use. It’s easier to break than the other ones, and won’t officially offer some of the apps that something Debian/Ubuntu based might have. I would recommend it when you’re looking to get a bit more technical.

That said, I haven’t broken my install yet and CachyOS is like the fastest OS available right now. Serious FPS gains for a LOT of games compared to Windows, and even other Linux distros. I also have not had to sit and troubleshoot it over anything. I was shocked at how smooth it was for an Arch system.

So, there’s not really a bad choice in those 4. I’d recommend Pop! if you never want to have to tinker, Pika or Bazzite if you want to feel like you’re still using Windows, and Cachy when you feel comfortable taking some training wheels off (and that could be right now!).

For browsers, try LibreWolf. It’s a locked-down version of Firefox. Or just use Firefox. It ain’t perfect, but then again it ain’t Chrome.

I’ve heard great things about Bazzite, so I’m sure you’ll be fine there.

I just wanted something new, and Fedora was too similar to Ubuntu under the hood. I don’t know if I’m going to look back from Arch-based. Maybe when I break my install lol.

Primarily, they’re both gaming-focused.

I found out about Pop!_OS when doing research for gaming on Linux. It’s maintained by a private company, and they invest a lot of time into keeping their drivers up-to-date. AFAIK it’s still one of the best choices if you have Nvidia cards, because they have a separate ISO just for Nvidia machines.

For a short time, I used Kubuntu because I love KDE Plasma. I had been wanting to use Plasma again, and I kinda wanted to try a non-Debian/Ubuntu-based distro. That’s when I stumbled upon CachyOS, and I don’t think I’m switching to another distro for a while.

CachyOS is Arch-based, with a super-easy install. They have their own version of the kernel, optimized for gaming. It really is fast, too. Not only does it beat Windows in most speed tests, but it beats pretty much every other distro as well. If you like Arch, I highly recommend CachyOS to keep some of the basic stuff optimized while you tinker with your system.

I had heard it was ready for gaming, and I wanted to see for myself. It wasn’t, at the time, but I used it for a few months before I switched back to Windows for a bit. Then, after another year on Windows, I gave Pop!_OS a chance. That sent me on a full spiral into distro hopping, and I’m on CachyOS now - not switching from Linux again.

Pop!_OS was a lifesaver when I was learning Linux. You can just look up Ubuntu related questions for tech support, the graphics drivers are preconfigured, and the interface is easy to use.

I’m on CachyOS with KDE now, but I highly recommend Pop! for a first-timer not looking to tinker.

Also, with ProtonTricks you can still mod stuff. It’s not perfect, but there’s a version of Mod Organizer 2 for Linux ;P

Very nice! I’d been thinking there should be a standardized guide for switching, but this is so much better!

I ended up going with CachyOS because I feel confident enough to try Arch now, but I think Solus is going to be my go-to when recommending for beginners, once I try it a bit more. I think it’s a good blend between stable and cutting-edge, plus getting to tell people that you won’t have to replace it with Solus 2 eventually is kinda a big selling point.

Hmm, thank you for your point about Solus. I was interested because it seemed the most interested in the desktop experience. But it does seem they’re updating and getting back on track. I love the idea of a weekly rolling release for beginners who still need the idea to click.

I do have backups ;)

See, this is what I meant. I deflected because my phrasing gave everyone else enough information that they could just suggest a distro.

I appreciate that you’ve clearly put thought into the recommendation you want to give, and I appreciate that you’d like to really understand what I’m looking for. But at the time of your original comment, CachyOS was baremetal on my machine. So, I’ve already picked what I want, and you’re insisting I must explain in greater detail so that you may answer my question (already been answered).

Please feel free to enlighten me on what made you even consider the premise of your above question.

The fact that you were insistent no one “delved into the essence of the matter.” I didn’t need them to, I was researching every OS that anyone mentioned.

but instead asked for a comparison between three distros that were (somehow) selected by you.

They’re all gaming distros, dude. I felt like that was evident.

I’m sorry this whole post discussion has not gone the way you wanted, but it’s gone the way I wanted. And I believe I’ve found something that works for me.

But, in the end, it ain’t Sophie’s Choice. I have my important files on a thumb drive and a backup thumb drive with Pop!_OS in case I need to start fresh again. NBD.

Do you think I am using this thread and this thread alone as my only source of information on these distros? I’m crowdsourcing opinions and checking them against the documentation for the distros and my personal preferences.

I feel as though this thread has delved into the essence of the matter perfectly well. That matter being, of course, people’s opinions on the three distros I laid out. I deflected your question because you are looking to pick my brain and start an in-depth discussion, but I’ve reached a point in my research where I’m comfortable making a choice without any more guidance.

And, well, idk, I feel like my statements indicated I was looking for a good middle ground between a stable system that works smoothly and something I can crack open and break while tweaking - for the learning experience. I suppose that would really just boil down to fixed vs rolling release distros.

Fedora has lost my favor due to being a fixed release distro. After CachyOS was brought to my attention, and I researched it a little bit, it seemed to fit my desires pretty well. It’s optimized for speed, which is perfect for games, and it’s rolling release so I still get to feel like an uber haxx0r. Nothing against Fedora, it seems great. I want something a little further from my comfort zone.

Solus is appealing to me because it isn’t based on anything else, and I love that it’s a small team. Plus, the weekly updates thing they do felt like a good middle ground between how Debian-based and Arch-based distros work in terms of updating. But, I think I’ll stick with CachyOS for now, I’m excited to use Arch btw.

Hahahaha I’ve unfortunately already ignored this advice but hey, all my important files are backed up ;)

No worries! Others have piped in with suggestions and I’ve found a distro that I think will work for me!

I am very curious about trying Arch. But Solus has really caught my attention, too.

It was an N word…

Thank you for that point about Bazzite. I was worried about having locked-down system files, because I’m really not at a place where I’m breaking my distro all the time.

I’ve been eyeing CachyOS since another user suggested it. Love the idea of rolling releases, so Solus seems cool too! What sets ya’ll apart from the other distros that have been discussed?

Good to know, thank you.

Hey, thanks! The flashiness of Garuda was putting me off a bit, this seems a much better way to dip my toes into Arch again.

Hmm, that’s a serious downside for me ngl. I tried to set up Mod Organizer 2 when I had Steam installed through Flatpak on Pop!, and I had to switch to the Ubuntu repository to get it to recognize my Steam install.

I don’t know if you played it, but there was a totally different Game Boy Sunsoft Batman game. Also very good, and it has one of the kickinest soundtracks of any GB game I owned!

I was reading into atomic distros just now. Is the rebase feature the main thing that sets atomic desktops apart?

I’m not too worried about having to troubleshoot. Nobara has been appealing to me because it’s developed by the Proton guy.

How does an atomic distro help teach containerization and data security as compared to a traditional distro?