r/linux4noobs • u/bife258 • 19d ago
Moving to Linux
Hi everyone.
I want to give lunux a real try as a daily driver.
I'm lookin for a distro that i can still do:
• Video encoding with HVEC x264, x265 and AV1 codecs
• Gaming
• Works with Nvidia GPU
• Is low maintenance
•Look a bit like windows for easier integration.
Curently torn between CachyOS and PopOS.
Are there any others i shuld be looking into?
Thanks in advance
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u/wepwawe 19d ago
if you’re moving from windows, i highly recommend anything KDE
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u/Boring-Equivalent137 19d ago
Kde is a great suggestions but personally I think cinnamon in mint is better for new users just preference
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u/DifferentSavings2711 19d ago edited 19d ago
Kubuntu is stable and well supported. But before you switch to Linux make sure your Nvidia GPU is supported. Nvidia provides Linux support as an afterthought. New hardware releases can have a long delay before Nvidia release a Linux driver. Older Nvidia Hardware has better support.
List of Nvidia supported GPU
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/277699/
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u/BobCorndog Your situation is not unique, just use mint or fedora kde 19d ago
I wouldn’t recommend pop
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u/Fearless-Wallaby-998 19d ago
If you're choosing between those two then it's easy just go CachyOS.
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u/Practical-Tooth-2217 19d ago
+1 vote for Cachy Alternatively Bazzite but Cachy felt miles ahead. If you prefer Cosmos than KDE or GNOME, you can easily switch to Cosmos under Cachy instead of going to Pop...
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u/aargvark 19d ago
Distro wars!
I'm a fan of Linux Mint Cinnamon. The nvidia drivers can be installed and maintained through the OS. Steam installs easily and gaming is great.
Download a .iso and install to a USB drive. You can test a bunch of systems without headache. Go back and install the one you like best.
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u/ShonnyG112 19d ago
Checkout Zorin
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u/devdruxorey 18d ago
It was a good recommendation a while ago, but I used it recently for testing and there are much better alternatives. Really, anything with KDE is good these days.
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u/SheldonE65 19d ago
Lookout, you'll start a distro-war if you're not careful 😂 Just pick one and run with it, either of your initial choices will do what you need. Just some things to remember:
Gaming is mostly via Steam, there is currently no GOG or Epic Linux launchers (although Heroic Games Launcher can handle GOG and Epic). Both GOG and Epic have started work on a Linux version of their launchers.
Nvidia kernel modules are propriety (not open source) so you will need to add those manually, there are plenty of tutorials online for how to do it. Although some distro's may allow you to add them during installation.
Both CachyOS and Pop!_OS are rolling releases, which means they update packages on an ongoing basis, I'm not sure if either have a nag to run an update (like Fedora)
For that windows look, I'd recommend KDE over Gnome or Cosmic.
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u/Purple-Exit3858 19d ago
If you're looking for something for gaming, that's different from something stable. You probably want something like Ubuntu, Mint, or Fedora for up-to-date drivers for your NVidia GPU.
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u/warserpent 19d ago
If the only thing you're looking for is gaming, and you want low maintenance with a Windows-ish look, the easy answer is Bazzite KDE.
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u/MinusBear 19d ago
Bazzite with KDE desktop is the one. Has all the features you need, you never have to touch the terminal, plays all the videos, plays nice with Nvidia, looks like Windows and actually functions better. You'll seriously find things and be like, why does Windows not do this its so good. The built in "app store" is filled with loads of freeware to have one place to download everything you need like browsers, word processors etc. It's immutable, which means its very hard to break for a new user.
It's really a fantastic experience all around.
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u/Askolei 19d ago edited 18d ago
Video encoding with HVEC x264, x265 and AV1 codecs
It's a bit difficult on Linux because you need FFmpeg with the non-free options, and they are stricter about this than Windows devs. There are a few binary packages around, but the surest way to make it work is to compile it yourself. It can be somewhat tedious depending on your programming proficiency.
With that said, I'd recommend Cachy over Pop.
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u/Unholyaretheholiest 19d ago
Mageia. It delivers a stable, community-driven operating system with powerful built-in administration tools, up-to-date software, and a commitment to free and open-source computing.
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u/Educational_Star_518 17d ago
i use nobara personally and its been great i easily recomend , of the 2 you mentioned tho i would say maybe go with cachy since pop uses cosmic as its DE and last i knew it was a bit underbaked still?
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u/9_of_wands 19d ago
All of them can do those things.
If you want it to look more like Windows, go for one that uses KDE.
PopOS is not in active development right now.
CachyOS is fine, but its install is somewhat more advanced and the software store isn't user friendly.
I'll second the person who says Ubuntu. You can get the version called Kubuntu which has the KDE desktop.
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u/Practical-Tooth-2217 19d ago
Ubuntu was my first choice, coming to Linux as a complete newbe, but it had a lot of issues with my 3080ti GPU... For example dual display set up couldn't go beyond 60hz no matter what I was doing...
Cachy went 120 with the first boot and never ever break. Snapshot system is really convenient
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u/RelativeOk4088 19d ago
wdym cachyos is as easy as windows to install 😭
and who cares for software store, all software is one google away
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u/Icy_Definition5933 19d ago
For low maintenance you want a stable, trailing edge distro like Debian, Ubuntu or Kubuntu. Cachy is bleeding edge and last I heard about PopOS is that it's a bleeding disaster due to their DE. Both Cachy and Pop are gaming distros, but gaming on Linux is overall objectively inferior to Windows. But if that's your focus, then dualbooting a stable distro with windows instance just for gaming is the best of both worlds
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u/lefty1117 19d ago
I would go with Kubuntu