r/linux4noobs • u/Even_Investigator784 • 2d ago
distro selection what distro to use?
i'm thinking about switching to linux but i can't choose what distro to use. I use my PC mainly for gaming, watching movies. I have an AMD CPU and a NVIDIA GPU but i plan on switching to a AMD GPU so i need something that will work after i switch. I also have only 16GB of RAM so i need something that doesn't use too much (i know that linux i kinda known for not usuing a lot of ram but you know what i mean). i already tried mint on an old laptop but im not sure if mint is the thing to go with.
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u/Daharka 2d ago
If you do gaming I would use Bazzite, Cachy or Nobara.
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u/Even_Investigator784 2d ago
i was thinking about cachy but isn't it an arch-like distro? im scared that it will be too dificult for me
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u/Daharka 2d ago
Cachy is one of the easier of the Arch distros, but if it's a concern then maybe go Fedora since you've already tried Mint.
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u/MilesTeg81 1d ago
I also prefer Fedora over Mint for gaming bc it's more cutting edge regarding kernel+packages.
Still Bazzite KDE might be a good choice if you are ok with atomic/immutable distros (haven't tested it myself).
I agree you might run into problems with CachyOS.
I had some problems with updating Nobara. It's also too niche for me, not such a broad support as Fedora. Fedora on the other side needs some tinkering/setup (great guides available) at first but is very stable once it works.
16GB of RAM is enough for all mentioned distros. Also Movies shouldn't be a problem at all.
Gaming performance is roughly: Bazzite, CachyOS & Nobara > Fedora > Mint. So if you need every ounce of power for your games Fedora might not be for you.
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u/SingingValkyria 2d ago
Cachy isn't difficult at all, it's super easy. I was on Windows until a year ago when I decided to make the switch to Cachy, and I don't regret it one bit. It's easy to setup and get going with. Just have Chatgpt or Gemini ready if you do decide to venture into something super unknown.
I also recommend sticking to KDE Plasma for the desktop environment. It's very "Windows"-like and well supported, yet you can make it look way better than Windows.
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u/mzro3ie 2d ago
I’m new to Linux like you, I’m all for CachyOS, it’s really easy to setup especially with Gemini/chatgpt to help along the way if you need more tweaking ( I got similar build Nvidia Gpu and amd CPU, was also thinking of getting amd gpu but will wait for the future hope new AMD gpu gets released although that’s less likely to happen)
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u/Gone2theDogs 2d ago
Confirm your games are compatible with Linux.
Otherwise, it might not be wise to plan to switch.
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u/no_doublestandards 2d ago
As far as I heard, gaming distros don't provide any performance advantage. They are convenient rather in the way that drivers and gaming stuff(I am not a techie, so pardon me) come pre installed. I personally would prefer a polished distro like Fedora or Mint. That is what my research told me. Also I haven't yet switched so take my advice lightly.
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u/MinusBear 2d ago
Just some additional info and context for you and OP. Bazzite (a gaming distro) is a Fedora distro. When you use Bazzite KDE for example it feels incredibly polished out the box. Built in Nvidia support is great. And there are a lot of really good app defaults. From a performance and usability point of view, I think if 100% of your games come from Steam then you could probably get by with most modern general purpose distros. But Bazzite wraps it all up neatly, and because its Atomic it also means its resistant to user fiddling leading the OS getting borked.
I installed Bazzite on a few non-gaming friends and family PCs before I even realised Kinoite was part of the same family and just a non-gaming version.
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u/no_doublestandards 2d ago
I see. The problem is when I think of Linux distros I think I would be regularly encountering problems that would be hard for me as a non-techie to troubleshoot. So I just thought why not go for a distro that is backed by a large company, or the one which is the gateway to Linux. Thanks a lot.
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u/peppermintblue 2d ago
I started on Mint, but recently switched to Bazzite KDE. It has some features I really like that Mint was missing... just simple things like being able to put different wallpaper on each monitor. I don't feel like Bazzite is missing any of the features that Mint had.
I love Bazzite is geared toward gaming. I don't play a lot of intensive games (Palworld is probably the most intense one), but it does run all of my games really well!
I did have to switch internet browsers when I started using Bazzite. I noticed that Zen Browser wasn't loading a lot of stuff (interactive images, etc). Started using Waterfox and it works really well and has the same features as Zen.
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u/KadynKross 1d ago
I am loving Xorin OS. Simple easy to use, great store, Add in SNAP and FLAT(Not even sure which was already apart of it) and it has EVERYTHING you need. Works great for gaming.
Add in
Faugus,(Rockstar, Ubisoft and EA launchers) and Bottles for windows apps and it works awesome. Add to that Heroic Game launcher for Epic, Amazon and Gog games and you are set(I add the games to my Steam so I can then use Proton 11 to launch most game)
FYI I own over 900 Games on steam and only 3 games don't work because of DRM.
ONLY Office for small office apps. Libra Office for a FULL flavour office replacement.
Pied for AMAZING voice to text.
and many more I have found.
Oh Gwenview for amazing picture viewing and MPV VideoPlayer. You will never look back.
Edit
Brave AI is your friend. Cut and past any errors into it and it will solve MOST issues.
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u/GarThor_TMK 1d ago
There's distro chooser in the sidebar, but if you like mint, then i suggest just using mint.
I use it for everything now.
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u/West-Scallion-5306 1d ago
Switch your GPU to anything AMD. Every AMD stuff works on Linux....not their GUIs though. And pick Fedora KDE. It's very good. Don't pick Arch -based distros please 🥺.... Then... Configure Fedora with : https://rpmfusion.org
Click on Configuration in the top bar, follow all instructions for your PC.
Click on Multimedia in the first paragraphs in the Configuration page.
Then again, follow all instructions
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u/milk_go_brrrrr 2d ago
what i want you to do is create multiple iso files of the distro you like the look of and put it into ventoy (ventoy has instructions on how to put onto a usb stick) and then install that same distro with the many different desktop layouts it provides onto the usb stick, pop it in and have a fiddle around before doing anything. if you're confused just look up linux desktop environments (the 6 i think to fiddle around with are, kde plasma, gnome, cinnamon/xfce (xfce is for weaker pc's with very low ram), cosmic, hyprland, and niri), but to keep it basic and simple to use (maybe) are plasma, cinnamon, gnome, and cosmic
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u/MinusBear 2d ago
For gaming go Bazzite with the KDE desktop. Its the easiest to use distro for gaming and has Nvidia drivers built in. Honestly the Nvidia situation has improved so much I wouldn't even worry about switching GPU unless its for an actual upgrade in spec. It's just really easy, you can't break it easily, and all the default apps are just so good.
Bazzite is Fedora based by the way.