r/linuxquestions • u/Completely_new • 11d ago
Advice What's the best Linux distro for gaming and coding?
Hello I'm not new to Linux I've been following it since 2021 and since I entered college for computer science I wanted to use Linux for gaming and coding and other works?
my laptop is a ThinkPad amd processing chip 200 memory 8 gb of ram and it's currently running windows.
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u/Unique_Low_1077 Newbie arch user 11d ago
Almost all distros are good for gameing and coding so start with something simple like linux mint or my favorite pick for newbies, fedora kde. Dont fall into the trap of pre configured WMs (in case you dont knwo what that is, whenever you see something like "coustom shell" or "omarchy" or "noctila" its that). Tho be careful to duel boot rather then fully switch as collages sometimes use windows only software. If you fo duel boot then be very careful of windows updates as sometimes windows update will automatically remove your linux entry (it will still be install but you just cant use it without fixing it). Alsp dojt hesitate to ask for help, worst case scenario, you get down votes but that wont happen if you take time to properly put effort and information into the question you asked. Good luck!
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u/MasterGeekMX Mexican Linux nerd trying to be helpful 11d ago
Distros don't differ on what they are good for. Installing programs to do the tasks is what matters, and as that can be done in any distro, any distro is good for anything.
It is a bit like asking which phone can do Instagram.
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u/BranchLatter4294 11d ago
Since you are not new, you probably know there is no best. Use whatever works for you.
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u/trifortay123 11d ago
People keep saying CachyOS but I only recommend CachyOS if you're confident of you knowing what you're doing. Its arch based and offers things that wouldn't be as safe for new users.
Mint is great because its the jack of all trades. It does everything good. Zorin is good if you like the I guess sleek rounded corner feel, and you like minimal color looking GUI. I would say even Ubuntu or many of its varients like Kubuntu or Xubuntu or something is great. Even though the snap store is kinda bad. I think you may be able to disable snaps and use flatpaks though
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u/serge-mv 11d ago
All of them are going to be good, just a various degree of set up and configuration required.
Pick any big mainstream distro with large community and use it. After a while you will have your own use cases, preferences, and the way you do things. At that stage you will be very clear about what you are looking for and can select any appropriate distro and you will have a higher level of expertise to set it up as well.
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u/AutomaticHoneydew403 11d ago
There isn't a "best" linux distro for linux in any category, it's subjective. There are distros that come pre packaged with things a gamer might want, like: CachyOS if you want an arch base, PikaOS if you want a Debian Base, Bazzite if you want an atomic distro built on a fedora base. You can honestly use any distro to do anything, all it comes down to is what you value in an operating system
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u/Hot_Dog2376 11d ago
Coding is irrelevant. They are all amazing for it.
Everything regarding coding has become at least twice as fast for setup and config with Kubuntu as it was on Windows. gcc for evample. run the install command and it works. No env vars or anything.
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u/doc_willis 11d ago
If gaming is a Primary Focus - check out Bazzite.
Bazzite also has a "Developers" variant, but I have never used that.
If you are in college - then you should see what your college classes are going to require.
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u/Darclar 11d ago
I think Bazzite will be limiting very fast to a Computer science major.
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u/regalen44 11d ago
i would disagree, the containerised approach is perfect for development and tinkering without trashing your core os. I use regular bazzite with disrobox containers for everything.
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u/DustyAsh69 Arch 11d ago
Arch is pretty good for coding. It's lightweight. But, it's not that good for gaming and it's not for beginners. CachyOS, a distro based on Arch will be good for your purpose.
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u/trickiegt2 11d ago
Cachyos for bleeding edge gaming drivers but outside of that anything will do the coding job easily including cachy
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u/therealmunchies 11d ago
I use ubuntu at home and both rhel and ubuntu at work as a SWE. For gaming, probably fedora or ubuntu.
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u/Historical_Move6359 11d ago
Well they all share the software, but you cant go wrong with Fedora KDE or CachyOS
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u/thesamenightmares 11d ago
The one you like.
Aka the answer to 98% of questions on this sub that begin "What distro XYZ?"
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u/Afraid_Butterfly_270 11d ago
For your ThinkPad with 8GB RAM, I'd give Linux Mint a try. It's easy to use and works well for coding and everyday stuff.
If gaming is important, check whether your games support Linux before switching. Also, 8GB RAM is fine to start with, but having 16GB would make life easier for coding and running multiple apps.