Edit: Tumbleweed and bazzite are currently the most attractive options based on what I’ve learned from the comments. I will trial run those and 1 or 2 others.

I am currently on Pop OS.

I am dissatisfied with the DE/UI and I’ve been playing with others but half the point of this distro is it’s custom UI. So I figured I would try another. I have several criteria that may narrow it down.

  1. I am going to use KDE or KDE Plasma (preferred). This is the only non-negotiable criteria.

  2. I will be gaming. This means I would like relatively up to date kernel and software. Rolling or semi-rolling releases are preferred.

2.5. I also work from this pc. This mainly entails using discord and Firefox though so no special requirements. I do have 4 different sized monitors with 3 different refresh rates that I use for work. Only one for gaming. One is vertical. I can tell I’m pushing x to its limits with that setup.

  1. I would prefer Debian-based as that is what I’m used to and because .deb packages are so common.

  2. I don’t want it to be a ton of effort to set up. Pop OS worked out of the box with my Nvidia GPU and all other hardware. I am willing to put in some effort though.

  3. I have been using and very much like apt and flatpak. This is not a requirement, just an observation.

  4. Wayland is neat

  5. Active community with lots of support to search through. Pop OS has been good for this as it’s Ubuntu based and has its own great community.

Ultimately I want an easy to use desktop OS that uses some sort of KDE, supports up to date packages and drivers, supports most games and isn’t a pain to maintain.

Here are some contenders that fit at least some of my requirements.

KDE Neon user edition

Opensuse tumbleweed

Kubuntu

Endeavor OS

Debian

Manjaro

Bazzite

Mint Debian edition

Right now I’m leaning toward KDE Neon, Kubuntu, or Debian (whatever the rolling release version is), but the others all have their draws. I’ve heard the aur is great but I have come across several applications only available in website downloads of Deb packages so I’m hesitant.

I have been using pop as my first desktop distro after Windows and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I barely run into anything I can’t solve with some effort and headache and not a single game I can’t play. I’d like to keep it that way.

Now that that’s out of the way, does anyone have suggestions? Am I looking in the wrong direction? Am I asking the wrong questions? Should I just install arch, live in the terminal, and throw away my mouse? /s

Thank you all for your advice in advance.

  • youmaynotknow@lemmy.ml
    41·
    23 days ago

    I’m going to risk the down votes. Stay away from atomic distros and you should be OK. Yes, they are less likely to break by messing around, but also infinitely harder to set exactly to your liking.

  • whaleross@lemmy.world
    2·
    23 days ago

    Get back with results. I switched from Pop!_OS to Fedora KDE today. So far my annoyances with Pop and Gnome are gone and what little I had time to try out with Steam worked well. The kernel is on par with pop. I’m used to Debian based distros and using apt from the command line so it will be a learning experience, but damn the Fedora GUI for packages is streets ahead I must say.

    • Alk@sh.itjust.worksOP
      1·
      23 days ago

      I fear I might not have results soon. I am going to stick around until Pop Cosmic comes, and then switch to bazzite or tumbleweed if it doesn’t tickle me pink. I am going to install a couple on a 2nd drive, but won’t be using them as my daily driver until cosmic.

      • whaleross@lemmy.world
        1·
        23 days ago

        FYI, you can get a feel for most distros by running it from a LiveCD/USB stick, fiddle about and see what works and what doesn’t.

  • Dalaryous@lemmy.mlEnglish
    12·
    24 days ago

    I’m actually happy with Ubuntu. It is very stable and if you install Flatpak, you have another world of high quality apps to use.

  • secret300@lemmy.sdf.org
    3·
    24 days ago

    I’d say opensuse is a solid choice but I’d also give fedora KDE spin a look too. There’s also bazzite that’s based off fedora and made with gaming in mind.

  • suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.mlEnglish
    16·
    24 days ago

    I started the ubuntu path on warty, was a distro vagrant after unity arrived, switched to debian a while which was and is fine, decided to give manjaro a shot and couldn’t stand it, but oh how that AUR made me swoon. Finally worked up the nerve to lose the training wheels and try just arch, got tired of the immense chore that it became and found EndeavourOS.

    I cannot recommend endeavour highly enough. It’s exactly what I always wanted and as long as they don’t completely shit the bed somehow I doubt I’ll ever leave. I can’t speak to your hardware concerns, as I went full team red with common hardware for my last few builds because I knew they would have linux on them. The arch wiki is great. The forum exists. They have a plasma version.

    The only games I have been unable to play are those that have shitty anti cheat software and the occasional very recent release, but those usually get resolved in a hurry. Genuinely no complaints.

    • Alk@sh.itjust.worksOP
      4·
      24 days ago

      Thanks for the review. Like you said, hardware may or may not be a concern. I built this pc years ago with windows in mind and I plan to build one again at some point. With people praising the non-Debian distros in my list, I might just go that route and see how it goes.

  • DesolateMood@lemm.ee
    1·
    23 days ago

    I know you said you want to use KDE, but Pop is actually working on their own DE, called Cosmic, to be released with the 24.04 version. It’s currently still in alpha, so it’s far from finished, but if you’re trialing other distros anyway I don’t think it would hurt to boot it up and explore it (at least for a few minutes)

    • Alk@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2·
      23 days ago

      Yeah I actually know about that. Pop’s whole shtick of versatile tiling and workspace management doesn’t really benefit me at all, and I reckon the new DE will heavily feature that as well. That’s not necessarily a downside, but it doesn’t really make me want to use it over anything else either. What I do know is that KDE is great, I love using it, I love using its apps, and many of its apps don’t work quite right on POP as it is.

      However, I AM interested in Cosmic’s support of nvidia hardware, variable refresh rate, and support for obscure nonsensical monitor setups (which I have haha). So I think I’m going to give it a try, and hope it isn’t worse than gnome. I’m not particularly a fan of gnome, but it does have some cool plugins and wide support.

      • DesolateMood@lemm.ee
        1·
        23 days ago

        Yeah I thought it would be a long shot but I figured i should mention it just in case, good luck finding a distro

  • undrivendev@lemmy.world
    1·
    20 days ago

    It depends on how much time you want to spend learning it and become a power user.

    1. If the answer is ‘enough’, the best distros out there IMHO are Arch-based (Manjaro, EndevourOS, Arch itself). Plus the community is the best.
    2. If you aim for a more ‘set and forget’ experience, I’d go for Ubuntu LTS as base with KDE. In particular, I’d go for Kubuntu LTS or KDE Neon.

    If your reasonably tech-savvy and you are in for the long game, I suggest to go for n. 1: it’s a worthwhile investment.

  • unce@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    3·
    23 days ago

    I really enjoy Tumbleweed. I’ve been using it for about 18 months now without issue. One thing to note though is that TW only packages production release Nvidia drivers. This means you will not have the 555 or 560 drivers that make Wayland usable by default. You can always install the latest drivers with the run file provided by Nvidia. Some people also use the CUDA repo to get the newer drivers. However, I’d think both of these options may be the type of tinkering you are trying to avoid.

    Overall I think TW is a great distro but it may be a bit more setup for Nvidia gaming on Wayland than you are looking for. If you’re down with doing a little tinkering or gaming on X give it a shot. You can always roll back if something gets messed up.

  • moreeni@lemm.ee
    6·
    24 days ago

    I highly recommend checking out either Fedora KDE Spin or Fedora Kinoite! Both are great choices, especially if you want to leverage the power of Flatpak for app installation, as they both push the user towards it. Additionally, if you ever need to install .deb packages, you can easily do so using Ubuntu in toolbox.

    Alternatively, EndeavourOS might also be a good fit for you, providing a user-friendly Arch installation with a rolling release system. You’ll have a modern and flexible environment while still being able to use Flatpak effortlessly. You can also install distrobox there to, again, use apt inside of an Ubuntu system.

    Whichever you choose, you can’t go wrong! Happy tinkering and remember that the best way to choose a distro is to try it out.

    • Alk@sh.itjust.worksOP
      2·
      24 days ago

      Thanks! And yeah I’ll definitely try several. I have 2 or 3 that I’m definitely going to test drive for a week thanks to all of the helpful comments I’m getting.

      • Drathro@dormi.zoneEnglish
        1·
        24 days ago

        If you’re gaming you might as well just jump on Bazzite if you’re already interested in Kinoite. Very similar base, but Bazzite has some extras Kinoite doesn’t and it makes a transition into an immutable distro easier.