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.

  • undrivendev@lemmy.world
    1·
    3 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.

  • Andy@programming.dev
    3·
    6 days ago

    If you choose to give Fedora a try, I recommend Ultramarine, which has more set up from the start, including their “Terrs” repository with more updated packages.

  • youmaynotknow@lemmy.ml
    41·
    6 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.

  • unce@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    3·
    6 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.

  • whaleross@lemmy.world
    2·
    6 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·
      6 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·
        6 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.

  • DesolateMood@lemm.ee
    1·
    7 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·
      7 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·
        6 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

  • Adanisi@lemmy.zipEnglish
    11·
    7 days ago

    I vote for Debian sid (the “rolling” version of Debian). I use it and it’s great.

    • mangaskahn@lemmy.world
      1·
      6 days ago

      Still way behind for KDE though. I’m running Sid on my gaming machine and hoping they update some time soon. I have KDE Neon on my laptop and it works great, but with an Ubuntu base it’s still trying to shove Snap down my throat.

  • Dalaryous@lemmy.mlEnglish
    12·
    7 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.

  • Axum@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    31·
    7 days ago

    Bazzite, since you’re gaming.

    It’s truly the dark horse that is phenomenal that doesn’t get enough attention if you’re focused on gaming

    The included distrobox software can effectively let you run any other distro in a nice container and install things as well.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      6·
      7 days ago

      I’ve been on Bazzite for a month or two now, and the experience has been fantastic. Still learning about ostree, and the quirks of immutable, but so far I’ve been loving it.

    • Alk@sh.itjust.worksOP
      7·
      7 days ago

      Thank you. I’m definitely doing to trial bazzite and tumbleweed. Both have received near unanimous praise from anyone who mentioned them in my 2 posts, Tumbleweed moreso.