I'm considering what Linux distribution to use that will give me the best chance of getting my Nvidia graphics card working effectively, now and in the long run. I've heard good things about Pop!_OS and its GUI called COSMIC. Is this a good choice for someone transitioning from Windows? Also, will I be able to run Windows applications on it easily?
6 Answers
It can be tricky with Nvidia since they don't make it straightforward. Just be prepared for a bit of extra work to get everything running smoothly.
If you're looking for solid Nvidia support, I recommend Fedora. It's the only distro where I was able to get my Nvidia drivers working seamlessly after trying out several others like Debian and Ubuntu. Plus, Fedora is user-friendly and great for beginners, especially if you choose the GNOME workstation environment.
I think the performance can differ based on the distro. I've tried Mint and while the proprietary drivers worked decently on a 4K monitor, I noticed that Kubuntu provided a sharper display right out of the box with better scaling features.
If you want an easy experience, I’d say go for Pop!_OS. It’s a solid choice and has a cool interface with COSMIC. Just a heads up though, COSMIC feels a bit unfinished, so maybe wait a bit before making it your daily driver.
Any desktop distro should work fine with your Nvidia card. For pre-installed Nvidia drivers, you might want to check out PikaOS, which is a gaming distro. Alternatively, you can use Linux Mint or Pop!_OS, where you can easily open the Driver Manager to install the latest drivers for your specific card.
If you have a newer Nvidia model like the RTX 4060, distros like Nobara (which is based on Fedora), CachyOS, and Ubuntu should work right out-of-the-box for you. Just keep in mind the experience might vary if you're using an older card like the Pascal series.
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