My Microsoft account was compromised, and after dealing with poor support I'm seriously considering moving away from Microsoft as much as possible. I mainly use my PC for video editing in DaVinci Resolve and gaming through Steam, especially Overwatch. My system has an NVIDIA GPU and an AMD CPU.
I've been looking at Fedora and newer gaming-focused distributions such as Bazzite or CachyOS. I also saw that DaVinci Resolve can be installed inside a Distrobox container to reduce the chance of system updates breaking it. Is that a sensible approach with an NVIDIA GPU, or would I be better off using Ubuntu, Rocky Linux, or another distribution with more established Resolve support? I'd also appreciate any warnings about codecs, NVIDIA drivers, or game compatibility before switching.
4 Answers
Fedora is a good general-purpose choice with current packages and drivers, and Resolve can work on it, especially when isolated in a container. However, containers do not automatically solve every GPU, codec, or application issue. If video editing is equally important as gaming, prioritize a distribution where Resolve and your media formats are known to work rather than choosing solely based on gaming performance.
Bazzite is worth considering if gaming is the main priority. It includes tools that make installing common software easier, and its Distrobox support can be used for applications such as DaVinci Resolve. The Resolve installer can be run with a command like `ujust install-resolve`, although you should still verify that your NVIDIA driver and GPU are supported.
Ubuntu is probably the safest starting point for DaVinci Resolve because it is one of the distributions officially supported by Resolve and has plenty of troubleshooting information available. You can always experiment with Fedora, Bazzite, or another distribution later once you know your editing workflow works. Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, Nobara, Bazzite, and CachyOS are generally reasonable options for NVIDIA gaming, though the exact experience depends on the GPU and driver version.
Be careful with Resolve on Linux regardless of the distribution. The free version can have limitations around H.264 and H.265 codecs, and some camera files may import without audio. Resolve Studio may be required for certain formats. CachyOS can be excellent for gaming, but installing and troubleshooting Resolve there may take more effort than it is worth for a beginner.
That’s the main tradeoff: newer gaming-focused systems may be great for Steam but can require extra setup for Resolve. Testing your actual footage and projects from a live USB or spare drive would be safer than committing immediately.