Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice on a Linux distribution for a friend who needs to switch from Windows as their support is ending soon. I've been a Linux user for years and I'm currently on CachyOS, but my friend is a total newbie. Their setup includes an older Intel i5, 16 GB of DDR3 RAM, an Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB, and an SSD.
The big challenge here is that Nvidia card. My last experience with that specific GPU on Linux wasn't great, but that was before the newer drivers came out. I'm also concerned about audio since my friend has a MIDI keyboard and an audio interface; I remember having terrible latency issues with Ubuntu-based systems.
I've had success with Arch Gnome because it had low latency audio and worked well with the Nvidia GPU, but I can't expect my friend to handle that complexity. They've been dual booting with Mint, but the audio queries are still on Windows. I even tried installing Fedora, but the GPU ran into issues with Wayland.
What would be a distro that avoids the need for messing around with RT kernels for audio, can handle some light gaming, and has stable support for their Nvidia card? Would the GTX 1060 work with Wayland? Looking for reliable options that I can help maintain for them!
4 Answers
Check out the distro selection page on the wiki! It can guide you through options. Just remember to back up everything and test things out in a VM before diving in!
If you're leaning towards keeping him on Windows for a bit longer, there are hacks to get free updates on Windows 10 for a few more years. But if you do go for Linux, Mint with Cinnamon is pretty good and has automatic updates. If Nvidia's giving you trouble, POP!_OS might be the way to go since they have a dedicated Nvidia version.
If your friend likes Arch but you want to simplify things, Manjaro is a great option. Just make sure not to treat it like a rolling release and stick to LTS kernels. It offers a friendly experience and is pretty stable! Other options are Nobara for gaming and Pop!_OS for its stability with gaming too, or even Ubuntu for its extensive community support.
X11 is a must for KDE, especially in multi-display setups. Wayland still has some kinks with Nvidia.
Hey! Have you considered Bazzite? It's known for playing nicely with Nvidia cards and is quite user-friendly. Since you'll be doing the maintenance, it's a solid choice that won't overwhelm your friend.
I've been using Manjaro too! It works great for daily use, just remember to have that LTS kernel as a backup. Sleep and hibernation are rock solid now.