u/StellagamaStellio

I am using Linux on and off for a decade, and have tried Ubuntu Unity (and Ubuntu Mate), Linux Lite, OpenSUSE Tumbleweed KDE, Kubuntu, and Mint (both XFCE and Cinnamon). I'm using Mint Cinnamon for several months now as my daily driver and enjoying its general simplicity and stability compared to more rapidly-updated distros.

However, I am intrigued by MX Linux, and am liking its general concept (and being Systemd-less, Debian based, and stable as bedrock from what I understand).

Desktop PC. Specs are AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (16) @ 4.665G, AMD ATI Radeon RX 6700 XT, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB M2 SSD, 2TB M2 SSD. LG wide screen (one monitor).

Use case is Firefox, LibreOffice, Scribus, some Python coding using Kate, and some gaming (some AAA titles but mostly indie stuff and old GoG games through Heroic and Lutris).

Please sell me on MX :-)

A friend asked me to install Linux on an old Windows 10 Lenovo laptop unable to update or install Windows 11 (due to the TPM 2.0 requirement). I chose Mint Cinnamon.

I placed the laptop on my kitchen table and started the install process. Meanwhile, I was frying chicken schnitzels in my nearby kitchen and occasionally doing install stuff on the laptop when needed. It took me less time to install Mint, including updates, Timeshift, setting up auto-updates, Chrome, Okular, and Zoom than to fry a kilo of chicken schnitzels!

(significantly less than an hour).

... I am starting to get cold feet from Canonical, unfortunately. Ubuntu Pro, promoting Snap excessively, telemetry, and a general corporate feel.

My desktop PC has AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, 32GB RAM, 512GB M2 SSD, 1TB M2 SSD. Use cases are:

1. Gaming, both recent-ish AAA (such as Cyberpunk 2077, Starfield, Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon) and retro/indie. I want to get back to gaming as entertainment and relaxation.
2. Internet (using Chrome and Discord) and LibreOffice. Includes PDF viewing as well.
3. Scribus publishing.
4. Learning Python programming in VSCode.

Looking for a distro to give me excellent performance in gaming and otherwise, reasonable (not necessarily perfect, but reasonable) stability, fresh software/drivers, and less corporate involvement than in Ubuntu.

CachyOS and Fedora 44 are already on my radar, but I am very open to further suggestions.

Just ordered a new laptop form a local computer store to replace my ailing ThinkPad!

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 2-in-1, AMD Ryzen™ AI 7 350 (8C / 16T, 2.0 / 5.0GHz, 8MB L2 / 16MB L3), Integrated AMD Radeon™ 860M Graphics, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe® 4.0x4 NVMe®.

Comes without an OS preinstalled (thankfully).

Which distro would you recommend for it?

Use case is mostly work: browser-based CRMs, WordPress/Elementor, and Google apps; LibreOffice; Okular; maybe Scribus. But also gaming as a secondary computer (my main desktop PC is more powerful for that purpose, but I may want to game on the laptop as I commute).

I need a stable but (relatively) fresh distro that works without too much of a fuss, runs quickly, and supports the newer hardware well.

I'm currently using Kubuntu 26.04 on my desktop PC and am very satisfied, and may want to install it on the new laptop as well. But I am very open to suggestions!

My dream minimalism is having so little stuff that I can pack all my life into a suitcase and a backpack: a few sets of clothes, a towel or two, toiletries, a large and powerful laptop with its charger and optional mouse, headphones, a phone with its charger, my medications, documents and money... And a few more person effects. This would be incredibly liberating. Then, move as economically feasible, usually requiring little space. The main problems are kitchenware (unless a furnished apartment with kitchenware is affordable) and having to leave behind my treasured book collection.