My KDE Setup
Long-time GNOME user here, currently trying out KDE. I actually tried KDE about 2–3 years ago, but I really didn't like the out-of-the-box experience back then. Everything felt a bit inconsistent and out of place.
One thing I'll always give GNOME credit for is how coherent and polished it feels. The design language is very consistent throughout the entire desktop experience. That said, I've always been frustrated by how often you need extensions or additional tweaks just to get what I consider basic functionality.
KDE, on the other hand, has come a long way. The amount of built-in functionality available out of the box is honestly top-tier, and that's something I've really appreciated. I still wasn't a huge fan of the default look, though, so I decided to go all-in on customization this time around.
So far, I'm absolutely loving it. KDE feels incredibly powerful while still letting me make the desktop look exactly how I want.