Choose a distribution that fits your needs and verify recent updates from Nvidia for Linux support.
Choose a distribution that fits your needs and verify recent updates from Nvidia for Linux support.
Hey there! I'm just someone who's been using Linux for a while now—about four years or so—and it's been a smooth ride as my main OS. But lately, I've switched to Windows after a really tough PCIE passthrough experience (no ACS override, that was rough). I'm diving into software development and want to get back to Linux, but I'm a bit confused about what's current. What's considered a solid distro and desktop setup today? And I'm curious about NVIDIA driver support—especially for Pop_OS. Is it really different from other Ubuntu or Debian-based distros that come with NVIDIA drivers via apt? I've also heard Wayland is working, but I had a bad experience with it last time it ran at only 5 FPS. Screen tearing is still an issue for some, and I'm wondering if Hyprland is worth trying again after that. Thanks for your help!
Are you using a new style or a custom solution? Are you relying on an official repository or an NVIDIA binary? I've checked all options and still experience screen tearing, even with gsync active. The NVIDIA binaries are particularly tricky to install—they require backlisting Nouveau, disabling the kernel module, installing without a GUI, and sometimes recompiling the kernel because they need to install the NVIDIA kernel modules, which can fail for reasons I don’t fully understand.
A few repositories seemed tricky at first. Removing them and switching to AMD drivers caused extra work, which was frustrating. It looks like DDU isn’t available in the Linux install, making things even more complicated. Installing native AMD was definitely easier.
Meta focuses on gaming distros (Bazzite, Nobara, Garuda). KDE offers the most complete setup out of the box and features. Manjaro works well, though Pretty good. If you need Wayland, install at least version 555.xx for a fix and KDE version 6.1 or higher. Manjaro and Nobara function with my old 980 TI, but VRR support remains somewhat unstable.
It’s generating the module shim using available headers—if there’s a mismatch between kernel and header versions, you might face problems similar to what happens when drivers aren’t updated. Package managers handle installed files, so you can remove them if needed; Linux’s configuration system is essentially /etc. On Debian with KDE as your Windows user, the transition from KDE to Doze is relatively minor compared to other distributions, making frequent switches less disruptive. Debian emphasizes self-management during installation, which reduces troubleshooting during maintenance.
I've never faced problems with NVIDIA drivers. Used popos, managedaro/arch/fedora. Now I'm using Bazzite, which is the most stable OS for gaming. Don't suggest installing drivers directly from NVIDIA unless you're familiar with kernel/x11 setup. Always relied on the driver from the repo for my distro. For Ubuntu-based systems, it was unofficial at first, now official via a PPA (https://launchpad.net/~graphics-drivers/...ubuntu/ppa). Manjro - mhwd worked well. Arch has its own wiki guide/aur. The only current issue is with Wayland support. Newer 56x drivers seem to perform better and are more stable. Older versions sometimes needed to switch to X11, causing odd GUI/mouse delays or random errors.
I've relied on Linux every day since around 2005, and until 2019 I had Nvidia as my only choice. Then I upgraded to a mini PC with a 12th gen i7, using its built-in graphics—surprised to find the overall experience much smoother than the 1080 Ti I was running at that time. Everything felt seamless, without any bothersome issues. After that, I've experimented with GPUs from all three manufacturers (including Arc), and Nvidia still feels...mediocre. AMD and Intel GPUs perform noticeably better on Linux; even for AI/ML tasks, you get more memory capacity for your budget with them compared to Nvidia. If possible, consider getting a 7800 XT or similar. An A770 would work too, or keep an eye on the Battlemage release—likely the B580 will match the A770 in performance. Whether Intel or AMD you choose, it will install and run without any hassle.
Could you clarify what you mean by "Maybe it's not needed?"
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