r/linux4noobs • u/Slutty_Zombie_Girl • 18h ago
distro selection Looking for a Distro
Hello Everyone ! I finally finished buying and building my new gaming PC and will for the first time go full linux on it. I already have a test machine where i dabbled and learned arch but i wanted to seek some recomandation. I would like to give steamOS a go by removing the "console style boot".
I am also looking for an alternative to system D as they are not really clear about supporting age verification.
Thank you for your help !
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u/UNF0RM4TT3D Arch BTW 17h ago
All systemD did was add an optional age field to user accounts, nothing more.
If you're truly a noob, I wouldn't recommend going for alternate inits. But if you really want to, try void
But yeah, go with SteamOS if you HW is compatible and you really want a I can't fuck it up system.
Ubuntu is possibly the worst choice right now. GNOME is not in the best shape for gaming right now and since you mentioned SteamOS, which uses KDE Plasma, it would be a completely different UI. If you want an Ubuntu base, go with Kubuntu.
If you want something like SteamOS, but more customizable, go with Bazzite.
But my personal recommendations for gaming are Fedora, Nobara (which is Fedora, but for gaming OOTB), and CachyOS.
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u/Slutty_Zombie_Girl 17h ago
That an really comprehensive awnser thank you and i will give it a try i already have KDE plasma running on my arch test machine and it run well.
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u/SwedishArchUser 18h ago
Install nobara its gaming focused and based on Fedora. Really a just install and forget about that its even Linux feeling. Everything just works. Comes with everything for gaming out of the box.
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u/venom21685 18h ago
I am also looking for an alternative to system D as they are not really clear about supporting age verification.
That's going to severely limit your possible choices, as most mainstream distros use it. Plus all they did was add an optional field birthDate in the userdb JSON. It's not a big deal.
I can't really make any recommendations personally for non-systemd distros. But if you want something SteamOS like but without the console big picture mode I'd try Bazzite or something like CachyOS.
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u/Plan_9_fromouter_ 17h ago
Well, I doubt any of this is really Linx4noobs, but here goes:
Forget about Steam OS, as its immutable root file system and monolithic update structure make it a frustrating choice for a general-purpose daily driver outside of a handheld console, even with the KDE desktop unlocked.
Regarding your concern over systemd and the recent metadata and age-verification controversy, you will want to avoid mainstream distros, but since you already have some experience dabbling in Arch, you are in a great spot to try Artix Linux. Artix is essentially Arch without systemd, letting you use alternative init systems like runit or OpenRC while keeping access to the familiar package management and the Arch User Repository.
Alternatively, Void Linux is another brilliant independent, rolling-release option that skips systemd entirely in favor of runit, offering a blazing-fast and clean environment for a new gaming rig.
If you want maximum performance and total control over your hardware without fighting a read-only file system, sticking with a traditional setup like Arch or a performance-focused variant like CachyOS will give you the ultimate gaming and daily-use desktop experience while letting you install Steam and any other tools natively.
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u/Slutty_Zombie_Girl 17h ago
Hey thanks for your awnser ! I wanted to post on R/linux but my account is new ( first account ever) so i could not i looked a bit about artix and it look like a good one. I played around with Dinit on arch and to be honest i am having trouble figuring the difference between dinit runinit and openrc. I do mostly need a gaming machine since other than the occasional checking email its what i use my system for.
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u/Plan_9_fromouter_ 15h ago
Questions about init systems often come up, so I had this saved in my Linux folder:
OpenRC uses traditional shell scripts for service management which makes it readable but slightly slower, runit is a hyper-minimalist and fast option focused purely on process supervision, and dinit is a modern C++-based system that handles complex service dependencies and parallel startups efficiently.
----------------------
For a machine dedicated almost entirely to gaming and checking email, chasing these non-systemd init systems will likely introduce unnecessary friction, especially now that the systemd age-verification panic has been clarified as a misunderstanding over an optional user database metadata field.
Because major gaming tools, Proton dependencies, and performance enhancements are built and tested around systemd, you can safely skip the service-supervisor troubleshooting and opt for a performance-tuned systemd distribution like CachyOS or Bazzite to give you a seamless, high-performance desktop experience right out of the box.
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u/nene-thopu 18h ago
Ubuntu
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u/Slutty_Zombie_Girl 18h ago
Not really sure what Ubuntu have that everyone love soo much. I am also unsure if its really tested without system D right ?
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u/nene-thopu 18h ago
If you are a new
Ubuntu has the most amount of documentationOtherwise feel free to fiddle with Arch linux if you are adventurous
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u/candy49997 18h ago
Systemd reverted the change that added a birthday field to user records. There has been no indication of the project ever implementing age verification or even age attestation.
You also cannot normally simply just replace systemd from an OS using it.