After distrohopping between Mint, Kubuntu and Endeavour, landing on Garuda after a literal coinflip between it and going back to Mint has been a blessing. I've been right at home with how my necessities for gaming come pre-installed alongside being able to tinker freely whenever I'm bored thanks to it being Arch based.
Two of the few (and arguably biggest) negatives about this is the wallet that shows up on startup, I've recently found KWalletManager which sorts this but not having that as default puts a bit of a sour taste in my mouth
Another is nextcloud (which I believe is only a part of the Dr460nized edition) and how it prompts a login every time I open the file manager even after disabling it to start on boot, this required it to be uninstalled.
Other than those its been a really smooth and streamlined experience. Would recommend.
Installed on my main computer, I7-14700, with nvidia 4060 card. I had no problems with install. Makes archLinux pretty easy to use and I use the plasma 6 DE. I use it mostly for browsing, old games, programming, and music creation.
Positives:
-the rolling updates
-I use their browser version: FireDragon
-Forums can be helpful
-I like the dragonized theme, but some maynot.
-Different installs: KDE plasma/dragon, cinnamon, Gnome, etc.
Negatives:
-Some people really dislike archlinux
-rolling updates inherently can cause problems you'll need to fix
Garuda Linux is a solid choice if you're dealing with an old or low-spec PC. Even though it's based on Arch Linux, which is usually for more cutting-edge setups, Garuda is optimized so well that it can actually make old machines run like a charm. With lightweight desktop environments like LXQt or i3, it won’t bog down your system. Plus, it’s ready to go right out of the box with performance tweaks, so you don’t have to mess around — just install and watch your old PC speed up! garuda best linux on me
When I got a "new" used laptop I thought, will I install Bunsenlabs on it like I had on my old one, or will I use the opportunity to distro-hop? Well, distro-hopping it was. I went looking for a /beautiful/ linux distro and obviously Garuda Linux, DR460NIZED edition, made it to the top of the shortlist. As I set about installing it, I was amazed at how everything just seemed to work out of the box. Nice point and click interfaces for setting everything up - I didn't even need to go into the command line or dig through oodles of text config files in order to get it up and running. It really is an operating system as it should be: it just works. I mean, I do like to fiddle around with stuff (I've been casually using Linux since the mid 1990s) but for the most part, I want my electronics to just work without /needing/ to faff around with it a lot just to keep it working. In other words: in my world, faffing about should be consensual. And somehow the Garuda folks have managed to wrestle Arch Linux, a notoriously faffy distro, into an "it just works" package with sleek neon graphics. I never give a 10/10 because there's always room for improvement, so the next best ting it is: 9/10.
Amazing distro. Providing a unique feel and with Pacman, making many programs available in a simple, fast setup is a god send. The only 2 things that I see as an issue: 1) KDEWallet always popping up. There is a work around by downloading and installing the KDEWallet manager. But that leads to the other issue 2) The default package installer needs a bit of help. On initial setup it is broken on many devices and must be fixed via terminal. From there everything seems to be pretty sound. Love the layout and the interface, and how easy it is to get many programs working with little effort.
I've been using Garuda off and on for a few years and I really like it. Of course I could just run the Base Arch distro but Garuda has enough things on first load and configs to where there's less tinkering to get back into Steam and whatever games you want to play.
Installation is fairly easy and usage is easy as well. They've really done a great job at a stable Arch Distro.
Most of the games that I play (Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen, State of Decay 2 and Tribes 3 Rivals) works flawlessly pretty much out of the box with minimal tweaking. Always check protondb to see if there is any special tweaks you need for your game.
I have been running Garuda for 18 months now. It has worked flawlessly, over 800 updates later. Until a update in April when only LTS-kernel works. Something happened with it when it is about to load the GUI for KDE so computer locks up. But I guess that is what you have to expect from a bleeding edge distro. I am surprised though that it lasted so long.
That aside, gaming works very nice. I use Heroic games for my GOG games and Steam. It is as easy as to install and play games in Windows. I have tested games like Baldurs Gate 3, Fallout 4 and Divinity Origin 2 on heroic games and Starfield on Steam. Just install and run, no tweaking whatsoever is needed.Well, except activating proton on Steam of course, but that is just a click in settings.
Since the update broke I have tested Nobara, Heroic games works fine, but Steam seem to need some tinkering for Starfield, So I stick to Garuda for now. Atleast until the LTS-kernel breaks.
I have distro hopped a moderate amount over the past few months, I have tried Fedora, Manjaro, Kubuntu, and Endeavour OS, but after I landed on Garuda Linux, I've felt right at home ever since! Fast, reliable, and awesome gaming performance! I would definitely recommend this Linux distro to new and advanced users alike. It is quite versatile for gaming, and general purpose use cases. The multiple desktop environment choices are also quite appealing if you get bored with one. Also the wallpapers are amazing! The artists behind them deserve a lot of credit for them! And always remember, with Garuda Linux, you still get to say , "I use Arch btw!". (Hey that rymed! XD)
I have been using Garuda Linux exclusively since 2020. This is the first distro that stopped me from distro hopping. The forum has been very helpful. The people there are pleasant and helpful. I wish that I knew more to give back. I have had to reinstall my system once because of my own errors. A word of warning "Never update your system with low disk space, Never". The distro itself has been rock solid.
I only give this a 9 because there is always something better. I just haven't found it. In the last month or two I have started to distro hop a bit and have yet to find something that peaks my interest.
I run EndeavourOS before switching to Garuda Linux. Since EndeavourOS is my first Arch-based Linux distro, setting up KDE Lite edition is easier (at least for me since I have prior experience) than EndeavourOS, since you'll be guided by GUI, and the GUI will do the terminal command for you, which is super convenient.
Chaotic-aur which is enabled by default really saves my time as AUR's softwares were pre-compiled. OBS from Arch-repo is not pre-installed with server browser, hence I need to grab OBS from AUR instead. Since everything is pre-compiled in chaotic-aur, I didn't have to wait for 30 minutes just to 'build' a software.
At first I didn't want to use btrfs because I heard that it affect CPU usage which I assume gonna affect my gameplay. Turns out, it didn't affect my experience at all. Game that took a very long time to launch (Killing Floor 2) launch slightly faster, combined with power of zen kernel and game tweak from Garuda repo, my game experience here is significantly (only slightly but noticeable) better than ext4 on EndeavourOS.
My only grip is 'yay' is not installed by default unlike in EOS, so you have to installed it manually and it only tooks a very minimal effort.
Looks good.
That's about it.
Installation took two attempts on a new, unused HD. with the first attempt failing to unpack a file from an HP USB stick.
Updates went well as far as authorising them, after that it all fell apart.
All attempts to download PGP keys for the key-ring failed. So no updates could be applied.
I love the look of this OS but unfortunately, that is all I could do with it.
So its back to MX for me.
I can't think of what else to write to use up the minimum no. of required characters so keep cash and screw the NWO.
All in all Garuda is for me most likely the best "just works" Distro out there.
The most important positive point for me is the "garuda-assistant" which saves hours of reading the Arch Wiki and manual tinkering with configs and packages. The second big thing is the fully preconfigured btrfs-Snapshot-thing. It really helps you out when "breaking things which you then can not repair". Just boot into the snapshot, roll back, start over. Of course, you can configure that with snapper tools also for any other distro which installs to btrfs, but Garuda saves you all the work there.
Looking for convenience this is definitely a top pick. Before I used EndeavourOS - which was also really good, but I don't look back.
The negatives are there but not really a major problem: I like KDE but I dislike the appleish workflow they call "Dr460nized". But - as KDE is: You can get rid of stuff. In the Garuda forum is a how to in the FAQ-section. Also for me the forum is another minus: All my own activities there were quite "underwhelming" for me. Even with an extensive problem report I got mostly useless or arrogant (at least that is as what I recognized it) responses.
But - Dr460nized, de-Dr460nized, picking another flavor and knowing how to use Arch Wiki, Garuda is an extraordinary Distribution, which I also would call beginner-friendly. Well at least all Linux newbies I am befriended with are asking not much for help there. And my support times are quite less than when they were using Ubuntu.
The only thing I am still waiting for is a Garuda with root on ZFS. ;)
I don't know why this great Arch Linux based version lags behind EndeavourOS or the unstable Manjaro, but I think they need a few more DE maintainers.
They've reduced the number of variants offered, not because they just want to cater to the mainstream, but because they simply don't have the support staff for the extravagant desktop interfaces.
I'm looking forward to the next version and hope Nvidia doesn't crash on KDE's Plasma 6.
I have tested a few DE's and they all work fine as long as there is no Nvidia GPU in use. Before you buy the next hardware, please check if the hardware is compatible with Linux. Do not blame any distribution for incompatible hardware drivers, it is the fault of the proprietary software that is provided.
The best out of the box Distro for me it comes with the most features you would want for a ez from windows to linux experience even much more then linux mint. This distro comes with btrfs and the ability to revert to a previous state in seconds much like system restore on windows but this works and system restore on windows dousnt.
It has a great welcome screen with basically everything you need and options to install additional software you might need for gaming and productivity. All requirements for gaming are already included.
the only thing you might like or not like is the gaming theme it comes with. but you can easily change it for something else.
For me this was a huge upgrade compared to manjaro and linux mint that i previously used.
Manjaro broke on me a few times as it dousnt vanilla support AUR packages.
i need AUR packages to get things going.
On Garuda it was a breeze to get advanced features like CoreCtrl and Openrazer to work while i found it alot more difficult on manjaro. and not as ez on mint either.
For me Garuda is the best noob proof arch like Linux experience with access to the AUR and the latest software and updates.
It became my daily driver right after installing it.
We downloaded the iso because the Linux seemed to have desirable features, including:
Cinnamon desktop
Arch Linux (for yay and pacman)
Not the current version of QuickTime (which will force you to use IPv6)
NVidia GPU support
Recent Linux kernel
Test was on an Asus ROG Strix
20 GB RAM
1.8 GB NVME
AMD Ryzen 8 cores
NVidia GEForce RTX
We put the .iso on a DVD.
It booted! That's something.
If you select NVidia drivers, you'll never see what's going on.
If you select generic video drivers, during the install, you see the installation gets hung up for over an hour on Manjaro Hardware Detection Tool (MHDT).
Bottom line: We were unable to load and use this Linux on this Asus ROG Strix laptop.
Having utilized Arch Linux as my primary operating system for a year, I encountered frequent maintenance challenges. Seeking an Arch-based alternative with a more seamless user experience, I stumbled upon Garuda Linux. It's been my preferred distribution for another year now, and I've found it remarkably stable. Unlike Arch, Garuda requires minimal user intervention and offers a robust out-of-the-box experience. Its streamlined functionality has spared me the headaches of constant troubleshooting, allowing me to focus on my tasks without disruptions. Overall, Garuda Linux has proven to be an excellent choice for users familiar with Arch who desire a hassle-free computing environment.
I have been trying a bunch of distros, but Garuda KDE is hands down the best I have come across so far.
- A modern stack
- Frequent but fast updates
- Nice tools
- It really looks awesome!
- It's geared towards desktop use and works well for gaming
- Timeshift with automatic snapshots to rollback in case an update has gone wrong
- Built on Arch
ArchWiki provides lot of great information in addition to the Garuda Forum.
i love this im a new user to linux and have been distro hopping from mint to debian to fedora
this one i will keep. I watched a few you tube videos and off i go . it updates my desktop looks great
its fast installed the browser that i like and the programs that i like to use . awesome distro
its not hard to learn so a new user can learn it fast, just watch you tube and take a few notes
it has not crashed and have had no problems at all so far its been a couple weeks so far.
Pros:
*As a ricer, the desktop is awesome.
*The installation was flawless and fast.
*I like the updating process.
*The zen kernel was also a feature that I liked.
*The learning curve was not difficult or lengthy
*Overall impressive distribution with many desktop versions available
Cons:
*Support is geared toward the more experienced user
*The versions have gone from 12 in the beginning, to the present offering of 7 versions.
This shows that the development team(s) are continually readjusting their concentration
to those versions that are the more tenable and popular to Garuda Users and potential users.
However this may require the loyal user that was using a now discontinued version, to switch to an offered version of
Garuda Linux, or find "their version" in another distro.
Overall:
*Garuda Linux is a beautiful distribution that appears to be geared to the experienced user.
Suggestion(s):
*Provide a more robust guide for new users of Linux, and perhaps a more empathetic attitude in the forum, as all of us
were a noobie, once.
Note: The above is a representation of my opinion, which I reserve only for myself.
Rolling updates are outstanding. Very much like having nearly always the latest software on a daily basis. Have been using for at least 2 years now? and it just works. Only 1 minor update issue I can remember which was quickly solved with a google search. Performance is excellent, have gotten Minecraft bedrock going for my daughter and I, haven't installed many other "windows" titles to date, but am planning to install Flight Sim shortly to practice approach maneuvers. Will update review with observations when I have an opinion.
I very much wanted to test this distro for a full month before writing a review here, but I just couldn't take it anymore. The strange eye candy can be changed with the usual configuration tweaks we see in most WMs, so I did manage to undo all the odd font-on-page settings etc.
But the rest of it is just way beyond my sensibilities. Why on Earth would anyone want to use a browser ("FireDragon") that routinely elicits security errors from email and banking sites, no matter how the settings are in the browser preferences area, is beyond me. Also the OS updating functionality seems okay as we invoke it from command line, but next we get errors from apps and settings applets (rebooting did cure one of them, but left several more).
I appreciate their endeavors with this, and I see it's used, or cat least clicked on in Distrowatch, by a lot of people, so perhaps enough to cause feedback on all these issues (and more too numerous to mention).
Very good Arch based system, so easy to install and use. XFCE is so nice in this distribution. Lots of software and all the custom tools make everything so simple, unlike Arch which can be painful for less experienced users.
The performance of my system is so good now, unlike slow and bloted Windows or even Ubuntu. Garuda has given my old computer life for many more years to come. Media playback is all supported from a fresh install for me also, I had no issues playing any files or music I put at it.
Great arch-based distro. Switched over from openSUSE and noticed a MAJOR performance gain in games, easy to setup and install, and has a very useful snapper tool to use in case something goes wrong (which it never did for me and it's been a year since I installed it). The only con however, is the lack of a system file checker for NTFS file systems, so you NEED Windows to run chkdsk /f if you need to repair a NTFS drive. One of the best distros I've ever used, and imo completelly destroys Windows 10 with it's out of the box experience, WINE ready to be used etc
Installation is easy, and fast. It has a beautiful desktop environment.
The pacman package manager is amazing. It is easy and fast to install and remove packages.
The forum has a very active community, so if you need help, someone is there.
The system takes a snapshot every time you update, so a buggy update is not the end of the world.
It comes with the fish shell pre-installed and configured, the Kate text editor (which I love to use to write code), and krita (the best art program I've ever seen).
I run the recommended non-gaming version on my cheapo from walmart laptop and it is my favorite distro.
Used Garuda for a few months then came crawling back when EndeavourOS ended up with lots of instabilities on my hardware.
Their "Dragonized Gaming" edition is definitely overkill and not really necessary.
To say nothing of how gaudy their custom theme is.
Docking points for that being their recommended version.
When I used that edition, I found myself spending too long uninstalling applications I didn't want and ended up having to take extra steps when their "Garuda Gamer" software failed to handle removal of unused dependencies.
After leaving EndeavourOS, I returned to Garuda's "KDE Lite" edition.
For being the version they don't recommend, it's actually the one I would consider perfect.
It was the Garuda experience I was looking for: only adding what I needed rather than removing what I didn't need.
It includes all the core applications you actually need to help set up and maintain your system.
From there you can install the (few) packages and applications you need for gaming or productivity without going overkill.
Once the dust settled, it's been a rock solid and stable experience.
I added the KDE applications I use right from the Discover store, but otherwise I handle just about all my updates and package downloads from Pacman.
Definitely a beginner friendly experience while still requiring just enough of the "Linux way" to ensure the user "gets it":
You get your software from a package manager, not random downloads from the internet.
Only thing I wish were different were out-of-the-box support for Flatpaks.
But FWIW, I haven't needed to use Flatpaks given the wealth of software provided by the official repos and the AUR.
And support for Flatpaks is easy enough to install if you ever need it.
For a first-time Linux user, it might be confusing to have both Discover and Pacman installed at the same time, so maybe it's not a great "first" distro but definitely worth checking out if you really like KDE Plasma, really want the Arch-based rolling release model, and want a stable desktop that doesn't ask you to do fiddly troubleshooting.
While not exactly perfect, the KDE Lite edition fits me and my preferences perfectly.
It's the best I've had out of all the distros I've tried, with Manjaro coming in a close second.
One of the best distro have used . Some say it has large amount of useless stuff but no it just makes the super easy for beginners even though it is arch based. I dont know why some people say updates broke the system but i have been using garuda linux for more than 2 years it never broke. If i have to say what makes it so easy it is that it has all necessary features for to install at a single click on garuda welcome . In garuda welcome you can install any gaming need on Garuda gamer . I have tried arch linux and many other distros but garuda is by far most easy and user friendly. It is fast and consumes less ram (1.5 - 1.7gb) well it takes mre ram than arch linux but it has various optimisation which makes it great for lower specs pcs (my computer have processor i3 5005 and fucking 4 gb ram if it works on my pc then it can work on more or less any pc.
Great distro. The community is transparent about its design choices and strategy.
Developers are really focused on getting the best updates out there.
Anyone looking for the latest and greatest, yet stable should look no further.
I'd say Garuda is the most polished and most stable Arch based distro available for desktop hardware.
Pros:
+Blazing fast performance
+Uses latest Zen kernels
+Has robust repositories so you are not going to get errors with your system & pacman
+Nicely polished desktop environments. Made to look sleek and modern. Lots of options.
+Best Kde Plasma implementation to date with a dock.
Cons:
+Might have too many updates for some users. Then I'd go with something like Linux Mint.
Highly recommended OS for the modern PC / workstation setup.
Since moving over from MX, the learning curve with Garuda was a bit steep. Yet, over time, I was able to figure things out and get it the way I wanted without too much blood involved. I really like the look and feel of the system and the way things are presented. I have noticed, over time, that little problems seem to pop up but the forums (and search engines) have a wealth of answers to just about anything I might encounter. Yes, the system is a bit heavy on resources and I was fully expecting that. I have an older laptop that chugs along with only the fans screaming at me to remind me the power of the distro. I'm running 2 extra monitors for a total of 3 screens and the look is smooth. I have suggested this distro to others I work with and they are loving it as much as me. It's definitely a great daily driver with everything packed into it that you could possibly need. The only thing I can complain about it is the updating as I don't get a notification an update is available until the system sees I am seriously out of date and I'll finally get a nagging pop up telling me so. I know I can go in and update manually, but I tend to forget. Other distros do it for me in the background, so maybe I'm not seeing where to change that.
Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition is my absolute favorite Linux distribution. It's fast, reliable, and incredibly customizable. I've been using it for over a year now, and I've never had a single problem with it.
Here are some of the things I love about Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition:
Speed: Garuda Linux is one of the fastest Linux distributions I've ever used. It boots up in seconds, and applications open almost instantly.
Reliability: Garuda Linux is also incredibly reliable. I've never had a system crash or freeze on me.
Customizability: Garuda Linux is incredibly customizable. You can change every aspect of the system to your liking, from the desktop environment to the system icons.
Cinnamon desktop environment: The Cinnamon desktop environment is my favorite desktop environment for Linux. It's simple, elegant, and easy to use.
Community: Garuda Linux has a large and active community. If you have any questions or problems, you can usually get help from the Garuda Linux forum or IRC channel.
Overall, I highly recommend Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition to anyone looking for a fast, reliable, and customizable Linux distribution. It's the perfect distribution for both new and experienced users alike.
Here are some additional thoughts from my personal experience as a Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition user:
I love the fact that Garuda Linux comes with a variety of pre-installed software, including a web browser, office suite, media player, and development tools. This means that I can start using my system right away without having to install any additional software.
I also appreciate the fact that Garuda Linux is a rolling release distribution. This means that I will always have the latest software installed on my system.
Finally, I love the Garuda Linux community. They are always willing to help users, and they are very passionate about the distribution.
If you are looking for a new Linux distribution, I highly recommend Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition. It's a great choice for both new and experienced users alike.
Best linux distribution all around. Iḿ using the KDE plasma version. Excellent desktop environment. Using a very fast fule system btrs. Very responsive system. File operations like copy are very quick even with thousands and big files. Auto update very easy and keeps rolling updates. Garuda Setup Assistant is great. You can re-installed all packages with just a mouse click. You can install components like Networking/printing, Virtual Machines, Gaming, audio, multimedia, and many more with just a click.
Love it! I returned back to linux after not having used it for several years. Previously I was running Sabayon which was responsive, looked great and was easy to use so I wanted something along the same vein as Sabayon and Garuda has not dissapointed.
Garuda looks great, it's responsive, great app availability, hardware compatability has not been an issue and it has now made its way on to my sons laptop and like me he absolutely loves it.
I have been using Garuda since years now. IMHO it has grown so well now, that any person who wants to switch to Linux can skip Ubuntu/Mint and directly start with Arch-based Garuda. It is absolutely noob friendly, everything has a good-looking GUI interface, don't have to fiddle much with the terminal. Pretty much all the things a normal person may need comes pre-installed or there is a good-looking GUI to install it. Other distros may boast about their GUI too, but they look obsolete and basic. Garuda have their own repositories and update script which is now pretty good at making sure Arch doesn't break the system. Their forums immediately have fixes or workarounds. Any critical update, and we are notified by a neat disappearing message in the top right corner. A lot of Arch based distros are bare-bones, not far from Arch itself. Garuda feels like it was truly worked upon by its developers. It has a bunch of tools pre-installed and configured for things such as backup, restoring system snapshot, maintenance of storage-delete junk. Usually Linux-world feels like a desolate land, not true with Garuda. They have active and friendly moderators on their forums, unlike the notoriety of Arch.
Like another comment said, ArcoLinux is another friendly alternative. It goes a step further since Erik Dubois, the creator of Arco, makes regular YouTube videos/tutorials for current issues, updates, what's new etc. But unfortunately yes their website looks like it is a time capsule from 50 years ago. A lot of useful, practical information on there, but good luck finding it. To make matters more confusing they have like 6 websites. But this review is about Garuda so the thing that makes Garuda better than Arco, is how it looks and feels out of the box. The experience... Arco is like a well built house that lacks furnishing, it expects the home-owner to decorate it. Garuda is like a pre-furnished home, with all the modern amenities, ready to move! Arco used to have a brother-distro called Hefftor Linux which was beautiful like Garuda but it seems to have died.
Don't be scared of the Arch tag while you are either on Arco or Garuda. If your PC/laptop is capable - try Garuda Dragonized KDE, if it is older hardware get Arco XFCE. And there's a Garuda version for Kali Linux lovers as well.
This OS will break. It's not a matter of IF, but when. Problems are so insidious that TimeShift will not work.
A list of problems I've had(this isn't the complete list):
1) Good luck getting Wayland and Nvidia to work. I managed to after a couple days. Long story short it's due to their package curation and odd paths they use.
2) The glitch with the black bar on the dock is far more serious than just visual. It leads to problems with not hiding or showing properly, along with crashes.
3) Network just stopped working suddenly, no updates, nothing.
4) Systems built in Python is wonky as hell, to add packages you need to do a bit of hacking. I'm not sure why, nothing really uses it. Perhaps the Garuda Update does. Yes, I'm aware you should be working in a virtualenv.
4) Major problems with the shell. Good luck even figuring out what shell you're using, editing the RC file, the list goes on. What in the heck...
5) There are some serious problems with everything from xorg, to rc files. You're in for some serious pain trying to fix them.
I could go on and on. You can just try the OS yourself if your a masochist. Anyways, I'm writing this review from another OS because Garuda broke so hard. I'm done fixing it. Your OS should work. This OS offers you nothing and a huge problem.
GARUDA is the MXLinux of Arch. The tweak tools are amazing especially for someone new to Arch. I used to be an EndeavourOS fan but it is so close to Arch that one might as well use Arch. Meanwhile, Garuda adds a layer of abstraction installing stuff like latest Nvidia drivers, Zram and Brtfs. ArcoLinux is another candidate but their website is a hideous labyrinth of muddy quagmires.
I am a window manager person. Although I like to tweak around with my wm I don't want to use my own version of WM as a daily driver. I am still learning many things like installing Kvantum or lxapperance for theming. Heck I don't know how to install nvidia or make changes to the DKM. So I keep one distro for learning and another for production.
In the learning distro I can play around with installing things like bluetooth manager, q5ct, imwheel, clipboard etc etc. the production distro should work !
I found Garuda Hyprland to be that place. I know I will grow out of it in a few months but for now Garuda does the job for me.
My heart has always been with Arch and its derivatives, but my head has always been with Debian/Ubuntu and its derivatives for stability. However, Ubuntu and its old kernel doesn't work well on my Lenovo Idea Flex 5 with Irisxe graphics card.The screen had little white sparkles with ubuntu; with Garuda that does not happen.
I think Garuda is the "linux mint" of Arch. I consider it better than ArcoLinux because it comes with more wizards for a linux newbie. I am not new to Linux, sometimes I set up distros from scratch, but when I have to work I like that the distro has everything.
There are many who complain that it has a bright and tacky style. My goodness: today you can change the theme and icons in a minute in Linux, especially in Cinnamon or kde.
I feel that the distro is modern, it is designed to be easy to use, and I don't care that it is "bloated": I need proprietary software to work, what can we do?
Regarding Arch, it is the best derivative in my opinion, well above Manjaro or Arcolinux.
I've had it installed on his desktop "lxqt" for months now and it has given me no problems. If you want stability, disable Caothic Aur and install flatpaks. It's not that difficult either.
Good job, friends!!
An average Arch based distro, I don't see this offering anything noteworthy to the existing pool. At a pinch, maybe the bold colours out of the box, but nothing else.
The installation worked fine, the DE worked, my laptop hardware was recognised and worked. Unfortunately, that is as as much as I can say, it didn't blow me away and it didn't cause me pain.
The colour palette is cool, the iconography is a little adolescent but functional, the installation is handled by Calamares, it defaults BTRFS, the assistant tool is much like the assistant apps you get with every other distro it is functional but offers nothing new, it includes Chaotic AUR by default (not sure this is the right choice).
Yeah, I can't say what sets this distro apart from the rest, aside from the colours.
After an accidental stumbling on a second-hand budget-friendly HP 255 G7 Laptop on eBay, I decided to embark on a new Linux adventure. And what better companion than Garuda KDE Lite!
Garuda KDE Lite is like a breath of fresh air for those seeking a rock-solid Linux distro without compromising on performance. With its minimalistic design, this feather-light Linux flavor effortlessly zips through my daily tasks, making it an ideal choice for common use.
Installation was a breeze - smooth as silk. Within a few clicks, Garuda KDE Lite took over my system, leaving virtually no trace of the previous Windows occupant. It was a relief to witness an operating system that doesn't eat up valuable system resources but instead, optimizes them like a true Linux champ!
The KDE desktop environment, with its sleek and modern appearance, adds a touch of elegance to my computing experience. Its intuitive nature ensures that even Linux newbies, like me, can swiftly adapt to its offerings. While not cluttered with unnecessary bloatware, Garuda KDE Lite equips users with all essential tools and applications - ensuring a productive workflow.
I was truly impressed by the speed and responsiveness of this distro. Even with my modest AMD A4-9125 processor and 4GB RAM, Garuda KDE Lite never skips a beat. Multitasking became second nature, as applications seamlessly launch and switch, allowing me to effortlessly handle my daily tasks without any hiccups.
The inclusion of a 128GB SSD with this budget laptop further enhances Garuda KDE Lite's performance prowess. The snappy boot times and rapid application loading are a testament to the power of this combination.
While I'm not a hardcore gamer, I appreciate that Garuda KDE Lite focuses on delivering a smooth and reliable computing experience, tailored for common daily use. It may not be the go-to distro for gaming enthusiasts, but for everyone else seeking a hassle-free, dependable Linux environment, Garuda KDE Lite shines brightly.
Garuda KDE Lite has definitely won me over with its winning combination of speed, stability, and user-friendly design. It proves that a budget laptop coupled with a well-optimized Linux distro doesn't have to compromise on quality.
In conclusion, if you're seeking an affordable Linux distro that delivers an impressive performance out of the box without compromising your wallet, give Garuda KDE Lite a try. It's the perfect companion for those who want to take flight with Linux on a budget!
As someone with a notable history in breaking every Linux distro I’ve ever used, I can say Garuda has all the best measures put in place to keep my computer up and running no matter what I do to it. It has BTRFS with built in automatic snapshots configured automatically as soon as you install it, no setup required, and you can access and boot into snapshots from the bootloader without having to boot into your actual OS. Once you boot into the snapshot, a popup asks you if you want to restore this snapshot. If you select yes, it prompts you to reboot, and then that’s it, its seriously that easy.
I use the dragonized gaming edition. The dragonized desktop definitely won’t be for everyone, you either like it or you don’t, I love it though. Lots of cool effects and a very attractive and sleek terminal. If it doesn’t seem like your kinda vibe, that’s fine because they have a massive selection of desktop environments to choose from otherwise.
Garuda has a fantastic user experience with graphical tools to accomplish any task. From installing packages, to modifying boot options, to switching kernels, to managing drivers, it’s all so easy with the built in apps. The one-click system update even refreshes your mirror lists automatically.
Great Arch-based distro with very helpful tooling and sane defaults (BTRFS with snapshots, etc). Been using Garuda as my daily driver OS for almost 2 years now with only very minimal issues (which were easily resolved and/or rolled back). Very few other distros I've tried have had a comparable level of "indestructibility" (and I like to break things), package availability (although this is becoming less relevant thanks to the efforts of projects like DistroBox, etc), and overall system stability.
Garuda is my new favourite distro. I actually use the Cinnamon variant, as I've never been a fan of Gnome or KDE, and I think many people dismiss Garuda as just a distro with a really fancy looking KDE theme. But under the hood, I find it is the best and easiest Arch based distro around.
Specifically, I like that by default you have BTRFS with snapshots (easy recovery from broken updates), Zen Kernel, Pipewire, ZRAM for swap and access to both the standard and Chaotic AUR. So you essentially get an optimal workstation/gaming Arch install, that can be setup in minutes. Also comes with various useful configuration features to safe time/effort.
I would still suggest a raw Linux beginner start with Mint. But for someone with a bit of Linux experience, who wants a really solid base Arch install, I think Garuda is the best there is.
After 2 months of use, complete system crash, "smb samba is out" impossible to restart from backups,
I am very disappointed because the gamer version was excellent and excellent performance,
I will no longer install rolling releases because the daily updates are very heavy
I had the same problems as with Manjaro, too many updates end up causing crashes in my opinion, I will stay on stable versions
Very very disappointed with Arch-based systems, I'm going back to Debian with Bodhi Linux, too bad my second experience with Arch ended badly
As a casual gamer with reasonably powerful hardware, I can only say that Garuda is the best distro I could test so far. Many meta-packages are already pre-installed and the Garuda wizard offers many more useful download options. I especially like the automatic snaps with BTRFS.
All my games run flawlessly and with smooth performance. (most of them under Steam and Proton)
I use the Garuda GNOME Edition with the following hardware:
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
32 GB RAM Kingston Fury Beast 3600
2 TB Kingston FURY Renegade SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0
CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i PRO liquid CPU cooler
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at Garuda for this fine Arch-based distro. I would be very happy about a less fancy KDE version with support. ;)
As a Linux end-user with basic knowledge, I recently had the opportunity to test the latest version of Garuda Linux Xfce on my older second-hand laptop. I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with this Arch-based distro and how well it performed, even on my aging hardware. Garuda Linux Xfce has certainly stood out to me as one of the most user-friendly Arch distros I have come across during my distro-hopping journeys.
One of the most significant highlights of Garuda Linux Xfce is the installation process. I found it to be a breeze, and one of the quickest and most straightforward installations I have performed. The installation guide is incredibly detailed, and the entire process took me less than 20 minutes to complete. Overall, the installation process was hassle-free, and I found it to be a great start to my experience with the system.
Moving on to the desktop environment, I was delighted with the sleek and customizable Xfce desktop environment. Not only does it look great, but it is also highly customizable. Garuda Linux Xfce includes numerous pre-installed themes and plugins, making it easy for me to tailor my desktop according to my personal preferences. The system also uses the Garuda Welcome application, which provides new users with useful tips and information to help them get started with the system.
In terms of performance, Garuda Linux Xfce did not disappoint either. Even when I was running multiple applications at the same time, I noticed no significant lag or slow performance. The system's speed and effectiveness exceeded my expectations, and I was pleased with how smoothly everything ran. Garuda Linux Xfce is an excellent option for those who are looking for a lightweight and dependable system that performs well, even on older hardware.
Apart from its exceptional performance, the Garuda forum is quite possibly one of the friendliest Linux communities I have come across. The community is always willing to lend a helping hand and answer any questions I had along the way. Their knowledge and expertise were a fantastic resource that added even more value to my experience using Garuda Linux Xfce. Overall, the friendly and supportive community only adds to Garuda Linux Xfce's appeal as a top-notch Arch-based distro.
In conclusion, I strongly recommend Garuda Linux Xfce to anyone searching for a user-friendly, lightweight, and high-performing Arch-based distro. Garuda Linux Xfce is an excellent choice for new Linux users as well, thanks to its intuitive installation and plethora of pre-installed themes and plugins. I believe Garuda Linux Xfce stands out in the ever-growing world of Linux distributions as a system that prioritizes simplicity and user convenience without sacrificing performance.
Best arch base distro. Beats by a few kilometers others.
KDE dragonized with oxygen and original kde icons is better for us. This distro is tweaking tools paradise with late dock taskbar on top. Grab pamac package manager in kde assistant after fresh install. Grub update is very good in boot options. Best place for new machines. Dual boot btrfs works fine with debian. 10/10
Operating System: Garuda Linux
KDE Plasma Version: 5.27.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.106.0
Qt Version: 5.15.9
Kernel Version: 6.4.0-rc4-1-mainline (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Best arch base distro.
Best support for nvidia drivers.
I personally use the minimalist "KDE lite" version without bloatware, using low resources and I'm very impressioned for its stability.
I use Linux in an old hardware (HP Zbook 15, G2) and I find that pretty much all of the Garuda tweaks makes the difference.
Mayor distros in their development are failing to drop support for old hardware so there are often small system crashes and slower performance, this is not the case with Garuda that runs super smooth.
I love Xerolinux, I love Fedora, I love Pop Os, I love Mint...I loved Manjaro, I like Mx, but definitely the always fresh Garuda wins hands off.
Using Garuda KDE. Looks tricker than it is although probably not a good choice till you've used Linux for a bit. If you feel confident with a Ubuntu or Mint or MX Linux you could have a go at this.
The welcome window is full of actually useful things,the Setup Assistant and Garuda Assistant will let you set things up and then look after them easily. The other tools are useful too and easy to guess what does what. Instead of processes running in GUIs you click and then watch it all happen in a terminal. Fun and a bit educational.
Dolphin file manager comes set up so it's simple to use root without the terminal, directly editing root files for example, simpler than on any other distro I know, so though it is a terminal centred distro you don't have to use terminal commands to get lots done.
I've found it solid and stable, more so than other Arch distros I've tried recently which seem suddenly to be a bit flaky on my hardware.
Lots of documentation and comprehensive forums, I admit turning number lock off permanently was beyond me, I've a funny laptop about number lock, but a quick search found the solution.
And I think it's a good looking distro.
You will find distros that are better on any one item above, but I don't recall a distro I've experimented with recently that does as good at ALL of the above. Well done guys (developers).
Is a refreshing variation with excellent performance and compatibility (even games). I've been using linux for a while, but am an average user with average abilities and it was easy to setup and use.
It is an amazing disro for Arch users. Takes away all the hasle to build up ur system with bugs. This distro is the best Arch based distro ever. Just try it once, you will only gain, no loss. The only cons i can even think is that this distro need improvement to lessen its boot up time. Thats all! There is practically no issues with this distro. I have tried so many distros Arch based and frankly speaking I hate Arch for its unpredictable behaviour for last 6 Months, so I useally use fedora based or debian based distro mostly, but Garuda changed this perseption of mine. Highly recommended. It just works!
They have an awesome community to help you out if you find any trouble. Great work Garuda team! The fourm is so convinent that I have fallen in love with it.
Simply , GARUDA Linux is the BEST of the Distros.
Smooth , alwais Fresh , Latest software and newest Kernel @ ~!!~
i LOVE it !!
he awesome Garuda Community's Forum I left Windows a year ago and i'm never going back! This support services can solve pretty much any issue that occurs and you easily find solutions in archived threads. The Dragonized Garuda flavor works very well, it's beautiful and you can customize or tweak pretty much everything as you like. With the easy GUI installer you can add I think it's up to 6 different package managers so you will find all the software you'll desire.
I have tried many arch based distros and this is by far superior to all of them combined. All the gui's are beautiful and it runs so smooth. If you are looking for a nice arch based distro, look no further. The installer is Calamaris but its a much improved version over Manjaro or Arco. The amount of customization one can do is amazing. The wallpapers are so nice, you can tell a professional web dev or design guru had their hands on it as well. I give it 10 out of 10, hands down the best. ~nacho cheddah, Atlanta, USA
I'm using Garuda for more than a year, now I use Garuda Raptor, I'm very happy with it, good community, pleasant design, comes already with FISH Shell, obviously it has BASH, you have just to type it on the terminal, it's Arch, you can use AUR repository, you can find some answers on the Arch and Manjaro communities as well, nothing to complain, I'm Brazilian, I use the English version from an Indian distro :)
I think it could comes already with "perl-rename" as well as "rename" both are very usefull, I had to install it.
Long live to Garuda, one day I want to see it as top 5! They deserve it.
After years of distrohopping with mediocre attempts learning and use Linux I found Garuda, which instantly seduced me with it's gorgeous design. Thanks to Arch Wiki and the awesome Garuda Community's Forum I left Windows a year ago and i'm never going back! This support services can solve pretty much any issue that occurs and you easily find solutions in archived threads. The Dragonized Garuda flavor works very well, it's beautiful and you can customize or tweak pretty much everything as you like. With the easy GUI installer you can add I think it's up to 6 different package managers so you will find all the software you'll desire.
Garuda made Linux fun and easy to use, anything is possible, you choose how to utilize it, just GUI or maybe some hardcore CLI ;-)
Garuda Linux is probably the best Arch based distro to try if you're looking for something that just works without much hassle. It's now my daily driver. After using Ubuntu, I went to Linux Mint (also very good) because I wanted something with a fair amount of stability. However, I quickly got bored and wanted something that was a little more up to date. Garuda has newer packages, but the team keeps everything working so there is a good amount of stability and I'm not too worried that my computer isn't going to just crash after every update. That combination is perfect for me.
Garuda Linux is an excellent Linux distribution that offers a unique and highly customizable user experience. One of the standout features of Garuda Linux is its visually appealing and modern KDE Plasma desktop environment. The interface is highly customizable, with various preconfigured desktop layouts that cater to different user needs. The distribution also comes with a vast collection of pre-installed software, including multimedia players, office applications, web browsers, and gaming tools.
One of the biggest advantages of Garuda Linux is its optimized performance. The use of the Linux-zen kernel and zram module results in faster application launch times and reduced system stutter, making the distribution highly responsive and efficient. Additionally, the Garuda Linux team has put a lot of effort into optimizing the distribution for gaming, making it an excellent choice for gamers.
The installation process is straightforward, with a graphical installer that guides users through the setup process. Furthermore, the distribution offers an easy-to-use graphical utility called Garuda Assistant, which helps users manage system settings, including kernel updates, backup and restore, and power management.
The Garuda Linux community is vibrant and helpful, with an active forum and wiki that provide extensive documentation and support for users. The distribution's rolling release model means that users always have access to the latest software updates, making Garuda Linux an excellent choice for users who want to stay on the cutting edge of software development.
In conclusion, Garuda Linux is an excellent choice for users who want a highly customizable, visually appealing, and performance-focused Linux distribution. The optimized performance, extensive software collection, and helpful community make Garuda Linux an excellent option for users with varying levels of experience.
This is the best distro that I have tried. Previously I have used ubuntu, mint, fedora, majaro. But none of them provide such cool looking OS. It is also good in performance Very much better than win 11. Being based on arch is another advantage its always upto date and I love AUR.
If you have latest gen machine with good specs then garuda is simply the best. Many distros I tried just produced random gliches and crashes on my new machine. Its zen kernel and tweaks work very well.
I am using this since 9 months. I am very much impressed and satisfied with garuda..
Unless you're looking for a minimalist Arch-based install, then this is probably going to be the easiest Arch-based distro to use right out of the box. I'm pretty new to Arch-based distros and I was hopping around trying a few out. While I've been using Linux for a few years, I'm no super user by any means. I do some gaming, mainly on Steam, and it has worked beautifully with one exception: after a reboot it doesn't recognize my Xbox 360 wired controller. I type in sudo modprobe xpad into the terminal and that usually fixed it. It's been about the only necessary time where I've actually needed to use the terminal, not just because I wanted to. If my Steam games still don't pick it up, then I just unplug it and plug it back in and it's fixed. There has been one or two times updating has resulted in a partial upgrade. I just wait about two days, and try it again. The Garuda team usually has whatever happened fixed by then, at least I assume it's them. Outside of those two issues, everything from Nvidia drivers to my spaz-tastic printer has worked right out of the box. It's been my daily driver for about 2-3 months now and it's been fantastic. I have no idea which numerical version I'm using, but it's the dr460nized gaming edition.
"Garuda" is certainly beautiful full of colors and innovative...
The good ends for me there...
I don't know if it's because of KDE but it's super messy and not easy at all even with the assistants...
So many trials and failures this distro is totally unstable for me why?
despite my multiple installation attempts after a completely updated fresh system and despite a reboot, it was impossible to install the proprietary GPU drivers and the slightest installation of an application, it crashed constantly on reboot...
Whether it's with the assistant supposed to simplify everything or with the command lines typed in "Terminal" it's a complete failure for me and no, it's surely not better (and by far) than "Manjaro" (which I recommend) I am certainly not an expert programmer but I am not a beginner either I have been experimenting with Linux for 20 years...
I know that my pc configuration is not at all recent but usually I don't have so many problems at all trying to install Linux distros certainly the interface is very nice but I do not recommend "Garuda" at all if you don't have a NASA pc.
Garuda Linux is probably the best Arch based distro to try if you're looking for something that just works without much hassle. It's now my daily driver. After using Ubuntu, I went to Linux Mint (also very good) because I wanted something with a fair amount of stability. However, I quickly got bored and wanted something that was a little more up to date. Garuda has newer packages, but the team keeps everything working so there is a good amount of stability and I'm not too worried that my computer isn't going to just crash after every update. That combination is perfect for me.
Even with KDE, Garuda does not suffer the same glitchy behaviors and oddities that Manjaro KDE has. This is likely because Garuda follows upstream Arch package releases, instead of an arbitrary "curated" package update process.
Too many issues with Manjaro, from broken packages, dependency clashes, and AUR mismatch with expected libraries on the system.
Garuda is like Arch Linux, but with a great installer, default performance tweaks, a smooth and polished theme, and tools to maintain and customize your system. Manjaro sadly fails in this attempt. Not to mention, the Garuda community and leadership is leagues above Manjaro, which has a history of controversy and denigrating other users of the community. It's now a running joke in the Linux desktop world. "What did Manjaro terribly mess up this week?"
If you want an Arch-based distro, definitively check out Garuda!
Garuda Linux is very customizable, even though it has the KDE Plasma desktop enviroment. I like it first of all because it's easy to use, from the installation to whatever you wanna do. I also appreciate that it has the "Garuda Welcome" app, because i'm a Linux Gamer and i can easily access the stuff i need. One of my favourite things it's that you don't have to do all of those messy things to install Wine. I swear that before this i had Ubuntu, and like 1 year after i discovered how to install Wine. In this distro, you just open Garuda Welcome, select Garuda Gamer, check Wine and see the PC do all the rest. Even if it's based on Arch, it's not hard to understand. The fish shell is very nice and user-friendly even for users who come from Windows or MacOS (Macintosh, OS X). I think it's a great way to introduce people to linux but even a good way fol Gurus to keep this. I like it and according to me it's the best linux distro, but it's my opinion only. I would suggest this to anyone.
Maybe 3 months isnt a realistic time frame to evaluate stability on a bleeding edge distro, but anyway, my mind blows on how stable Garuda is given that I had great prejudices against Arch-based distros. I thought Arch would be difficult and one had to tinker alot in the terminal to do anything. And all I have heard about bleeding edge rolling releases, that it was more usual than not that something got borked with updates. I have had nada, everything just works. And I look for updates almost every day. It is MX-linux class stability imo.
I do have a fairly powerful computer with new components (z790 i7 13700 32GB RAM) I guess since Garuda is bleeding edge I have not had any of the minor cosmetic issues I have had with MX-linux and others, with KDE Plasma especially.
It came as a pleasant surprice for me that suddenly I was able to install Windows 11 and dualboot without problems, Garuda boot menu finds W11 at boot after I installed Windows 11.( I do have both OS´s on separate SSD´s though)
Performance is awesome, everything is fast as lightning. For example I see no difference between chrome based browsers and Firefox. In other distros and windows Firefox has always been maybe a second slower on startup and slightly, slightly slower in rendering web pages.And thats is with 27 extensions.
But I notice there is a price to pay for the fastness. I do get slightly higher temp on GPU when doing ordinary stuff like browsing and watching videos compared to Windowsand Mx-linux. In windows I have a temperature of 31-33 celcius on CPU and 34 on GPU, in garuda the temperature hovers around 43-45 on GPU and ~40 on CPU. But that is of course not a big issue.
I have tested alot of installs to test different apps, if I dont want them I just use the backup tool on BTRFS (Snapper) to reboot and the new install never existed. I have yet to have any problems with that. It gives me flashbacks to the awesome tool I used in Windows many years ago: Firstdefense ISR. I know it is a completely another way technically, but the feeling of security when you can boot back as if nothing ever happened.
Anyways. Garuda is definately my daily driver now.
Used Manjaro Gnome since December 2021 and got problems the last months (Firefox crashes often @ Browser-Gaming with Intel UHD750, missing Hardware-Acceleration H.264/H.265 with AMD graphics card), so looking for another Arch based distro.
Pure Arch isn`t mine as I´m no terminal expert, so decided to give Garuda Gnome a chance. Looks really nice ootb (only installed "Dock from Dash"), easy to install, btrfs + snapper configurated by default ... and until now no issues. Happy with my new daily driver!
Perfect balance between an advanced system and a user-friendly desktop. Garuda inherits the best of Arch Linux, with a customized, performance-oriented backend. The Welcome Assistant and customization (such as choosing the graphical package manager) is what puts this ahead of other distros.
While not for everyone, those who are accustomed to using Linux for their daily desktop driver will find Garuda to provide the best of both worlds, while respecting the user with a spirited community that puts the users ahead of any corporate mission.
Manjaro and EndeavorOS users will be pleased with the power that Garuda offers.
Coming from Windows 10 on my Computer I wanted a Linux Distribution that looks good enough and works well for gaming.
The website impressed me and I thought I'd just give it a try. And now I am using Windows only for doing my tax and am really happy with how it's going.
I really like the built-in snapper tool and that it comes preinstalled with BTRFS. The update command makes updating really easy and the Snapshot integration into GRUB makes reverting mistakes easy.
Compared to Ubuntu with GNOME on my Laptop I really enjoyed the customizability of KDE and the default Dr460nized icons and layout.
I dislike that there are some problems that I just cannot solve. But in my experience there was always at least one unsolvable problem when I used Linux so it's not really a downside specific to Garuda.
I started my linux usage with redhat 7 way back in 2001, after that it was Debian, Ubuntu, then Debian again and then elementary OS, and then Manjaro....Manjaro introduced me to Arch and I hated pacman as compared to apt-get upgrades.
Now I am stuck with Garuda since 2020 lock down.... Super solid.
Garuda will work only on those HDD / SSD which dont have a secondary OS installed.
And frankly speaking I am used to it now.... no more windows.
upgrades are rapid due to rolling releases and system is super stable.
loved pacman now and also fine with okular.
flatpak is also supported so you wont find being left out.
I am used to the dark themes and my daily office work with zoom calls and Citrix remoting works like a charm.
Infact I struggled with such stability in Debain and Manjaro.
Kernel upgrades are almost immediate and the forum is good and not rude.
if you have a HDD to spare Garuda is the distro for you !!
I have used many different linux distributions over the years. I started years ago because I had a windows xp computer and thought that it was ridiculous that a computer should become e-waste because an os stops receiving support/updates. I still consider myself very much a novice with linux even though it has been my primary os for years. I work long hours driving a tractor trailer so in my off time when I need to sit down and pay bills, go through email, etc. I need the computer to "just work" and not be a project to make it work, which is why I have used MX linux for the past few years. I have always had an interest in rolling releases such as Arch, however when attempting to install Arch I felt that I was in over my head. That is why I have been using point releases.
Every so often I check out DistroWatch to see what's new in the Linux world and Garuda caught my eye. In particular the ability to roll back using snapper if experiencing a problem was of interest. I was formerly dual booting with Windows 10 but the only thing I needed it for was to update my Garmin GPS. Garuda does not support dual booting but I took a chance and about two weeks ago I installed Garuda and gave it the whole hard drive. If I have to I can reinstall Windows 10 though I doubt that I will.
The first impression of Garuda is impressive. The visual appeal is very pleasing, it is very colorful. If you want it to be a little less colorful you can customize to suit your needs. I have been using it as my primary os for the past two weeks and I like it. I am not highly skilled with the terminal and I have been able to update, and install software as needed with "Garuda Assistant". I will continue to use Garuda unless I encounter a problem that leaves me unable to use my computer. I will have a copy of MX Linux on a USB just in case it is needed.
The developers of Garuda have put a lot of work into this distro and it shows.
I come from MX-Linux. I have been using it for 4 years. It is boringly stable. So my distro hopping starts to wake up again.
I decided I will give some Arch based distro a go.
Installation of Garuda was much easier than I anticipated after reading about how difficult Arch can be. I was also surprised over how easy it is to install software. Basically no need to use the terminal, unless you prefer it. I have only been using it roughly a month and are still waiting for it to go bonkers after some update. But it does use BTRFS and it has these snapshots it takes every time Garuda does an update, or when installing something. That is very neat. I have done a couple of restores just for the heck of it and it works flawlessly.
I got rid of the always boring dark theme that is so common in Linux these days, and configured Plasma to my liking instead. In MX-Linux I never managed to get it to use 120Mhz on my Acer Predator monitor, it was stuck att 100Mhz. In Garuda I have full Mhz finally. And Garuda/arch feels much snappier than other distros (debian based) I have tried. I also had som occational problems in MX where the monitor wouldnt wake up from sleep. Not once had that problem in Garuda.
I am gonna use Garuda from now on. I expect some troubles in the future since it is bleeding edge, but I have yet to experience any problems.
Great distro for people like me who has been hesitant to use Arch based distros out of fear that it would be too complicated.
Like a lot of linux users here I've tested many distributions, now, I'm feeling home with garuda cinnamon
pros:
- arch > last version software
- rolling release > don't have to reinstall each big version upgrade
- simple > lots of scripts and helps assitants to simply do what you want without having a headache
- BTRFS file system > using arch, you can get some system errors (sadly) but with btrfs + system snapchots, you can boot your 'last known system without error' (like macos or windows) very easily at grub boot up, I tried it, it works very well (during a kernel update i've encountered a Power outage and it saved my life)
- the look and design : just modern & gorgeous !
- not only for gamers
Please don't go by my low rating, this is probably a great operating system, just not for me.
For me, a computer is a tool for browsing the web, buying stuff online, writing letters, spreadsheets, and stuff like that.
For me, my computer is a TOOL.
I'm afraid I did not like the fact that I seemed to be stuck with Firefox - nothing wrong with Firefox, I'm just more accustomed to others such as Chrome and Brave, but I could not see how to acquire any of them within Garuda.
Also, I tried first Xfce, and when that didn't work, I tried CInnamon - same result.
When I say "didn't work" what I mean is that after installing and trying to find other Browsers, I tried to invoke Firefox, and it "registered" that I was calling for it, there was a little circly thing for a while, then it just stopped.
Some talk about how MX and MINT are dull, or only have one type of file system, and HEY, if you're a GURU, like to get into the nuts and bolts, create stuff, and like that, then this is probably a great distro.
I couldn't even see how to get an OFFICE package such as Libre Office; so, for me this OS just doesn't do it.
My favorite distro for cyber security. But it's a bit too bugy. I've used it as my daily driver for over a year, and I had a lot of problem with it. I have now switched to arch. Garuda has become unusable for me with no help available so I had to start over with a fresh install.
Appart from those bugs, garuda is a good distro. There is all the black arch tools I need and the UI is really pretty.
Another problem I had was with performance. Compared to other distribution, Garuda is really heavy on hardware.
Like a lot of linux users here(20 years), I've tested many distributions, now, I'm feeling home with garuda kde (6 months user)
pros:
- arch > last version software
- rolling release > don't have to reinstall each big version upgrade
- simple > lots of scripts and helps assitants to simply do what you want without having a headache
- BTRFS file system > using arch, you can get some system errors (sadly) but with btrfs + system snapchots, you can boot your 'last known system without error' (like macos or windows) very easily at grub boot up, I tried it, it works very well (during a kernel update i've encountered a Power outage and it saved my life)
- the look and design : just modern & gorgeous !
- not only for gamers
cons :
- rather a tip, if you have an old computer, don't use the performance tweaks, it will slow everything down
10 years of testing and looking for a descent distribution to rely on and finally i found it,
My adventure started with debian based distros like ubuntu mint mx linux and their families.
Then I switched to Arch based one like manjaro endeavour and xerolinux .
Every time for both i had either to customize everything my self. besides the crash i had with some of them.
Finally i came across garuda the end of 2022 and completely satisfied,
I have tested many distros for many years, and absolutely am blown away by this Garuda Linux and its ability to handle almost anything I throw at it. It is my personal daily driver and looking forward to many more days with it. Still testing others in virtual spaces, but Garuda remains my number one.
My system stays cool and efficient while audio and video processing, gaming, emulation, virtual spaces, and multi-tasking like crazy. I have highly recommended friends to ditch a certain OS and give this one a test run, assured they will be impressed.
This is the best distro that I have tried. Previously I have used ubuntu, mint, fedora, majaro. But none of them provide such cool looking OS. It is also good in performance Very much better than win 11. Being based on arch is another advantage.
If you have latest gen machine with good specs then garuda is simply the best. Many distros i tried just produced random gliches and crashes on my new machine. Its zen kernel and tweaks work very well.
I am using this since 6 months. I am very much impressed and satisfied with garuda..
I usually used to install alot of OSes in my machine to know which OS has better performance, I started using Debian as my 1st OS
and Ended with Garuda Linux (I got this OS from Distro Watch and I just installed it only because its arch Linux based),
In-between I used parrot os, cent os, fedora, knoppix, tails os, elementary os, ubuntu, pantheon, qubes os, arya Linux, mx linux, Arch Linux etc..
and ended with Garuda Linux and got satisfied with it.
Coming from Windows with some minor Linux and Solaris Unix experience from 30 years ago, I finally found my daily Linux distribution for my 7 years old PC: Garuda LXQT KWin! In dual boot with Windows 10!
Garuda is fun, modern, productive, quick, snappy and it did not cause bigger problems for me as a relative beginner.
I like to do hobby coding with C++ (VS Code) and some productive stuff with Linux. Before finding Garuda, I tried out many other distros (live systems), roughly 50 distros in sum. Most of them did not convince me, esp. due to the ugliness of the DE, esp. the icons or lack of visual effects. Based on my experience with those 50 distros, my favourites ones were: Manjaro KDE and MX Linux KDE.
By chance a DevOp friend mentioned Garuda Linux being used by him and his team at work for development and I got intrigued to try the different DE versions of Garuda out. Before that, I never had Garuda on my radar.
In the end, I had to select between Garuda LXQT and Garuda KDE Dr460nized incl. Gaming Edition. Garuda KDE looked promising, but it was problematic due to recurring problems with the Latte dock and the weird central menu which I did not like at all (it was not productive for me).
My plan was to install Garuda LXQT as dual boot with Windows 10 without installing a bootloader in the MBR or GPT. For this purpose I created a boot partition formatted as BTRFS (not as FAT32!) During the boot in the BIOS I have the option to manually select the disk with my Garuda boot partition, and voilà Garuda is starting without the need to interfere with Windows, MBR or GPT. You should not format the boot partition with FAT32 as according to my own experience Windows seemingly removes the Grub on a FAT32 partition once in a while so that you cannot boot Linux anymore!
Cool stuff:
-Arch linux: always the newest version of software at your fingertips (compared to Debian)
-BTRFS, allowing to install snapshots if problems occur, no need for a swap partition, it is handled via the File System
-very good assistant helping to perform the installation and maintenance tasks
-modern look and feel, not dull and old-fashioned
-different software package repositories with tools, ample binaries, chaotic AUR
-really quick and snappy UX, ZRAM activated, used roughly < 2 GByte from my 32 GB RAM which is nothing for me
-Cairo dock is not causing problems (compared to Latte)
-everything needed works as I want
-needed software is available: VS Code (Open Source version and MS version), newest gcc compiler, browsers etc.
Problems:
-the Garuda browser FireDragon is not configured optimally: I had to deactivate the hardware accelaration flag (set by Garuda) which caused weird coloring and artefacts in YT
-some dark themes are not readable (grey fonts under grey background), but you can adjust it
-it was tricky to find out how to change the horizontal panel to vertical (not described, but easy to be done once you know how)
On my other laptop I have also a dual boot system: MX Linux KDE with Windows 10. Here I installed the bootloader to the GPT, also working without problems.
In sum: I liked to have a dual boot option in case Linux does not support my hardware (souncards and WLAN caused problems), so that I can switch quickly to the other OS. Meanwhile I spend more time with Linux than with Windows, it is quick, it is
free, it does not send telemetric and personal data to unknown centres, it is fun.
Kudos from Germany to the folks from India, Canada and the rest of the world which made Garuda available! May the eagle fly!
I migrated from Debian based distros to Arch and had quite a pleasant experience with Garuda, easy software-install over terminal and pacman, all worked out fine and smooth. Even btc-wallet-install was really pleasant, much more work on my debian-systems. On top you get a bunch of desktop-flavors to choose from, all look excellent and those I tried work flawless. Garuda is definite worth to install especially for newbie's. It's now my favorite distro, the 10th I have worked with so far and it tops all. A pleasant surprise. No concerns.
I am new to linux (probably spend about 2 years in Linux) I have tried about 4 or 5 distros as daily driver in last 2 years and among them Garuda is the best .There is no doubt that the looks and the way Garuda interacts is best. When u move a window it wobbles. One of the things i like most is that it the asthetics are customized like I have personally hand picked items from different part of world and stitched them together as for my liking.
The "fire dragon" web browser is also focused on privacy and comes with searchx as default search engine and some other good extensions and customizations.
Garuda in on of the few Distros which should be atleast tried by all. It is like KDE at its best
* Using linux for more then 10 years.
* I also gave it a shot and I was completely positiv suprised.
* Works out of the box - gaming on this distro worked flawless - I tried some steam games via proton ge.
* This could be the distro which people use when they are considering to complelely switch from Windows to Linux. - Great Job!
* I used the dragonized KDE version
* Easy installer
* BTRFS with snappy (to rollback changes)
* Linux-zen kernel
* Root actions by default on dolphin
* Garuda Assistant
* Arch based
I only needed slight, small changes to fit it my needs.
BTRFS lagging/freezing your system because of cleanup: -1
BTRFS lagging your system because of scrub/balance: -1
BTRFS making your system totally unresponsive because of both of the above: -1
Overall BTRFS misconfiguration and thus lack of multitasking (On Linux!): -1
Asking for help on their forums and getting elitist and nonsensical responses for any point of the above: -1
Effects and colors to the point of seizure: -1
Same as above, its usability for tasks such as programming is an ocular attack: -1
Different flavours not polished: -1
Based on Arch: +1
It has some tweaks and UIs (mostly copypasta from other distros): +0
3 out of 10.
Cannot be recommended.
PS: I use GNU/Linux since Slackware could be downloaded to floppy disks.
I'm an Ubuntu user (software developer) with 10+ years of Linux experience.
This year I've fully migrated to Garuda Sway.
I find it to be a great choice:
- easy to install & newcomer-friendly
- well-configured out-of-the-box
- really helpful assistant tools -- e.g. restore default configs in 1 click
- good forum / wiki / community -- e.g. i've easily managed to make a multiboot usb after consulting faq
- useful chaotic-aur repo
Things to consider:
1. Garuda settings are opinionated (e.g. fish as default shell). Personally I find these choices to be appealing. But all depends on your tastes.
2. I've had some issues with nvidia drivers (had to manually tweak some things for a proper updates/configuration). But from my experience these issues are common across Linux.
3. Garuda is a modern distro, i.e. it runs on wayland/pipewire/btrfs. I find it to be really good in this role. But if you need something more classic (X11 etc.) - I would recommend to choose another distro (why do you need arch linux for a "classic" setup anyway?).
Garuda Linux fills all of my desktop Linux wants and needs. Those include a modern, performance-oriented, Arch-based, highly configurable, KDE Plasma desktop for my machine. Garuda gives me two KDE versions, a very customized, opinionated Mac-like version of KDE Plasma or a Bare-bones KDE edition (plus many more DE/WMs). Garuda uses the BTRFS file system and has applications to maintain that system as well. BTRFS provides copy-on-write snapshots as a means of quickly restoring the system in case of system faults. Garuda gives the user an easy installation with the Calamares offline installer.
The developers have provided first-run applications to help setup and others to help maintain both editions. It uses the Pacman and Octopi package managers. I can easily configure it as a RAM-using speed demon desktop for my tower PC or take a more conservative approach on my laptop. Garuda provides simple to use scripts for each.
I have been using desktop Linux as my mainstay for 20+ years. I have been using Arch and Arch-based distributions for 10+ years. Of all of the desktop Linux distributions I have used, Garuda is the very best.
This is Arch with an easy installler and a very solid rolling release. It uses BTRFS and Snapper for system snapshots so you can easily revert your system if an update breaks something.
The installer is DEAD simple and complete. After install there is a very thorough post installation script that walkd you through updating the repos, and updating the system. It then helps you install the most common software.
The Dragonized Gaming version is ready to game out of the box with Steam, Heroic, and Lutris preinstalled. Proton-GE is included, as well as pretty much every emulator made.
All in all its Arch without the pain. Most people running arch just want to SAY they are running it, and spend so much time fixing and fiddling they don't actually use their machine. I use this machine for work, content creation, AND gaming. Its a complete and now mature distro.
Highly recommend.
i loved this disto , i encourage everybody to give it a try , maybe the first arch based distro that have the snapper to save you in case of emergency , lightweight , easy to use , i liked that you can reset configuration for all your apps in only one click in case something goes wrong for a certain app , and of course with the great library of arch apps.
i am planning to keep using this distro for long long time.
most of the distros i used have welcome screen -most of the time without any benefit - Garuda welcome screen is completely different , it is useful for fixing problems and updating your system in only one click
thank you all Garuda team.
I've installed the dragonized gaming kde version and it works flawlessly for the past 3 weeks. I can run games better than on windows which is already the biggest plus! The snapper is a life saver
So far ive installed games with lutris, and steam, both working with 0 tinkering. Im starting to learn the console aswell and it seems pretty intuitive
THE FORUM!!!! is so good, so much help from everybody and the community seems so nice
I hope i keep having a great time on this :D
I recommend this distro for people coming from windows!
I think the KDE LITE version is the best solution that combines the convenience that Garuda provides with the flexibility and power of the Arch repositories. I just set it to the minimum settings and use it like happiness). To put it less emotionally... BTRFS, snappers work out of the box it's a miracle how convenient it is to have a graphical interface for snapper (as convenient as SUSE if not better). FireDragon is too good to be true, I haven't used it much yet, but I already like it a lot, its description captivates, I hope this solution will live outside the distribution and develop further.
Minor performance patches are what I personally missed.
In any case, the distributor is very inspiring, there is a great pity to study it and delve deeper. Give Garuda a Chance!
This is my first time using Arch, I always thought arch was only for elite linux people but the moment I switched to Garuda it was like wonderland, I have never seen such beautiful linux distro, it was pleasing and super smooth to operate, the most important thing was gaming, they have a separate ISO for gaming, it have everything I needed to game, Installation was a breeze though. I like their philosopy "free ram is wasted ram", It is just beautiful. It's been over a month and I never experienced any crashes so far.
Hardware support is good as expected from arch linux, but garuda made it sooo easy to tweak things up.
Great distro, been using it as my daily driver for a while. I had no issues with the installation and im a total noob. The custom apps that the Garuda team put together are excellent as well.
The community is also very active, friendly and helpful which is a huge plus as many other distro communities are just a mess.
Lastly I would recommend the XFCE desktop as I was not a huge fan of the dragonized KDE version. The avaialable Dragonfire browser is also great. But if you want to synch it with your online firefox account you will need to make a small edit in the config file .
Just 10/10, I love it, great Team and community.
Many DE's from lite to gaming, one more nice than the other.
I stop now my distro switch again and again.:-)
-Linux-zen kernel
-Root actions by default on dolphin
-Garuda Assistant
-Chaotic AUR
-Fast
-Arch based
- I/O performance
-CPU scheduler can be set to power-save or performance
-Power profiles daemon really to rock.
-ZRAM enabled by default
-Systemd-oomd as OOM prevention daemon
-Ananicy-Cpp, which automatically adjust NICE levels
This is my favorite Distro now. Excellent Garuda own tools for maintenance provided and clean system (Gnome in my case). Regarding the Design and Fonts, as everybody know this can be changed in minutes. I use Ubuntu fonts and Numix Icons, install Libreoffice, Onlyoffice, Firefox, Thunderbird and more. In minutes you have a fully working Linux workstation running. to your needs. Big advantage of Garuda: Chaotic-Aur included.A dream!
And yes, i use it for work and not for Games. The first Arch based distro i use without any problems. Very stable, never any issue. Performance excellent. Thanks the marvelous BTRFS tools provided through Garuda team, you can go back easy to any further state of your system in case of issues.
The only noticeable problem are at the moment with Grub, booting is very slow. But this is the actual Grub package bug and not Garudas fault. I am sure in the next weeks we will have a new Grub package hopefully solving this issue again.
Finally i do hope that Garuda will change to systemboot or offer it as an install alternative, to make an end with the Grub problems in long term.
By the way after Grub, Garuda is one of the fastest booting Linuxes i ever used.
I could not recommend it more. This is Linux like it should be. Well done Garuda Team! Thank you!
I am currently running the Xfce version of Garuda, after once trying the KDE dragonized version (which was too dragony for my taste). My current installation is after a disappointing try with EndeavorOS, which immediately received an update that broke grub. I then happened upon a post on the Garuda forum addressing that very issue, which pointed out that use of the command garuda-update would obviate the issue. That sounded good. So I decided to give Garuda Xfce a try, and I am happy with it. It has very sane theming that did not take a lot of tweaks to get it the way I like it. And the many tools it ships with are excellent. They take a lot of the pain out of system maintenance. Until now, my favorite distros were Kubuntu, MX KDE, and Manjaro Gnome. But now I am putting Garuda Xfce at the top of my list.
It worked well for me, and I appreciated having btrfs along with a snapshot program already set up by default. You would have to be a bit crazy to not have such a setup on Arch or anything Arch based.
But it is ugly. Quite possibly the most hideous desktop I have ever seen. The wallpaper is bad. The icons are bad. It's even in the web browser and the terminal colors. Undoing all those customizations just wasn't worth the effort.
If they had a more plain looking desktop, but kept the rest of the distro as-is, it would be a solid 10. But as things are, I won't use this.
By default, it's a very opinionated distro for sure, with the flashy theme (which can be changed to vanilla Breeze or whatever if you don't like it), high RAM usage, focus on performance, and an apparent bias towards gamers. This is not intended to be a distro to "revive" an ages-old laptop that can't run Windows anymore, but a distro that you choose to run in your fairly modern machine. And that's fine. We already have tons of distros to revive ancient hardware.
It's also very tweakable via the homegrown, feature rich, administration utilities. You'll hardly find anything like it outside of Suse's Yast and MX's own utilities.
The best feature IMO is the BTRFS snapshot integration which is dead simple to manage, a must for such a bleeding edge distro.
Garuda doesn't try to be all things to everyone, but you might find it to be the best fit for you.
Trust me when I say, these people didn't just slap a theme and a GUI installer on Arch Linux and called it a day. It's so much more.
I installed the KDE "Dra460nized" gamer edition, though I did remove a few preinstalled apps, and I did switch the theme to Breeze-Dark vanilla. But right now, I've no intention to go back to EndeavourOS.
I have tried several distributions based on Arch Linux, all of them are well known and it makes no sense to talk about them out loud.
But it was in Garuda that I, as not the most professional user, initially received a choice of programs for installation, as well as built-in utilities for btrfs, kernels, and I didn’t have to adjust the distribution kit for normal work out of the box, everything just worked.
Yes, many will say something doesn’t work for them and they will be right, we all have different computers and video cards, etc.
But even if you do not want to use this distro, keep in mind that it was these guys who created the Chaotic Aur and it is already worthy of respect and you can put it on any arch distro
I tried every distro, but for me this one the best one of all.
Is powerful, really beautiful and customizable, always up to date, you can choose from a lot of flavors, really easily configurable, bugs free and it has everything I could need or it has the possibility to add it!!!!
I love BTRFS as the default filesystem with zstd compression, makes the system very secure.
Chaotic-AUR repository is great, it has a huge selection of good precompiled binaries
I have been jumping around a few distro's lately, but primarily been an Arch user as of late.
Decided to give Garuda Dr460nized edition a run, as I was interested in the KDE theming.... and WOW.
I was surprised how good and polished this distro actually is! As the website describes, it has:
Improved I/O performance (performance)
CPU scheduler can be set to power-save or performance (power profiles daemon ready to rock)
ZRAM enabled by default
Systemd-oomd as OOM prevention daemon
Ananicy-Cpp, which automatically adjust NICE levels (performance)
Once installed, it gives an awesome post-install setup that lets you select packages for gaming (like CoreCtrl, gamemode, Steam, Lutris,goverlay,mangohud etc etc) office, graphics, utilities etc Easy as to get set up with minimal fuss.
Has been really solid, not a single issue - and even if there was just revert to a previous snapshot.
So glad I tried this one, and think I have actually found a distro I will be sticking with for good.
To add, the team over on their forums are amazing. Quick to respond, polite and very helpful. Like a family over there.
Linux user since mid 2018. I Dabbled a couple of times with Garuda whist using Linux Mint 20.3 but now i'm more experienced and the latest Linux Mint upgrade to LM21 is a right mess. There are so many issues with the latest upgrade of Linux Mint.
I thought I'd give Garuda Linux Cinnamon a chance on my main daily use PC. Good install experience with BTRFS, which I used with Linux Mint.
Garuda Linux seems to be faster and more stable and responsive.
I managed to iron out a few issues and I'm really happy.
I have installed Garuda lxqt and I have to say that it is the most stable arch distro that I have found, it is very assisted in the installation and has its own system tools to refresh the mirrors, fix the boot, etc., something like the mx tools linux or manjaro. I find it very stable, fast (in lxqt) and secure. It does everything right!! It is the first time that I find a perfect distro and I have left it as my main (and only) operating system. Very good, Garuda!!I know that many "pure" Linux users will say that it is bloated, but for me, the important thing is not to "play" with Linux but to work with Linux and have it as an alternative operating system to Windows, and that this alternative is real. I recognize that it is heavy in ram consumption and that it is not for old hardware, but for a new PC: mine is i5 11th generation, 512ssd and 16gb ram. It works very smooth. I repeat this: i not use Linux for playing on/with Linux, I use Linux as my definitive OS, and i dont mind the assistance for installing, privative software, etc.
Mate - a bit buggy
KDE - a bit sluggish, or rather mushy window action
Gnome Cinnamon FANTASTIC Solid 10
Using GL 75 Leopard Laptop
Core I7
The package management is nice
Monitors mirror perfectly
USB Drives mount and display
Small X buttons on left side of window
Libre Office programs open lickity split
Gimp opens quickly
The Installation is straight forward - and easy to use
Printer support was perfect
Able to create desktop folders ...... some Arch distro's did not
After distrohopping between Mint, Kubuntu and Endeavour, landing on Garuda after a literal coinflip between it and going back to Mint has been a blessing. I've been right at home with how my necessities for gaming come pre-installed alongside being able to tinker freely whenever I'm bored thanks to it being Arch based.
Two of the few (and arguably biggest) negatives about this is the wallet that shows up on startup, I've recently found KWalletManager which sorts this but not having that as default puts a bit of a sour taste in my mouth
Another is nextcloud (which I believe is only a part of the Dr460nized edition) and how it prompts a login every time I open the file manager even after disabling it to start on boot, this required it to be uninstalled.
Other than those its been a really smooth and streamlined experience. Would recommend.
Installed on my main computer, I7-14700, with nvidia 4060 card. I had no problems with install. Makes archLinux pretty easy to use and I use the plasma 6 DE. I use it mostly for browsing, old games, programming, and music creation.
Positives:
-the rolling updates
-I use their browser version: FireDragon
-Forums can be helpful
-I like the dragonized theme, but some maynot.
-Different installs: KDE plasma/dragon, cinnamon, Gnome, etc.
Negatives:
-Some people really dislike archlinux
-rolling updates inherently can cause problems you'll need to fix
Garuda Linux is a solid choice if you're dealing with an old or low-spec PC. Even though it's based on Arch Linux, which is usually for more cutting-edge setups, Garuda is optimized so well that it can actually make old machines run like a charm. With lightweight desktop environments like LXQt or i3, it won’t bog down your system. Plus, it’s ready to go right out of the box with performance tweaks, so you don’t have to mess around — just install and watch your old PC speed up! garuda best linux on me
When I got a "new" used laptop I thought, will I install Bunsenlabs on it like I had on my old one, or will I use the opportunity to distro-hop? Well, distro-hopping it was. I went looking for a /beautiful/ linux distro and obviously Garuda Linux, DR460NIZED edition, made it to the top of the shortlist. As I set about installing it, I was amazed at how everything just seemed to work out of the box. Nice point and click interfaces for setting everything up - I didn't even need to go into the command line or dig through oodles of text config files in order to get it up and running. It really is an operating system as it should be: it just works. I mean, I do like to fiddle around with stuff (I've been casually using Linux since the mid 1990s) but for the most part, I want my electronics to just work without /needing/ to faff around with it a lot just to keep it working. In other words: in my world, faffing about should be consensual. And somehow the Garuda folks have managed to wrestle Arch Linux, a notoriously faffy distro, into an "it just works" package with sleek neon graphics. I never give a 10/10 because there's always room for improvement, so the next best ting it is: 9/10.
Amazing distro. Providing a unique feel and with Pacman, making many programs available in a simple, fast setup is a god send. The only 2 things that I see as an issue: 1) KDEWallet always popping up. There is a work around by downloading and installing the KDEWallet manager. But that leads to the other issue 2) The default package installer needs a bit of help. On initial setup it is broken on many devices and must be fixed via terminal. From there everything seems to be pretty sound. Love the layout and the interface, and how easy it is to get many programs working with little effort.
I've been using Garuda off and on for a few years and I really like it. Of course I could just run the Base Arch distro but Garuda has enough things on first load and configs to where there's less tinkering to get back into Steam and whatever games you want to play.
Installation is fairly easy and usage is easy as well. They've really done a great job at a stable Arch Distro.
Most of the games that I play (Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen, State of Decay 2 and Tribes 3 Rivals) works flawlessly pretty much out of the box with minimal tweaking. Always check protondb to see if there is any special tweaks you need for your game.
I have been running Garuda for 18 months now. It has worked flawlessly, over 800 updates later. Until a update in April when only LTS-kernel works. Something happened with it when it is about to load the GUI for KDE so computer locks up. But I guess that is what you have to expect from a bleeding edge distro. I am surprised though that it lasted so long.
That aside, gaming works very nice. I use Heroic games for my GOG games and Steam. It is as easy as to install and play games in Windows. I have tested games like Baldurs Gate 3, Fallout 4 and Divinity Origin 2 on heroic games and Starfield on Steam. Just install and run, no tweaking whatsoever is needed.Well, except activating proton on Steam of course, but that is just a click in settings.
Since the update broke I have tested Nobara, Heroic games works fine, but Steam seem to need some tinkering for Starfield, So I stick to Garuda for now. Atleast until the LTS-kernel breaks.
I have distro hopped a moderate amount over the past few months, I have tried Fedora, Manjaro, Kubuntu, and Endeavour OS, but after I landed on Garuda Linux, I've felt right at home ever since! Fast, reliable, and awesome gaming performance! I would definitely recommend this Linux distro to new and advanced users alike. It is quite versatile for gaming, and general purpose use cases. The multiple desktop environment choices are also quite appealing if you get bored with one. Also the wallpapers are amazing! The artists behind them deserve a lot of credit for them! And always remember, with Garuda Linux, you still get to say , "I use Arch btw!". (Hey that rymed! XD)
I have been using Garuda Linux exclusively since 2020. This is the first distro that stopped me from distro hopping. The forum has been very helpful. The people there are pleasant and helpful. I wish that I knew more to give back. I have had to reinstall my system once because of my own errors. A word of warning "Never update your system with low disk space, Never". The distro itself has been rock solid.
I only give this a 9 because there is always something better. I just haven't found it. In the last month or two I have started to distro hop a bit and have yet to find something that peaks my interest.
I run EndeavourOS before switching to Garuda Linux. Since EndeavourOS is my first Arch-based Linux distro, setting up KDE Lite edition is easier (at least for me since I have prior experience) than EndeavourOS, since you'll be guided by GUI, and the GUI will do the terminal command for you, which is super convenient.
Chaotic-aur which is enabled by default really saves my time as AUR's softwares were pre-compiled. OBS from Arch-repo is not pre-installed with server browser, hence I need to grab OBS from AUR instead. Since everything is pre-compiled in chaotic-aur, I didn't have to wait for 30 minutes just to 'build' a software.
At first I didn't want to use btrfs because I heard that it affect CPU usage which I assume gonna affect my gameplay. Turns out, it didn't affect my experience at all. Game that took a very long time to launch (Killing Floor 2) launch slightly faster, combined with power of zen kernel and game tweak from Garuda repo, my game experience here is significantly (only slightly but noticeable) better than ext4 on EndeavourOS.
My only grip is 'yay' is not installed by default unlike in EOS, so you have to installed it manually and it only tooks a very minimal effort.
Looks good.
That's about it.
Installation took two attempts on a new, unused HD. with the first attempt failing to unpack a file from an HP USB stick.
Updates went well as far as authorising them, after that it all fell apart.
All attempts to download PGP keys for the key-ring failed. So no updates could be applied.
I love the look of this OS but unfortunately, that is all I could do with it.
So its back to MX for me.
I can't think of what else to write to use up the minimum no. of required characters so keep cash and screw the NWO.
All in all Garuda is for me most likely the best "just works" Distro out there.
The most important positive point for me is the "garuda-assistant" which saves hours of reading the Arch Wiki and manual tinkering with configs and packages. The second big thing is the fully preconfigured btrfs-Snapshot-thing. It really helps you out when "breaking things which you then can not repair". Just boot into the snapshot, roll back, start over. Of course, you can configure that with snapper tools also for any other distro which installs to btrfs, but Garuda saves you all the work there.
Looking for convenience this is definitely a top pick. Before I used EndeavourOS - which was also really good, but I don't look back.
The negatives are there but not really a major problem: I like KDE but I dislike the appleish workflow they call "Dr460nized". But - as KDE is: You can get rid of stuff. In the Garuda forum is a how to in the FAQ-section. Also for me the forum is another minus: All my own activities there were quite "underwhelming" for me. Even with an extensive problem report I got mostly useless or arrogant (at least that is as what I recognized it) responses.
But - Dr460nized, de-Dr460nized, picking another flavor and knowing how to use Arch Wiki, Garuda is an extraordinary Distribution, which I also would call beginner-friendly. Well at least all Linux newbies I am befriended with are asking not much for help there. And my support times are quite less than when they were using Ubuntu.
The only thing I am still waiting for is a Garuda with root on ZFS. ;)
I don't know why this great Arch Linux based version lags behind EndeavourOS or the unstable Manjaro, but I think they need a few more DE maintainers.
They've reduced the number of variants offered, not because they just want to cater to the mainstream, but because they simply don't have the support staff for the extravagant desktop interfaces.
I'm looking forward to the next version and hope Nvidia doesn't crash on KDE's Plasma 6.
I have tested a few DE's and they all work fine as long as there is no Nvidia GPU in use. Before you buy the next hardware, please check if the hardware is compatible with Linux. Do not blame any distribution for incompatible hardware drivers, it is the fault of the proprietary software that is provided.
The best out of the box Distro for me it comes with the most features you would want for a ez from windows to linux experience even much more then linux mint. This distro comes with btrfs and the ability to revert to a previous state in seconds much like system restore on windows but this works and system restore on windows dousnt.
It has a great welcome screen with basically everything you need and options to install additional software you might need for gaming and productivity. All requirements for gaming are already included.
the only thing you might like or not like is the gaming theme it comes with. but you can easily change it for something else.
For me this was a huge upgrade compared to manjaro and linux mint that i previously used.
Manjaro broke on me a few times as it dousnt vanilla support AUR packages.
i need AUR packages to get things going.
On Garuda it was a breeze to get advanced features like CoreCtrl and Openrazer to work while i found it alot more difficult on manjaro. and not as ez on mint either.
For me Garuda is the best noob proof arch like Linux experience with access to the AUR and the latest software and updates.
It became my daily driver right after installing it.
We downloaded the iso because the Linux seemed to have desirable features, including:
Cinnamon desktop
Arch Linux (for yay and pacman)
Not the current version of QuickTime (which will force you to use IPv6)
NVidia GPU support
Recent Linux kernel
Test was on an Asus ROG Strix
20 GB RAM
1.8 GB NVME
AMD Ryzen 8 cores
NVidia GEForce RTX
We put the .iso on a DVD.
It booted! That's something.
If you select NVidia drivers, you'll never see what's going on.
If you select generic video drivers, during the install, you see the installation gets hung up for over an hour on Manjaro Hardware Detection Tool (MHDT).
Bottom line: We were unable to load and use this Linux on this Asus ROG Strix laptop.
Having utilized Arch Linux as my primary operating system for a year, I encountered frequent maintenance challenges. Seeking an Arch-based alternative with a more seamless user experience, I stumbled upon Garuda Linux. It's been my preferred distribution for another year now, and I've found it remarkably stable. Unlike Arch, Garuda requires minimal user intervention and offers a robust out-of-the-box experience. Its streamlined functionality has spared me the headaches of constant troubleshooting, allowing me to focus on my tasks without disruptions. Overall, Garuda Linux has proven to be an excellent choice for users familiar with Arch who desire a hassle-free computing environment.
I have been trying a bunch of distros, but Garuda KDE is hands down the best I have come across so far.
- A modern stack
- Frequent but fast updates
- Nice tools
- It really looks awesome!
- It's geared towards desktop use and works well for gaming
- Timeshift with automatic snapshots to rollback in case an update has gone wrong
- Built on Arch
ArchWiki provides lot of great information in addition to the Garuda Forum.
i love this im a new user to linux and have been distro hopping from mint to debian to fedora
this one i will keep. I watched a few you tube videos and off i go . it updates my desktop looks great
its fast installed the browser that i like and the programs that i like to use . awesome distro
its not hard to learn so a new user can learn it fast, just watch you tube and take a few notes
it has not crashed and have had no problems at all so far its been a couple weeks so far.
Rolling updates are outstanding. Very much like having nearly always the latest software on a daily basis. Have been using for at least 2 years now? and it just works. Only 1 minor update issue I can remember which was quickly solved with a google search. Performance is excellent, have gotten Minecraft bedrock going for my daughter and I, haven't installed many other "windows" titles to date, but am planning to install Flight Sim shortly to practice approach maneuvers. Will update review with observations when I have an opinion.
Pros:
*As a ricer, the desktop is awesome.
*The installation was flawless and fast.
*I like the updating process.
*The zen kernel was also a feature that I liked.
*The learning curve was not difficult or lengthy
*Overall impressive distribution with many desktop versions available
Cons:
*Support is geared toward the more experienced user
*The versions have gone from 12 in the beginning, to the present offering of 7 versions.
This shows that the development team(s) are continually readjusting their concentration
to those versions that are the more tenable and popular to Garuda Users and potential users.
However this may require the loyal user that was using a now discontinued version, to switch to an offered version of
Garuda Linux, or find "their version" in another distro.
Overall:
*Garuda Linux is a beautiful distribution that appears to be geared to the experienced user.
Suggestion(s):
*Provide a more robust guide for new users of Linux, and perhaps a more empathetic attitude in the forum, as all of us
were a noobie, once.
Note: The above is a representation of my opinion, which I reserve only for myself.
I very much wanted to test this distro for a full month before writing a review here, but I just couldn't take it anymore. The strange eye candy can be changed with the usual configuration tweaks we see in most WMs, so I did manage to undo all the odd font-on-page settings etc.
But the rest of it is just way beyond my sensibilities. Why on Earth would anyone want to use a browser ("FireDragon") that routinely elicits security errors from email and banking sites, no matter how the settings are in the browser preferences area, is beyond me. Also the OS updating functionality seems okay as we invoke it from command line, but next we get errors from apps and settings applets (rebooting did cure one of them, but left several more).
I appreciate their endeavors with this, and I see it's used, or cat least clicked on in Distrowatch, by a lot of people, so perhaps enough to cause feedback on all these issues (and more too numerous to mention).
Very good Arch based system, so easy to install and use. XFCE is so nice in this distribution. Lots of software and all the custom tools make everything so simple, unlike Arch which can be painful for less experienced users.
The performance of my system is so good now, unlike slow and bloted Windows or even Ubuntu. Garuda has given my old computer life for many more years to come. Media playback is all supported from a fresh install for me also, I had no issues playing any files or music I put at it.
Great arch-based distro. Switched over from openSUSE and noticed a MAJOR performance gain in games, easy to setup and install, and has a very useful snapper tool to use in case something goes wrong (which it never did for me and it's been a year since I installed it). The only con however, is the lack of a system file checker for NTFS file systems, so you NEED Windows to run chkdsk /f if you need to repair a NTFS drive. One of the best distros I've ever used, and imo completelly destroys Windows 10 with it's out of the box experience, WINE ready to be used etc
Installation is easy, and fast. It has a beautiful desktop environment.
The pacman package manager is amazing. It is easy and fast to install and remove packages.
The forum has a very active community, so if you need help, someone is there.
The system takes a snapshot every time you update, so a buggy update is not the end of the world.
It comes with the fish shell pre-installed and configured, the Kate text editor (which I love to use to write code), and krita (the best art program I've ever seen).
I run the recommended non-gaming version on my cheapo from walmart laptop and it is my favorite distro.
Used Garuda for a few months then came crawling back when EndeavourOS ended up with lots of instabilities on my hardware.
Their "Dragonized Gaming" edition is definitely overkill and not really necessary.
To say nothing of how gaudy their custom theme is.
Docking points for that being their recommended version.
When I used that edition, I found myself spending too long uninstalling applications I didn't want and ended up having to take extra steps when their "Garuda Gamer" software failed to handle removal of unused dependencies.
After leaving EndeavourOS, I returned to Garuda's "KDE Lite" edition.
For being the version they don't recommend, it's actually the one I would consider perfect.
It was the Garuda experience I was looking for: only adding what I needed rather than removing what I didn't need.
It includes all the core applications you actually need to help set up and maintain your system.
From there you can install the (few) packages and applications you need for gaming or productivity without going overkill.
Once the dust settled, it's been a rock solid and stable experience.
I added the KDE applications I use right from the Discover store, but otherwise I handle just about all my updates and package downloads from Pacman.
Definitely a beginner friendly experience while still requiring just enough of the "Linux way" to ensure the user "gets it":
You get your software from a package manager, not random downloads from the internet.
Only thing I wish were different were out-of-the-box support for Flatpaks.
But FWIW, I haven't needed to use Flatpaks given the wealth of software provided by the official repos and the AUR.
And support for Flatpaks is easy enough to install if you ever need it.
For a first-time Linux user, it might be confusing to have both Discover and Pacman installed at the same time, so maybe it's not a great "first" distro but definitely worth checking out if you really like KDE Plasma, really want the Arch-based rolling release model, and want a stable desktop that doesn't ask you to do fiddly troubleshooting.
While not exactly perfect, the KDE Lite edition fits me and my preferences perfectly.
It's the best I've had out of all the distros I've tried, with Manjaro coming in a close second.
One of the best distro have used . Some say it has large amount of useless stuff but no it just makes the super easy for beginners even though it is arch based. I dont know why some people say updates broke the system but i have been using garuda linux for more than 2 years it never broke. If i have to say what makes it so easy it is that it has all necessary features for to install at a single click on garuda welcome . In garuda welcome you can install any gaming need on Garuda gamer . I have tried arch linux and many other distros but garuda is by far most easy and user friendly. It is fast and consumes less ram (1.5 - 1.7gb) well it takes mre ram than arch linux but it has various optimisation which makes it great for lower specs pcs (my computer have processor i3 5005 and fucking 4 gb ram if it works on my pc then it can work on more or less any pc.
Great distro. The community is transparent about its design choices and strategy.
Developers are really focused on getting the best updates out there.
Anyone looking for the latest and greatest, yet stable should look no further.
I'd say Garuda is the most polished and most stable Arch based distro available for desktop hardware.
Pros:
+Blazing fast performance
+Uses latest Zen kernels
+Has robust repositories so you are not going to get errors with your system & pacman
+Nicely polished desktop environments. Made to look sleek and modern. Lots of options.
+Best Kde Plasma implementation to date with a dock.
Cons:
+Might have too many updates for some users. Then I'd go with something like Linux Mint.
Highly recommended OS for the modern PC / workstation setup.
Since moving over from MX, the learning curve with Garuda was a bit steep. Yet, over time, I was able to figure things out and get it the way I wanted without too much blood involved. I really like the look and feel of the system and the way things are presented. I have noticed, over time, that little problems seem to pop up but the forums (and search engines) have a wealth of answers to just about anything I might encounter. Yes, the system is a bit heavy on resources and I was fully expecting that. I have an older laptop that chugs along with only the fans screaming at me to remind me the power of the distro. I'm running 2 extra monitors for a total of 3 screens and the look is smooth. I have suggested this distro to others I work with and they are loving it as much as me. It's definitely a great daily driver with everything packed into it that you could possibly need. The only thing I can complain about it is the updating as I don't get a notification an update is available until the system sees I am seriously out of date and I'll finally get a nagging pop up telling me so. I know I can go in and update manually, but I tend to forget. Other distros do it for me in the background, so maybe I'm not seeing where to change that.
Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition is my absolute favorite Linux distribution. It's fast, reliable, and incredibly customizable. I've been using it for over a year now, and I've never had a single problem with it.
Here are some of the things I love about Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition:
Speed: Garuda Linux is one of the fastest Linux distributions I've ever used. It boots up in seconds, and applications open almost instantly.
Reliability: Garuda Linux is also incredibly reliable. I've never had a system crash or freeze on me.
Customizability: Garuda Linux is incredibly customizable. You can change every aspect of the system to your liking, from the desktop environment to the system icons.
Cinnamon desktop environment: The Cinnamon desktop environment is my favorite desktop environment for Linux. It's simple, elegant, and easy to use.
Community: Garuda Linux has a large and active community. If you have any questions or problems, you can usually get help from the Garuda Linux forum or IRC channel.
Overall, I highly recommend Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition to anyone looking for a fast, reliable, and customizable Linux distribution. It's the perfect distribution for both new and experienced users alike.
Here are some additional thoughts from my personal experience as a Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition user:
I love the fact that Garuda Linux comes with a variety of pre-installed software, including a web browser, office suite, media player, and development tools. This means that I can start using my system right away without having to install any additional software.
I also appreciate the fact that Garuda Linux is a rolling release distribution. This means that I will always have the latest software installed on my system.
Finally, I love the Garuda Linux community. They are always willing to help users, and they are very passionate about the distribution.
If you are looking for a new Linux distribution, I highly recommend Garuda Linux Cinnamon Edition. It's a great choice for both new and experienced users alike.
Best linux distribution all around. Iḿ using the KDE plasma version. Excellent desktop environment. Using a very fast fule system btrs. Very responsive system. File operations like copy are very quick even with thousands and big files. Auto update very easy and keeps rolling updates. Garuda Setup Assistant is great. You can re-installed all packages with just a mouse click. You can install components like Networking/printing, Virtual Machines, Gaming, audio, multimedia, and many more with just a click.
Love it! I returned back to linux after not having used it for several years. Previously I was running Sabayon which was responsive, looked great and was easy to use so I wanted something along the same vein as Sabayon and Garuda has not dissapointed.
Garuda looks great, it's responsive, great app availability, hardware compatability has not been an issue and it has now made its way on to my sons laptop and like me he absolutely loves it.
This OS will break. It's not a matter of IF, but when. Problems are so insidious that TimeShift will not work.
A list of problems I've had(this isn't the complete list):
1) Good luck getting Wayland and Nvidia to work. I managed to after a couple days. Long story short it's due to their package curation and odd paths they use.
2) The glitch with the black bar on the dock is far more serious than just visual. It leads to problems with not hiding or showing properly, along with crashes.
3) Network just stopped working suddenly, no updates, nothing.
4) Systems built in Python is wonky as hell, to add packages you need to do a bit of hacking. I'm not sure why, nothing really uses it. Perhaps the Garuda Update does. Yes, I'm aware you should be working in a virtualenv.
4) Major problems with the shell. Good luck even figuring out what shell you're using, editing the RC file, the list goes on. What in the heck...
5) There are some serious problems with everything from xorg, to rc files. You're in for some serious pain trying to fix them.
I could go on and on. You can just try the OS yourself if your a masochist. Anyways, I'm writing this review from another OS because Garuda broke so hard. I'm done fixing it. Your OS should work. This OS offers you nothing and a huge problem.
I have been using Garuda since years now. IMHO it has grown so well now, that any person who wants to switch to Linux can skip Ubuntu/Mint and directly start with Arch-based Garuda. It is absolutely noob friendly, everything has a good-looking GUI interface, don't have to fiddle much with the terminal. Pretty much all the things a normal person may need comes pre-installed or there is a good-looking GUI to install it. Other distros may boast about their GUI too, but they look obsolete and basic. Garuda have their own repositories and update script which is now pretty good at making sure Arch doesn't break the system. Their forums immediately have fixes or workarounds. Any critical update, and we are notified by a neat disappearing message in the top right corner. A lot of Arch based distros are bare-bones, not far from Arch itself. Garuda feels like it was truly worked upon by its developers. It has a bunch of tools pre-installed and configured for things such as backup, restoring system snapshot, maintenance of storage-delete junk. Usually Linux-world feels like a desolate land, not true with Garuda. They have active and friendly moderators on their forums, unlike the notoriety of Arch.
Like another comment said, ArcoLinux is another friendly alternative. It goes a step further since Erik Dubois, the creator of Arco, makes regular YouTube videos/tutorials for current issues, updates, what's new etc. But unfortunately yes their website looks like it is a time capsule from 50 years ago. A lot of useful, practical information on there, but good luck finding it. To make matters more confusing they have like 6 websites. But this review is about Garuda so the thing that makes Garuda better than Arco, is how it looks and feels out of the box. The experience... Arco is like a well built house that lacks furnishing, it expects the home-owner to decorate it. Garuda is like a pre-furnished home, with all the modern amenities, ready to move! Arco used to have a brother-distro called Hefftor Linux which was beautiful like Garuda but it seems to have died.
Don't be scared of the Arch tag while you are either on Arco or Garuda. If your PC/laptop is capable - try Garuda Dragonized KDE, if it is older hardware get Arco XFCE. And there's a Garuda version for Kali Linux lovers as well.
GARUDA is the MXLinux of Arch. The tweak tools are amazing especially for someone new to Arch. I used to be an EndeavourOS fan but it is so close to Arch that one might as well use Arch. Meanwhile, Garuda adds a layer of abstraction installing stuff like latest Nvidia drivers, Zram and Brtfs. ArcoLinux is another candidate but their website is a hideous labyrinth of muddy quagmires.
I am a window manager person. Although I like to tweak around with my wm I don't want to use my own version of WM as a daily driver. I am still learning many things like installing Kvantum or lxapperance for theming. Heck I don't know how to install nvidia or make changes to the DKM. So I keep one distro for learning and another for production.
In the learning distro I can play around with installing things like bluetooth manager, q5ct, imwheel, clipboard etc etc. the production distro should work !
I found Garuda Hyprland to be that place. I know I will grow out of it in a few months but for now Garuda does the job for me.
My heart has always been with Arch and its derivatives, but my head has always been with Debian/Ubuntu and its derivatives for stability. However, Ubuntu and its old kernel doesn't work well on my Lenovo Idea Flex 5 with Irisxe graphics card.The screen had little white sparkles with ubuntu; with Garuda that does not happen.
I think Garuda is the "linux mint" of Arch. I consider it better than ArcoLinux because it comes with more wizards for a linux newbie. I am not new to Linux, sometimes I set up distros from scratch, but when I have to work I like that the distro has everything.
There are many who complain that it has a bright and tacky style. My goodness: today you can change the theme and icons in a minute in Linux, especially in Cinnamon or kde.
I feel that the distro is modern, it is designed to be easy to use, and I don't care that it is "bloated": I need proprietary software to work, what can we do?
Regarding Arch, it is the best derivative in my opinion, well above Manjaro or Arcolinux.
I've had it installed on his desktop "lxqt" for months now and it has given me no problems. If you want stability, disable Caothic Aur and install flatpaks. It's not that difficult either.
Good job, friends!!
An average Arch based distro, I don't see this offering anything noteworthy to the existing pool. At a pinch, maybe the bold colours out of the box, but nothing else.
The installation worked fine, the DE worked, my laptop hardware was recognised and worked. Unfortunately, that is as as much as I can say, it didn't blow me away and it didn't cause me pain.
The colour palette is cool, the iconography is a little adolescent but functional, the installation is handled by Calamares, it defaults BTRFS, the assistant tool is much like the assistant apps you get with every other distro it is functional but offers nothing new, it includes Chaotic AUR by default (not sure this is the right choice).
Yeah, I can't say what sets this distro apart from the rest, aside from the colours.
After an accidental stumbling on a second-hand budget-friendly HP 255 G7 Laptop on eBay, I decided to embark on a new Linux adventure. And what better companion than Garuda KDE Lite!
Garuda KDE Lite is like a breath of fresh air for those seeking a rock-solid Linux distro without compromising on performance. With its minimalistic design, this feather-light Linux flavor effortlessly zips through my daily tasks, making it an ideal choice for common use.
Installation was a breeze - smooth as silk. Within a few clicks, Garuda KDE Lite took over my system, leaving virtually no trace of the previous Windows occupant. It was a relief to witness an operating system that doesn't eat up valuable system resources but instead, optimizes them like a true Linux champ!
The KDE desktop environment, with its sleek and modern appearance, adds a touch of elegance to my computing experience. Its intuitive nature ensures that even Linux newbies, like me, can swiftly adapt to its offerings. While not cluttered with unnecessary bloatware, Garuda KDE Lite equips users with all essential tools and applications - ensuring a productive workflow.
I was truly impressed by the speed and responsiveness of this distro. Even with my modest AMD A4-9125 processor and 4GB RAM, Garuda KDE Lite never skips a beat. Multitasking became second nature, as applications seamlessly launch and switch, allowing me to effortlessly handle my daily tasks without any hiccups.
The inclusion of a 128GB SSD with this budget laptop further enhances Garuda KDE Lite's performance prowess. The snappy boot times and rapid application loading are a testament to the power of this combination.
While I'm not a hardcore gamer, I appreciate that Garuda KDE Lite focuses on delivering a smooth and reliable computing experience, tailored for common daily use. It may not be the go-to distro for gaming enthusiasts, but for everyone else seeking a hassle-free, dependable Linux environment, Garuda KDE Lite shines brightly.
Garuda KDE Lite has definitely won me over with its winning combination of speed, stability, and user-friendly design. It proves that a budget laptop coupled with a well-optimized Linux distro doesn't have to compromise on quality.
In conclusion, if you're seeking an affordable Linux distro that delivers an impressive performance out of the box without compromising your wallet, give Garuda KDE Lite a try. It's the perfect companion for those who want to take flight with Linux on a budget!
As someone with a notable history in breaking every Linux distro I’ve ever used, I can say Garuda has all the best measures put in place to keep my computer up and running no matter what I do to it. It has BTRFS with built in automatic snapshots configured automatically as soon as you install it, no setup required, and you can access and boot into snapshots from the bootloader without having to boot into your actual OS. Once you boot into the snapshot, a popup asks you if you want to restore this snapshot. If you select yes, it prompts you to reboot, and then that’s it, its seriously that easy.
I use the dragonized gaming edition. The dragonized desktop definitely won’t be for everyone, you either like it or you don’t, I love it though. Lots of cool effects and a very attractive and sleek terminal. If it doesn’t seem like your kinda vibe, that’s fine because they have a massive selection of desktop environments to choose from otherwise.
Garuda has a fantastic user experience with graphical tools to accomplish any task. From installing packages, to modifying boot options, to switching kernels, to managing drivers, it’s all so easy with the built in apps. The one-click system update even refreshes your mirror lists automatically.
Great Arch-based distro with very helpful tooling and sane defaults (BTRFS with snapshots, etc). Been using Garuda as my daily driver OS for almost 2 years now with only very minimal issues (which were easily resolved and/or rolled back). Very few other distros I've tried have had a comparable level of "indestructibility" (and I like to break things), package availability (although this is becoming less relevant thanks to the efforts of projects like DistroBox, etc), and overall system stability.
Garuda is my new favourite distro. I actually use the Cinnamon variant, as I've never been a fan of Gnome or KDE, and I think many people dismiss Garuda as just a distro with a really fancy looking KDE theme. But under the hood, I find it is the best and easiest Arch based distro around.
Specifically, I like that by default you have BTRFS with snapshots (easy recovery from broken updates), Zen Kernel, Pipewire, ZRAM for swap and access to both the standard and Chaotic AUR. So you essentially get an optimal workstation/gaming Arch install, that can be setup in minutes. Also comes with various useful configuration features to safe time/effort.
I would still suggest a raw Linux beginner start with Mint. But for someone with a bit of Linux experience, who wants a really solid base Arch install, I think Garuda is the best there is.
After 2 months of use, complete system crash, "smb samba is out" impossible to restart from backups,
I am very disappointed because the gamer version was excellent and excellent performance,
I will no longer install rolling releases because the daily updates are very heavy
I had the same problems as with Manjaro, too many updates end up causing crashes in my opinion, I will stay on stable versions
Very very disappointed with Arch-based systems, I'm going back to Debian with Bodhi Linux, too bad my second experience with Arch ended badly
As a casual gamer with reasonably powerful hardware, I can only say that Garuda is the best distro I could test so far. Many meta-packages are already pre-installed and the Garuda wizard offers many more useful download options. I especially like the automatic snaps with BTRFS.
All my games run flawlessly and with smooth performance. (most of them under Steam and Proton)
I use the Garuda GNOME Edition with the following hardware:
MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
32 GB RAM Kingston Fury Beast 3600
2 TB Kingston FURY Renegade SSD NVMe PCIe 4.0
CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i PRO liquid CPU cooler
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at Garuda for this fine Arch-based distro. I would be very happy about a less fancy KDE version with support. ;)
As a Linux end-user with basic knowledge, I recently had the opportunity to test the latest version of Garuda Linux Xfce on my older second-hand laptop. I must say, I was thoroughly impressed with this Arch-based distro and how well it performed, even on my aging hardware. Garuda Linux Xfce has certainly stood out to me as one of the most user-friendly Arch distros I have come across during my distro-hopping journeys.
One of the most significant highlights of Garuda Linux Xfce is the installation process. I found it to be a breeze, and one of the quickest and most straightforward installations I have performed. The installation guide is incredibly detailed, and the entire process took me less than 20 minutes to complete. Overall, the installation process was hassle-free, and I found it to be a great start to my experience with the system.
Moving on to the desktop environment, I was delighted with the sleek and customizable Xfce desktop environment. Not only does it look great, but it is also highly customizable. Garuda Linux Xfce includes numerous pre-installed themes and plugins, making it easy for me to tailor my desktop according to my personal preferences. The system also uses the Garuda Welcome application, which provides new users with useful tips and information to help them get started with the system.
In terms of performance, Garuda Linux Xfce did not disappoint either. Even when I was running multiple applications at the same time, I noticed no significant lag or slow performance. The system's speed and effectiveness exceeded my expectations, and I was pleased with how smoothly everything ran. Garuda Linux Xfce is an excellent option for those who are looking for a lightweight and dependable system that performs well, even on older hardware.
Apart from its exceptional performance, the Garuda forum is quite possibly one of the friendliest Linux communities I have come across. The community is always willing to lend a helping hand and answer any questions I had along the way. Their knowledge and expertise were a fantastic resource that added even more value to my experience using Garuda Linux Xfce. Overall, the friendly and supportive community only adds to Garuda Linux Xfce's appeal as a top-notch Arch-based distro.
In conclusion, I strongly recommend Garuda Linux Xfce to anyone searching for a user-friendly, lightweight, and high-performing Arch-based distro. Garuda Linux Xfce is an excellent choice for new Linux users as well, thanks to its intuitive installation and plethora of pre-installed themes and plugins. I believe Garuda Linux Xfce stands out in the ever-growing world of Linux distributions as a system that prioritizes simplicity and user convenience without sacrificing performance.
Best arch base distro.
Best support for nvidia drivers.
I personally use the minimalist "KDE lite" version without bloatware, using low resources and I'm very impressioned for its stability.
I use Linux in an old hardware (HP Zbook 15, G2) and I find that pretty much all of the Garuda tweaks makes the difference.
Mayor distros in their development are failing to drop support for old hardware so there are often small system crashes and slower performance, this is not the case with Garuda that runs super smooth.
I love Xerolinux, I love Fedora, I love Pop Os, I love Mint...I loved Manjaro, I like Mx, but definitely the always fresh Garuda wins hands off.
Best arch base distro. Beats by a few kilometers others.
KDE dragonized with oxygen and original kde icons is better for us. This distro is tweaking tools paradise with late dock taskbar on top. Grab pamac package manager in kde assistant after fresh install. Grub update is very good in boot options. Best place for new machines. Dual boot btrfs works fine with debian. 10/10
Operating System: Garuda Linux
KDE Plasma Version: 5.27.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.106.0
Qt Version: 5.15.9
Kernel Version: 6.4.0-rc4-1-mainline (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Using Garuda KDE. Looks tricker than it is although probably not a good choice till you've used Linux for a bit. If you feel confident with a Ubuntu or Mint or MX Linux you could have a go at this.
The welcome window is full of actually useful things,the Setup Assistant and Garuda Assistant will let you set things up and then look after them easily. The other tools are useful too and easy to guess what does what. Instead of processes running in GUIs you click and then watch it all happen in a terminal. Fun and a bit educational.
Dolphin file manager comes set up so it's simple to use root without the terminal, directly editing root files for example, simpler than on any other distro I know, so though it is a terminal centred distro you don't have to use terminal commands to get lots done.
I've found it solid and stable, more so than other Arch distros I've tried recently which seem suddenly to be a bit flaky on my hardware.
Lots of documentation and comprehensive forums, I admit turning number lock off permanently was beyond me, I've a funny laptop about number lock, but a quick search found the solution.
And I think it's a good looking distro.
You will find distros that are better on any one item above, but I don't recall a distro I've experimented with recently that does as good at ALL of the above. Well done guys (developers).
Is a refreshing variation with excellent performance and compatibility (even games). I've been using linux for a while, but am an average user with average abilities and it was easy to setup and use.
It is an amazing disro for Arch users. Takes away all the hasle to build up ur system with bugs. This distro is the best Arch based distro ever. Just try it once, you will only gain, no loss. The only cons i can even think is that this distro need improvement to lessen its boot up time. Thats all! There is practically no issues with this distro. I have tried so many distros Arch based and frankly speaking I hate Arch for its unpredictable behaviour for last 6 Months, so I useally use fedora based or debian based distro mostly, but Garuda changed this perseption of mine. Highly recommended. It just works!
They have an awesome community to help you out if you find any trouble. Great work Garuda team! The fourm is so convinent that I have fallen in love with it.
Simply , GARUDA Linux is the BEST of the Distros.
Smooth , alwais Fresh , Latest software and newest Kernel @ ~!!~
i LOVE it !!
he awesome Garuda Community's Forum I left Windows a year ago and i'm never going back! This support services can solve pretty much any issue that occurs and you easily find solutions in archived threads. The Dragonized Garuda flavor works very well, it's beautiful and you can customize or tweak pretty much everything as you like. With the easy GUI installer you can add I think it's up to 6 different package managers so you will find all the software you'll desire.
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