Edit: Tumbleweed and bazzite are currently the most attractive options based on what I've learned from the comments. I will trial run those and 1 or 2 others.
I am currently on Pop OS.
I am dissatisfied with the DE/UI and I've been playing with others but half the point of this distro is it's custom UI. So I figured I would try another. I have several criteria that may narrow it down.
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I am going to use KDE or KDE Plasma (preferred). This is the only non-negotiable criteria.
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I will be gaming. This means I would like relatively up to date kernel and software. Rolling or semi-rolling releases are preferred.
2.5. I also work from this pc. This mainly entails using discord and Firefox though so no special requirements. I do have 4 different sized monitors with 3 different refresh rates that I use for work. Only one for gaming. One is vertical. I can tell I'm pushing x to its limits with that setup.
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I would prefer Debian-based as that is what I'm used to and because .deb packages are so common.
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I don't want it to be a ton of effort to set up. Pop OS worked out of the box with my Nvidia GPU and all other hardware. I am willing to put in some effort though.
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I have been using and very much like apt and flatpak. This is not a requirement, just an observation.
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Wayland is neat
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Active community with lots of support to search through. Pop OS has been good for this as it's Ubuntu based and has its own great community.
Ultimately I want an easy to use desktop OS that uses some sort of KDE, supports up to date packages and drivers, supports most games and isn't a pain to maintain.
Here are some contenders that fit at least some of my requirements.
KDE Neon user edition
Opensuse tumbleweed
Kubuntu
Endeavor OS
Debian
Manjaro
Bazzite
Mint Debian edition
Right now I'm leaning toward KDE Neon, Kubuntu, or Debian (whatever the rolling release version is), but the others all have their draws. I've heard the aur is great but I have come across several applications only available in website downloads of Deb packages so I'm hesitant.
I have been using pop as my first desktop distro after Windows and I've enjoyed it a lot. I barely run into anything I can't solve with some effort and headache and not a single game I can't play. I'd like to keep it that way.
Now that that's out of the way, does anyone have suggestions? Am I looking in the wrong direction? Am I asking the wrong questions? Should I just install arch, live in the terminal, and throw away my mouse? /s
Thank you all for your advice in advance.
You don't say what else other than gaming you want to do, so it's harder to advise. Still, consider bazzite KDE, easy, stable, relatively close to the bleeding edge without all the cuts, everything you need for gaming in the tin.
I do gaming and work. Work is mostly web browsing and discord. Most of my time is spent in a game or Firefox. I use steam, lutris and a few flatpak launchers like bolt for osrs and prism for minecraft. Amongst others. I use many other apps, but none as extensively as those.
I have seen bazzite here and there but haven't checked it out yet, thanks for the recommendation. I have stayed away from gaming-centric distros so far as many of them are made by a small team and have a small community which means there's no guarantee of finding support for a specific issue or no guarantee it will be updated into the future.
Bazzite is based on Fedora, so the support base for using it would be large.
~~Edit: the Plasma version of Bazzite is called Aurora if I remember correctly.~~
Fedora itself also has a KDE Spin which I've been using for about two years, so I can recommend that as an easy option as well. I personally ran both Kubuntu and Neon (both Ubuntu based) but had major hardware compatibility issues with both so I can't personally recommend either. I've heard they're generally good though.
Thanks, I'll probably prefer aurora then for plasma.
Sorry I just looked into it and Bazzite actually comes with KDE. I was thinking of another distro by the same organisation.