I’m thrilled to share my experience using Linux on my trusty Dell workstation, which has proven to be an excellent platform for web design, office administration, and software development
Due to the absence of a dedicated graphics card, this energy efficient PC runs exceptionally well on Linux and Wayland and thus, making it a joy to work on.
System Details
- Processor: Intel Core i3-10100
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 630
- RAM: 32 GB DDR4
Timeline
Installed openSUSE Tumbleweed GNOME. Initial impressions are mixed
Installed 163.5 MB of updates, but I’m not enjoying working on WordPress sites due to the limited font options included with openSUSE Tumbleweed.
Installed Manjaro Gnome Minimal Edition. Upon rebooting, I encountered a recurring audio buzz. I found a workaround which resolves the issue On the bright side, the fonts in Manjaro are perfect!
Applied critical BIOS update (Precision_3440_1.28.0.exe) via flash drive in BIOS (F12)
Was hoping it might fix the audio issue but unfortunately, it can’t be done.
I just completed a fresh installation of CachyOS KDE Edition, and I’m thrilled to share that it delivers the best user experience I’ve encountered so far! Plus, I’m happy to report that the pesky audio buzz issue has been resolved!
Today, a 125.99 MB update went smoothly with no issues.
Installed p7zip (sudo pacman -S p7zip) to enable password protection for compressed files, as CachyOS lacks this feature
Arch is busy. Another update of 52.30 MiB and as before, no issues.
Skipped yesterday and instead a 92.92 MB updated today.
314.85 MiB update, no problem.
Another update fo 112.70 MiB
installed and the PC rebooted without any issues.
322.25 MB update which included kernel 6.10.8-2-cachyos. No issues.
189.28 MB update from kernel 6.10.8-2 to 6.10.9-2-cachyos. Virtualbox working fine.
269.80 MiB update includes a massive Linux Firmware update of 237.55 MiB.
Big update of 409.39 MB that include Plasma 6.1.5-1
153.94 MB update of which 122.30 MB are for the Brave Browser.
292.28 MB update included kernel 6.10.10-2 as well as Thunderbird 128.2
169.39 MB CachyOS kernel 6.11.0-2 update. No issues after rebooting.
Due to working on a big project, I didn’t update this PC for a few days. Now, CachyOS has a 391.21 MB update which included a kernel tweak and tons of minor version increments.
293.16 MB contains a Thunderbird update which caused concern in some online forums.
100.58 MB with yet another Gimp and Thunderbird increment.
110.34 MB which is mostly Gimp and Firefox. No issues expected.
141.48 update. No issues.
173.10 kernel update 6.11.1-2
260.76 MB update. No problems.
566.11 includes kernel 6.11.3-3 and KDE 6.2 … in progress …
During the last 30 days (Aug 25 – Sep 23), CachyOS received: 3197.12 MB of downloads.
Supplemental info
August 12, 2024: openSUSE Tumbleweed
I recently installed openSUSE Tumbleweed with the GNOME desktop environment. While I’m excited about the new setup, I’ve found that the default fonts aren’t ideal for web design purposes. On a positive note, I’m pleased to report that the intermittent audio buzzing issue has been resolved!
August 15, 2024: Manjaro Gnome Minimal Edition
Unhappy with SUSE’s fonts displaying poorly on the WordPress sites I’m working on, I installed Manjaro and immediately appreciated the crisp fonts, making web design enjoyable once again. However, I’ve encountered an intermittent audio buzz with Arch-based distributions. The only fix I’ve found is to temporarily lower the monitor refresh rate and then revert it back to 60Hz, which resolves the issue.
August 24, 2024: CachyOS KDE Plasma
After experimenting with various distributions, I found CachyOS KDE to be the perfect fit for my web design business. It resolves the audio issues and offers an excellent user experience without compromises.
September 13, 2024: Thunderbird 128
Today’s update included kernel version 6.10.10-2 and Thunderbird 128, which was a welcome surprise. After rebooting, I experienced no issues, and Thunderbird functioned smoothly. The maintainers of CachyOS clearly know how to deliver an excellent Linux experience.
So far, KDE’s performance has impressed me—resolving audio pop sounds on my Zephyrus laptop and eliminating the monitor buzz on this workstation. I’m thrilled to have discovered a Linux distribution that just works, making my computing experience more enjoyable and productive.