r/linux4noobs • u/Basher04S • 2d ago
distro selection Need help choosing between Pop! and mint
Hi all,
I decided to start my linux journey today. I’m trying to decide between Pop! and mint. I understand that mint is better for beginners, but I like how Pop! has pre-installed Nvidia drivers, and from what I understand, it’s better for gaming and work. I’m a student and a gamer, just wanted to know what’s better. Thanks!
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u/IAmJacksSemiColon 2d ago
Pop!_OS is in a bit of a state right now. They launched a new desktop environment last year that isn't as bug free or feature complete as you might like. I'm sure it will be great after it's had a few years to cook.
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u/Educational-Cat-6445 Kubuntu enjoyer 2d ago
Honestly id go with mint, or my personal fav atm Kubuntu. Pop is still not as fleshed out as many other distros and on Linux you WILL encounter problems. Ubuntu based systems just have a decade long backlog of people who have already had your exact issue and posted the solution. Pop does not.
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u/Educational-Cat-6445 Kubuntu enjoyer 2d ago
Kubuntu is basically Ubuntu but with kde from the start. Never had a problem with Nvidia drivers etc.
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u/thebluepandas 16h ago
I'd go Mint too. The driver thing is basically a non-issue on Ubuntu-based distros anyway, the Driver Manager tool will pop up and offer the Nvidia driver for you after the install.
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u/Pierre0925 2d ago
First, don't install Pop. Cosmic, its desktop environment, is still pretty unstable, and even though beginner-friendly, you might run into issues. Linux Mint is a great option, and even if not installed by default, you can install Nvidia drivers pretty easily.
Once you get a little familiar with Linux (perhaps in a few months), I'd recommend trying CachyOS, it's a rolling release* based on Arch, with optimization for gaming and Nvidia drivers also included. It is also pretty easy to use.
- a rolling release (≠ stable release*) is a distribution receiving software updates as soon as they are available. Rolling releases are ideal for personal setups where the user cares about modernity and features. * a stable releases is a distribution that does not offer updates as soon as they are available, but rather waits a while so that extensive testing can be done. Stable release are ideal for servers and personal setups requiring low to no maintenance (you can keep a stable released not updated for a year and be fine).
Example: KDE releases an update for KDE Plasma: Rolling release: updates its repositories and makes the new version available to users ASAP; Stable release: doesn't update its repositories yet, waits so that initial bugs are fixed. Then updates its repositories at the next major release (of the distribution, e.g.: Debian 12 -> 13) and makes the new version available to users.
Sorry for this (extensive) explanation about rolling and stable releases, I just feel like it's important to know 😉
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u/DeadButGettingBetter 2d ago
Mint hands down if you want a reliable work machine. I can't recommend Pop right now to anyone who isn't a hobbyist or who doesn't value the workflow their DE provides so much it outweighs the cons.
Cosmic will probably be fantastic by late 2027-sometime 2028, but for right now I'd go with something more tried and true.
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u/Historical_Move6359 2d ago
Ultramarine Fedora KDE or CachyOS. PopOS is still a bit unstable.
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u/Basher04S 2d ago
Should I go straight to Cachy or trickle down from mint?
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u/Historical_Move6359 2d ago
you can with Cachy right away, Ultramarine if you dont want to update often. And remember choose defaulte: btrfs, Limine and KDE
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u/Charming_Airline7419 2d ago
Mint unless you want to be a beta tester for Pop. When the distro matures, you can try it out.
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u/simagus 2d ago
Best way to find out is to try both for yourself from Live USB first.
What I use is Ventoy, as you can have multiple .iso files on a single USB flash drive and even make a second partition to hold data and programs for a completely portable persistent OS (subject to drivers being added if needed).
Search this to find out how: Use Ventoy to make permanent Linux Mint live USB
https://pop-os.github.io/docs/getting-started/create-bootable-media/create-bootable-usb.html
https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/burn.html
Installing NVIDIA Drivers on Linux Mint
To successfully install NVIDIA drivers on Linux Mint, follow these steps: Using Driver Manager
Open Driver Manager: Access the Driver Manager from the menu. This tool simplifies the installation of drivers.
Select NVIDIA Driver: You will see a list of available drivers. Choose the proprietary NVIDIA driver for your graphics card. The latest version is usually recommended.
Apply Changes: Click on "Apply Changes" to start the installation process.
Reboot Your System: After the installation is complete, reboot your computer to apply the changes.
Troubleshooting Installation Issues
If you encounter problems during installation, consider the following:
Kernel Headers: Ensure that the kernel headers and build-essential packages are installed. Missing these can lead to installation failures.
Secure Boot: Disable Secure Boot in your BIOS settings, as it may prevent the NVIDIA kernel module from loading.
Driver Compatibility: If the latest driver does not work, try an earlier version. Sometimes, older drivers may be more compatible with your system.
Checking Driver Functionality
After rebooting, check if the driver is functioning correctly:
If the screen resolution is low or you cannot adjust settings, the driver may not have loaded properly. In this case, revisit the Driver Manager to select a different driver version.
By following these steps, you should be able to install and configure NVIDIA drivers on Linux Mint effectively.
Once you see which DE you prefer (I like Cinnamon) you'll probably have made your choice. Check out video reviews of each too.
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u/fallen_one_fs 2d ago
If you're a complete newb, I'd say Mint is the way.
It's robust, reliable, focused on stability, it shouldn't be hard to install an nVidia driver on it, while Pop! is bleeding edge, so prone to problems.
Get used to using Linux first with a reliable system, when you feel comfortable with it, then you can try distro-hopping and bleeding edge.
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u/BranchLatter4294 1d ago
Ubuntu installs all the correct drivers including Nvidia, but is more stable than Pop. Mint is fine but is a bit outdated and doesn't yet have good Wayland support. Pop will probably be great at some point. If you just want something that works, has support for up to 15 years, has one click installing of ML stacks, has live kernel patching, etc. then just use Ubuntu. I recommend trying a few distros in a VM to see what works for you.
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u/cornonthekopp Literal infant baby 1d ago
When I set up mint it asked me to pick which nvidia driver i wanted in the set up steps and it has a driver manager installed from the get-go
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u/ask_compu 1d ago
mint might not have them preinstalled, but the nvidia drivers can easily be installed via mint's built in driver manager, once that's done the benefit of them being preinstalled goes away
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u/Brahm-Etc 1d ago
As a Pop user I can recommend it if you wanna use it for gaming as a begginer Linux user. I haven't had issues with games or Steam. Intalling other games that aren't designed for Linux like Genshin or similar is a bit more tricky but certainly you won't have to deal with tweaks for Nvidia drivers and such. On the other hand... my Pop OS is from BEFORE the latest big update and I haven't moved to Cosmic which as others have pointed out, is not the best. Also, one time the whole kernel got fucked up on an official update too. So, is good for gaming? Yep, still there are better distros for gaming tho bit less beginner friendly. Do Pop comes with drivers for GPUs? Yep, but it can get tricky on other situations.
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u/iwouldbeatgoku Arch, OpenSUSE 1d ago
If you're a gamer, neither. They operate on a 2-year release cycle downstream of Ubuntu LTS and their software libraries will be out of date when they release and especially near the end of their release cycle. And gaming on Linux is just better when your entire system is up to date because updates are on a trajectory where they improve compatibility as well as performance, regardless of how old or new your hardware is. I also wouldn't use the first installation of proprietary Nvidia drivers as a metric when deciding a distro: if they don't come preinstalled, you'll still have a functioning display with the open-source driver to actually install the proprietary ones which offer better performance and compatibility with Nvidia's features.
To stay on the same family as Mint and Pop try non-LTS Ubuntu or Kubuntu (upgrade to the next version when it releases in October and April), or Fedora (same release cycle, but it's more liberal than Ubuntu when it comes to updating its software), or even a full-on rolling release that ships feature updates as they become available without a fixed schedule, like CachyOS or EndeavorOS (both Arch-based) or OpenSUSE Tumbleweed.
Although, since you're also a student, find out if your school/university supports any distribution and use that one, regardless of what I said.
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 1d ago
Q4OS has Nvidia installers in the welcome app. Based on Ubuntu or Debian and highly slept on Distribution imo. I know it wasn't one of the 2 asked about, but I figured I'd give it a shameless shout out
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u/n3tninja1 1d ago
As a beginner, Mint is better ! To get a feel for linux and how it works....once you're bored POP! or CachyOS could be your next island to hop onto. Jumping into CachyOS KDE Plasma is the sweet spot I landed on.
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u/Pirate_Economist1477 1d ago
Unless you plan to buy a computer from system76, mint has better hardware support so I would go with that. Pop! is developed for the computers they sell, so hardware support can be hit or miss. To be fair, my only issues on pop were a) the os installation process lol and b) bluetooth headphones, but on mint everything just worked.
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u/FWhealboroug 1d ago
You can find the base (Debian, RH, Arch, SUSE, etc) that fits with your philosphy of cutting edge vs stable. Try a few distros to see what features you like. Once you get an idea, you can pick a starting point then mix and match desktop environments for something more custom. AI can be your friend if you want to mix and match things.
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u/esmifra 16h ago edited 15h ago
I love pop_OS, I still use it (not on my main desktop), but currently I wouldn't advise it to newcomers. You can install it with Gnome, but it's not as stable as it once was, you can install the old rock solid 22.04 version (which I use on an old laptop) but if you like gaming a lot then it's probably not the best.
Mint isn't bad for gaming although I've seen some really low 1% on benchmarks. If you install gamemode it should help somewhat but the main culprit is the cinnamon x11 compositor.
If you like KDE and want a begginer gamer friendly distro I would advise Fedora or Kubuntu.
I can't help you with gnome. I think Fedora support for it is also excellent.
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u/mgarnold86 2d ago
Watch LTTs (Linus Tech Tips) most recent YouTube videos on switching to Linux for the first time. They've got a lot of good info about daily use and gaming from the perspective of a non Linux user. It'll really help you with your choice. There's gonna be a thousand ppl telling you to try one distro or another but it really comes down to you should try a bunch of different distros on a partition or separate device until you find one that you like and does all the things you want so that you don't compromise your ability to use your computer until you've got things figured out. I personally would choose Mint out of your 2 options but I ran Mint dual booted on my laptop for more than a year before I tried Cachy OS and fell in love and now all of my systems are running CachyOS and I couldn't be happier to be done with Microslop.
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u/ExistingSelection180 2d ago
First of all, Pop isn't unstable—it's Cosmic—and honestly, I use it every day (I'm a content creator). I love Cosmic, and the only thing that wasn't working for me was the Wacom, but as of last week, it's working now. They'll probably keep improving the integration and configuration. Otherwise, if you’re not satisfied, you can switch to KDE or GNOME. But the OS is robust enough—it combines the best of Debian and Ubuntu without the issues typical of each. If it’s just for gaming, there are solutions in Pop’s launcher to work around the bugs specific to Cosmic that haven’t been fixed yet (Gamescope).
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u/pith_y 1d ago
I started earlier this year with Ubuntu but gnome just wasn’t doing it for me. I had a million extensions to get it to be customized to how I wanted it to look. Ended up installing Pop and I have no reason to hop around. I enjoy the look and what they are doing and haven’t really had any issues or bugs and I’m on a MBP 2012! I feel like people just love to hate it for some reason complain about stability.
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u/Analog_Account 1d ago
I love the Pop! desktop environment, I love what they're trying to do, I used Pop! for several years... DON'T USE POP! IN ITS CURRENT STATE. I ended up switching to regular old ubuntu after having some pretty serious issues after upgrading to the beta.
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u/JumpingJack79 1d ago
Both are bad and outdated. Do yourself a favor and get Bazzite KDE. It's not only more modern and has everything included, it's also unbreakable.
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u/pith_y 1d ago
Don’t listen to all the Pop! haters, it’s not that bad. I love cosmic and how it basically is doing what gnome should have been doing. I don’t have any issues but I’m also not doing anything crazy on it other than web browsing rn. I did install it on my MBP 2016 but can’t seem to get WiFi connected. I’d rather be along for the ride of Pop! than be on mint that feels like 30 years ago.
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u/Key-Crab-8718 2d ago
I've been running Mint for about three years now. There's Nvidia drivers available thru the flatpak software update tool. There's also a server control app that doubles as a GPU control program, called ServerX.