35
Desktop environments: performance vs modern look (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 weeks ago by pixeldaemon@sh.itjust.works to c/linux@lemmy.ml
61 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Some DEs are focused on resource efficiency, but don't look fancy. Others are fancy, but require a fairly modern setup. I have KDE (Fedora) installed on my laptop, I love its look and options. But it is not always snappy, some little freezes occur as well, even in basic situations (opening Firefox and v2rayN simultaneously was one of the cases). The most problematic thing is almost every app taking around 2-3 secs to open its window.

Many people would just tell me to install Xfce, but I still want a fancy desktop, I believe it is something I can afford on my setup. First I thought of GNOME, but it is controversial: some sources report GNOME as well optimized even for low-end machines, other claim it is much heavier than KDE.

What it your experience with desktop environments and their performance? Perhaps you have compared various DEs within the same distro and setup? How performant GNOME actually is compared to KDE? What are the balanced options to explore?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] pixeldaemon@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I use Fedora and KDE really sucks here. It is bearable only with minimal options and animations enabled. Only thing keeping me from ditching is that I'll have a long time picking something else that satisfies me, because I want a fancy desktop, but not a sluggish one. Have you seen a DE that features a couple of nice animations and effects and can mimic MacOS, but is lighter than KDE?

Xfce is just probably better optimized for X11 currently. Most of lightweight DEs probably are, I guess?

[-] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

Xfce is the king of stability, but it comes with a limited set of features.

You could try cinnamon, thought that would meant using linux mint, as cinnamon and linux mint come in a pack.

[-] pixeldaemon@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Well, there still is a Cinnamon flavor of Fedora, maybe I'll try it

this post was submitted on 29 Jun 2026
35 points (100.0% liked)

Linux

66460 readers
451 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 7 years ago
MODERATORS
AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
nooter692@lemmy.ml
MarcellusDrum@lemmy.ml
cypherpunks@lemmy.ml
cyclohexane@lemmy.ml
d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz