Arch Linux has this long-standing reputation for being intimidating—something reserved for hardcore Linux users who enjoy living in the terminal and configuring everything from scratch. But I wanted to challenge that idea and see if an Arch-based distro could actually work as a practical daily driver. That’s where CachyOS comes in.
For a bit of context, Arch Linux is one of the four major Linux families, alongside Debian, Red Hat, and openSUSE. I’ll be honest—this was my first time using anything Arch-based. I usually stick with Debian, and more recently Fedora as my daily driver, so this was a great opportunity to understand how Arch approaches things differently.
One of the biggest differences is that Arch is a rolling release. Instead of waiting for major version upgrades, you’re always getting the latest updates, which means newer drivers, performance improvements, and security patches arrive continuously. It uses Pacman as its package manager, which is fast and clean, and it also gives you access to the Arch User Repository, or AUR, which is a massive library of community-maintained software. That said, Arch has a reputation for being more hands-on, which can be a barrier for a lot of people. CachyOS aims to smooth out those rough edges while keeping everything that makes Arch powerful.
What is CachyOS?
CachyOS started around 2022 under Peter Jung and has grown into a well-maintained Arch-based distribution with an active team behind it. One of the first things that stood out to me was the documentation. The wiki is clear, well organized, and actually approachable without being overly simplified. That’s usually a good sign that a project is thinking long-term about usability and not just catering to advanced users.
To test CachyOS, I used my Lenovo gaming laptop with a 14th-gen Intel Core i9, 32GB of RAM, dual 1TB SSDs, and an NVIDIA 4070. So this wasn’t just a casual test—I wanted to see how it handled both everyday tasks and gaming performance.
Installation and First Impressions
You can download the CachyOS ISO directly from their website, and there are two main versions available: a Desktop edition and a Handheld edition designed for devices like the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion Go. I went with the Desktop version.
After flashing the ISO to a USB drive, I prepped my system using Windows Disk Management. Since my laptop has two 1TB drives, I left my main Windows drive alone and shrunk the second one by about 200GB to make space for CachyOS and some testing.
Booting into the USB drops you straight into the live environment, and one of the first things you see is the CachyOS Hello screen. This is a really nice touch. Instead of being dropped onto a blank desktop with no direction, you get quick access to documentation, forums, software tools, and an overview of the system. When you’re ready to install, there’s a clear entry point right in the middle.
The installer itself is straightforward but still gives you a lot of control. One thing I liked is that it lets you choose your bootloader. While many distros default to GRUB, CachyOS gives you options like rEFInd, systemd-boot, and Limine. I stuck with GRUB for simplicity, but it’s nice to have the choice.
When it came to partitioning, I used manual setup since I was installing to my second SSD. I initially tried pointing to my existing Windows EFI partition, but it turned out to be too small. So I created a new 600MB EFI partition within the space I allocated for CachyOS, and then used the remaining space for the main Linux partition. I chose ext4 for simplicity, although Btrfs is also available if you want snapshot functionality.
Desktop Experience and Setup
One of the more interesting parts of the installation was choosing a desktop environment. CachyOS gives you a wide range of options, from KDE Plasma to XFCE, MATE, Budgie, and even window managers like i3. I went with KDE Plasma—it’s familiar, flexible, and just works well out of the box.
You can also install additional desktop environments during setup, which is great if you like experimenting. Just keep in mind that running multiple desktops can lead to duplicate apps and a bit of menu clutter.
After installation, which only took about five minutes, I was dropped back into the CachyOS Hello dashboard. This acts as a central hub where you can install common applications, run system updates, and access documentation without needing to jump straight into the terminal. It’s small touches like this that make CachyOS feel approachable while still being powerful.
Another thing that stood out was the inclusion of a kernel manager. It’s not something you’ll use every day, but it gives you a safe and simple way to switch kernels if you’re troubleshooting or tuning performance.
Terminal, Tools, and Usability
Opening the terminal was a bit of a surprise because CachyOS uses the Fish shell by default instead of Bash. Fish stands for “Friendly Interactive Shell,” and it’s designed to be more user-friendly, with built-in autocomplete and suggestions. If you prefer the traditional experience, you can easily switch back to Bash, but I actually found Fish pretty nice to use.
CachyOS also includes a built-in recovery tool using chroot, which is extremely useful if something goes wrong. If your system fails to boot or you run into issues, you can boot from a live USB, chroot into your existing installation, and attempt repairs. CachyOS makes this process more approachable by guiding you through it instead of expecting you to manually mount everything.
Installing applications was seamless. Using the built-in package installer from the Hello dashboard, I quickly installed tools like GIMP and LibreOffice. KDE even highlights newly installed apps in the menu, which is a small but helpful touch.
Gaming Performance on CachyOS
Of course, I also wanted to test gaming performance. I installed Steam and loaded up Doom: The Dark Ages. If you’re ever curious about Linux game compatibility, ProtonDB is a great resource, and this particular title had a solid Gold rating.
CachyOS comes with its own Proton build alongside Valve’s standard versions, so you already have multiple compatibility layers ready to go. In my case, the game launched without any issues. My NVIDIA 4070 was recognized right away, and running at 1080p on high settings, I was seeing frame rates in the high 60s to low 70s, with consistent performance overall.
Switching Desktop Environments
Out of curiosity, I also tried switching to the Budgie desktop environment. What stood out to me was how consistent everything felt underneath. The CachyOS Hello dashboard was still there, the same tools were available, and even Fish remained the default shell. It really reinforces that the core experience stays the same, regardless of which desktop environment you choose.
Final Thoughts
Going into this, I wasn’t sure what to expect from an Arch-based distro, especially since I’ve spent most of my time with Debian and Fedora. But honestly, CachyOS made a really strong impression. It’s fast, well-documented, and packed with useful tools, but more importantly, it feels approachable.
If you’ve been curious about Arch but didn’t want to deal with the complexity, CachyOS feels like a great entry point. It gives you the benefits of a rolling release and access to the Arch ecosystem, without throwing you straight into the deep end.
That’s going to wrap things up for this overview. If you found this helpful, feel free to share your thoughts or let me know what Linux distro you’re currently using. And as always, make sure you’re subscribed to Mackey Tech—there’s plenty more coming soon.
