ZDNET Key Takeaways
- The latest CacheOS release is all about speed.
- This Arch-based distribution is a user-friendly powerhouse.
- You can download and install CacheOS for free.
Power. Display. luxury. OK, this isn’t a car ad, so let’s remove that last one.
However, power and performance is the name of the game with CacheOS, and with the latest update, the OS has improved several under-the-hood bits to make it one of the best-performing desktop distributions.
What have the developers actually done? It all starts with the Linux kernel. First and foremost, CacheOS now ships with kernel 7.0.0.1. However, this is not any old Linux kernel; This is the CacheOS kernel. What does it mean? Well, the CacheOS kernel uses a specially tuned scheduler, the likes of BORE, Schedule-Ext, BMQ, and RT.
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Additionally, every app in the CacheOS repository is compiled for the x86-64-v3, x86-64-v4, and Zen4 instruction sets, plus LTO. The core CacheOS package also receives additional PGO and Bolt optimizations, requiring zero manual rebuilds.
That’s a lot of acronyms, but it all depends on speed. And with those patches and optimizations, the 7.0.0.1 kernel is a well-oiled machine. And with the improved swap performance of the 7.0 kernel, everything feels faster. According to OMGUbuntuThe swap improvement results in “20% better throughput in workloads where multiple processes share the same swapped-out memory (tested using Redis with persistence).”
Even though Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux) says there is nothing special in the latest kernel, working with the latest update of CacheOS would suggest otherwise.
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That kernel is special in many ways. This includes not only optimizations for speed, but also improved write performance thanks to concurrent direct I/O writes with the EXT4 file system, self-healing XFS file system, smooth 4K video playback, and more.
Who really benefits from this?
My impulse is to say that these performance gains actually benefit gamers, and they certainly do. Those performance increases also benefit those who use native AI, edit and render video with Davinci Resolve (as long as you have the GPU for it…hint, hint NVIDIA), improvements in PID allocation, and much more.
I ran a quick test with Davinci, and it ran like a champ (after solving some library issues).
I also ran my normal install of Olama local AI, and the query responses I received were faster on CacheOS than every other Linux distribution I’ve used.
Too: 6 reasons why a minimal Linux install might be the smartest move you’ve made
Essentially, the latest CacheOS release benefits those who need a desktop OS with extreme power. Install this distribution on a modern desktop system, and you will be shocked to see how well it performs.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that CacheOS is based on Arch Linux, which means that users who have no experience using Linux need to pay attention. Even though there are GUI apps for almost every aspect of the OS, when you run the System Update tool, you’ll find that a Terminal app opens to prompt you for your password and OK the installation. Anyone who has an irrational fear of command line interfaces will not want to bother with this OS.
Don’t let the terminal window scare you away from CachiOS.
Jack WallenZDNET
It’s also about choice
This is another area where the latest version of CatchiOS really shines. Consider this: You get the CacheOS kernel manager, where you can install various iterations of the Linux kernel (including hardened options, release candidates, and even Zen kernels for higher security).
You can choose from multiple Linux kernels with this convenient GUI.
Jack WallenZDNET
During the installation of CacheOS, you also get the choice between nineteen different desktop environments. nineteen! You can also install multiple DEs (if you’re not sure which one you need).
Understand its meaning!
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Okay, let me cut to the chase: If you want an Arch-based distribution with a high level of performance, CachiOS is the right choice for you. If you’ve never used an Arch-based distribution, CacheOS is still a viable option because it has a GUI for everything (even if, as I said before, sometimes they open a GUI terminal window), and an excellent Welcome app.
Ultimately, it depends on performance. This latest release of CacheOS is impressive in this regard, and anyone looking for the fastest OS possible could do worse than this.
CacheOS is making it really hard for me to avoid Arch Linux as my go-to OS. Considering how much I’ve loved Debian and Ubuntu distros for decades, that’s saying something. Even if you’re just curious to know what it’s like to run an Arch-based Linux distribution, skip all the other derivatives and go straight to CacheOS.
Download CacheOS ISOBurn it to a USB drive, boot, install and watch the speed.
