Distrowatch Top 5 Distros Review: Manjaro

Distrowatch Top 5 Distros Review: Manjaro

Distrowatch Top 5 Distros Review: Manjaro

Manjaro Linux is ranked number three on the popular ranking site, Distrowatch, based on the number of visits to the Distrowatch page for the operating system, not based on actual downloads / user base. Check out my previous MX Linux and EndeavorOS reviews here.

For those unfamiliar with Manjaro, it is an Arch Linux-based distribution that is often dubbed “Arch’s Ubuntu” for its easy-to-use GUI tools and beginner-friendly approach to the Arch Linux ways of doing things. . Manjaro uses its own dedicated software repositories instead of Arch Linux’s, but there is also access to the community-maintained Arch User Repository (AUR) that Arch users are familiar with.

Manjaro comes in multiple ‘flavors’, using different desktop environments, such as:

There are also community-maintained flavors available on the Manjaro download page, including:

  • Parakeet
  • Cinnamon
  • Deep
  • I3
  • Partner
  • Influence

Manjaro uses the Calamares GUI installer, included in other distributions, which is a friendly and easy-to-use way to install the operating system; Anyone with basic operating system installation experience will find Calamares simple and efficient to use.

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For this installation and review, I opted for KDE Plasma.

My specs:

  • Ryzen 5 3500X
  • 16GB DDR4 3000Mhz
  • System installed on a SATA SSD

Installation

Installing Manjaro via Live-USB was quick, easy, and painless. Squids is my favorite GUI installation utility, which makes installations very simplistic. There are easily selectable options for disk erasure, partition replacement, installation alongside existing systems, and custom partition management, all available for your specific needs.

Software and features included

Although Manjaro is based on Arch Linux, it is not Arch, and it is not as minimal as Arch or other Arch based systems. However, Manjaro KDE did not come with an excessive amount of bloat. There are common basic apps like a music player in the form of the Elisa app, VLC for videos, OpenOffice for your office needs, as well as Firefox, Thunderbird, and Steam, all pre-installed.

Manjaro also has some useful graphical tools, such as the impressive MHWD (Manjaro Hardware Detection) tool that allows you to easily install proprietary and open source drivers, such as your NVIDIA video card. Additionally, the Pamac utility makes finding and installing packages from both the Manjaro and AUR repositories a simple task. Manjaro is highly recommended for inexperienced users in this regard, since it can perform almost all tasks without the need for the terminal, even installing new versions of the Kernel through a practical GUI tool.

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Performance

Manjaro, like other Arch based systems, is very fast and responsive when I tested things in the KDE environment. With five browser tabs open across multiple sites, OpenOffice running, my three monitors connected, and Discord running, I used less than 5% of my CPU power and less than 2GB of RAM. Any modern PC will have no problem having a smooth experience with these settings.

Final thoughts

I used to run Manjaro exclusively on my home system, due to its power, simplicity, and my love for Arch-based systems. While I don’t currently do so, I have no problem recommending this operating system to anyone who wants to use a Arch based system, but not Arch itself. If you’re looking for a nice, easy-to-use system with lots of GUI tools, but with the power and flexibility of Arch, you won’t be disappointed when using Manjaro; At least in my opinion!

Have you used Manjaro? What do you think about that? Tell us in the comments!

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