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CachyOS
A performance-tuned Arch Linux derivative built around an optimized kernel and CPU-architecture-specific package repositories, aimed at users chasing measurable gaming and desktop performance gains.
Based on
Arch Linux
First released
2022
Package manager
pacman
Desktop environments
KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, and others, selectable at install
CachyOS's core differentiator is performance engineering: it ships its own tuned Linux kernel (the CachyOS kernel, incorporating scheduler and other patches aimed at desktop responsiveness and gaming) and builds separate package repositories compiled for specific modern CPU microarchitectures (x86-64-v3/v4), squeezing out compiler optimizations a generic x86-64 build leaves on the table. It bundles a graphical installer and a first-boot setup assistant that make Arch's rolling-release base more approachable than a manual Arch install, similar in spirit to Manjaro or EndeavourOS but with performance as the explicit selling point. It's become particularly popular among Linux gamers specifically chasing every available frame rate on modern hardware.
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