Which distros are energy efficient? I have a capable desktop, and I mean to push it, but I don’t want to be using energy if it’s not necessary. I’m not looking to rescue an old laptop, for example.
I hear CachyOS is fast. Does that translate to energy efficient?
(Does the OS even matter that much for efficiency?)
OS matters, linux is probably the most efficient. The distribution matters less. But it also depends on what you want to do. Use it as a desktop?
As others have said, disable services you don’t need, close programs you aren’t using.
Actually that does make me think, there might be distros that automatically clean up unused programs and turn down the frequency of the CPU when it’s not in use. Haven’t done a thorough search though.
desktop … lots of browsing, lots of coding/compiling, some gaming
Those aren’t energy-efficient activities to begin with (except maybe browsing, but bwosers are entire OSes now). I’m not sure how energy-efficient those can be made in the first place.