Tracking 30 Days of CachyOS KDE Updates Plus Issues

I’ve relied on Linux as my primary OS since 1999. Until recently, my workflow was powered by a fleet of Dell PCs and a laptop, but a series of BIOS-induced kernel regressions forced a total rethink of my hardware stack. After consolidating my rigs and integrating a Mac Studio, my Linux environment now lives exclusively on a 2021 Zephyrus laptop.

If i had to sum up 30+ years of computing wisdome, I’d say:

• Linux is powerful, flexible, transparent, and imperfect.
• Windows is powerful, bloated, invasive, and increasingly infantilizing.
• macOS is elegant, stable, sealed, curated, and paternalistic.

Because the Zephyrus is notably Linux-friendly, I’m using it to conduct a 30-day maintenance audit. The goal is simple: determine if CachyOS provides the stability and performance necessary to complement my Mac, or if I should revert to the reliability of MX Linux AHS.

Below is a daily timeline of updates and observations.

Running CachyOS KDE on an ASUS Zephyrus G15

• May 1, 2026: Total Download Size: 546.07 MiB
  • Laptop screen blank if HDMI connection to external monitor is used.
  • Laptop can not enter sleep mode.
  • Kernel 7.0.3 works if HDMI cable is unplugged during booting.
  • Other than that, no issues.
    
    
• May 2: Total Download Size: 118.09 MiB
  • Moved my XP Pen Deco Pro tablet to Linux.
    KDE automatically recognized it.
  • No issues.
    
    
• May 4: Total Download Size: 66.70 MiB
  • Hermes Agent lost the ability to use Piper TTS (investigating now).
    Fixed piper by letting Hermes Agent perform a pip install of piper.
  • No issues.
    
    
• May 6: Total Download Size: 191.31 MiB
  • Code, my main IDE, got updated to 1.1119.
  • No issues.

• May 8: Total Download Size: 303.30 MiB
  • No issues

• May 9: Total Download Size: 1167.70 MiB
  • New kernel 7.0.5 and tons of KDE 6.26 package upgrades
  • Kernel 7.0.5 booted normally!
  • Laptop can enter sleep mode!
  • No issues

• May 10: Total Download Size: 140.85 MiB
  • The update went fine, no issues
  • Sleep mode is once again broken

• May 14: Total Download Size: 455.94 MiB
  • No issues

• May 15: Total Download Size: 657.48 MiB
  • Kernel 7.0.8 as well as 6.18.28 LTS
  • No issues other than sleep is broken

• May 17: Total Download Size: 36.91 MiB
  • Mostly VLC plugins, Shelly etc.
  • Will update once I test some more

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*** After just 15 days, CachyOS already downloaded over 3GB of updates!

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Software Stack:

Because system maintenance is heavily influenced by the installed packages, here is the environment I’m tracking on the Zephyrus:

• IDE & Development:
  VS Code (with Cline, Continue, and Python extensions), Hermes Agent
• Creative/AI:
  Blender, ComfyUI, Gimp,
• Communication/Web:
  Betterbird, Firefox, Brave Browser

Closing Note:
The stability of any Linux distribution is often a reflection of the software it’s asked to run. My current stack, particularly the AI tools and development extensions, introduces a level of complexity that can easily trigger regressions during updates. The goal of this 30-day audit is to see if CachyOS can maintain a seamless experience under this specific workload. If the “maintenance tax” remains low, I’ll stay with CachyOS; otherwise, I’ll revert to the proven stability of MX Linux AHS.