Arch-Based SalientOS + EndeavourOS Take On Clear/Fedora/Ubuntu With The Ryzen 9 5900X

Given the recent release of Arch Linux based EndeavourOS and a Phoronix Premium supporter recently pointing out SalientOS as another interesting Arch-based Linux distribution, here are benchmarks showing how these easy/quick to deploy Arch based operating systems with sane defaults compare to that of Ubuntu, Fedora Workstation, and Intel's own Clear Linux. This round of February 2021 Linux benchmarking was carried out on an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X desktop stemming from premium member feedback.

EndeavourOS earlier this month saw its first ISO refresh of 2021 with upgrading to Linux 5.10 and other updated packages for this distribution that has been of increasing popularity since the end of Antergos Linux.

Salient OS is another Arch-based, rolling-release distribution and is focused on creative multimedia and gaming enthusiasts. I have not previously tested this Linux distribution but was recommended as an interesting test candidate from a premium reader. Salient OS is configured to deliver an optimal Linux gaming experience with shipping DXVK, Feral's GameMode, and more. Salient OS is also catering to the multimedia crowd with real-time audio optimizations and other tuning.

Both SalientOS and EndeavourOS were tested with Linux 5.10 and all the latest stable updates as of testing. Ubuntu 20.10 was also re-benchmarked on this Ryzen 9 5900X desktop using all of its stable release updates. A development snapshot of Ubuntu 21.04 was also tested as a rolling-release / look ahead at the state of Ubuntu's performance. Similarly, Fedora Workstation 33 with all updates was also re-tested as an additional reference data point. Lastly, Intel's rolling-release Clear Linux was benchmarked too.

The same Ryzen 9 5900X + ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR VIII HERO + 16GB RAM + 1TB Samsung 980 PRO NVMe SSD + Radeon RX 5600 XT desktop was used for all of today's benchmarks. As usual, each OS was tested out-of-the-box for showing the representative default experience under each clean installation.