CachyOS, a relatively new Arch-based Linux distribution that is designed to be easy to use and is highly optimized, has just received its March 2025 update. This release is substantial, with the inclusion of a new bootloader with Btrfs snapshot support and better device compatibility for gamers and laptop users. If you’re a Linux enthusiast and want something new to try, this definitely seems like an interesting choice.
The new bootloader is called Limine and works with both BIOS and UEFI to ensure compatibility with a wide range of systems. Similar to the Grub bootloader, it features theming so the developers from CachyOS can make your boot experience look good. Additionally, it has Btrfs snapshot support, which is turned on for all new installations that opt for the Btrfs file system. The team behind this distribution said that they’ve tested out the snapshot support extensively and claim it works well.
Another big focus for this update is hardware support. If you have the RDNA4, RTX 5070 Ti, or 5070 graphics cards, they are supported out of the box, unlocking better performance. Additionally, if you have ASUS gaming devices, the addition of the ASUS Armory driver means CachyOS now supports the ROG Ally as well as fan and power management on certain laptops.
Other improvements include a new script, which auto-updates and uses the latest DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and preset, and the re-enabled GSP (GPU System Processor) firmware for Nvidia’s closed-source kernel module - previous issues have been sorted now, and this enablement brings performance improvements for Nvidia hardware.
Some other highlights in the release include:
- Wine comes with WoW64 to reduce dependence on lib32 dependencies.
- Wine and Wine-Staging now use NTSync for better application performance.
- The NTFS driver has been reverted to the previous one after users ran into issues.
- A new ‘cachyos-samba-settings’ package has been included for easy Samba setup.
- Kernel updates and fixes, including the removal of the deprecated ‘crc32c-intel’ module.
Considering this update comes just one month after the last update, there are some big changes here. Users with Nvidia or ASUS hardware should notice big improvements, and those with devices formatted to NTFS will see more reliability.
If you already use CachyOS, you can use the following commands to update and remove the ‘crc32c-intel’ module:
sudo micro /etc/mkinitcpio.confRemove the "crc32c-intel" entry in the "MODULES=()" sectionsudo mkinitcpio -P
Once you’ve done that, you can update with:
sudo pacman -Syu
If you prefer to download the operating system fresh, you can do so with these links: Desktop and Handheld. The handheld version is for handheld gaming devices that support Linux.
Source: CachyOS
1 Comment - Add comment