I tried the latest MX Linux version on my PC, and it made the system look and feel like new

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

MX Linux’s Xfce AHS is a Linux distro for modern hardware.
Whether it’s a desktop or laptop, MX Linux AHS should work out of the box.
MX Linux is free to download and install.

MX Linux is a dual adventure between the antiX and MX Linux communities and serves as a collection of open-source operating systems that are all built around the Debian Stable distribution. Because of its Debian base, MX Linux is a highly stable operating system that performs brilliantly on PCs of all types — from older systems to midrange and powerhouse computers.

There are five different versions of MX Linux:

MX-25.2_Xfce_x66 – The standard release that is based on Debian 6.12 with hardware support from Debian Stable and is suitable for PCs that are a few years old.
MX-25.2_KDE_x64 – Based on the 6.12 kernel with the Advanced Hardware Support repositories enabled and defaults to the KDE Plasma desktop environment.
MX-25.2_fluxbox_x64 – Same as the KDE version above, only it ships with a custom fluxbox desktop.
MX-25.2_rpi_respin – A respin of the Raspberry Pi OS with an MX Linux setup, and is suitable for Pi4, Pi400, and Pi5 hardware.

There’s also a version, MX-25.2_Xfce_ahs_x64, which includes the 7.07 kernel and includes new graphics drivers and firmware. This version of MX Linux is ideal for newer systems that are 1-3 years old.

Also: CachyOS vs. MX Linux: Are you seeking speed or stability in your distro?

The MX-25.2_Xfce_ahs_x64 version ships with a Liquorix kernel that is tuned for high-performance audio and video, which makes it an outstanding option for gaming. You also get DKMS packages to ensure that modern GPUs and Wi-Fi chips work out of the box. The combination of the kernel and Mesa stack offers HiDPI scaling via XFCE at 125% and 150%, while looking crisp, and you get the MX Nvidia installer to make it exponentially easier to install and get the proper GPU driver working flawlessly.

Thanks to the Xfce desktop, MX Linux XFCE-AHS runs with speed that’s on par (or superior) to any desktop OS on the planet. I’ve covered MX Linux several times here on ZDNET, and the OS has never ceased to impress me. It offers an old-school look and feel, but modern performance and ease.

I installed MX Linux XFCE-AHS as a virtual machine, and it did not fail to impress me out of the box. Keep in mind that I’ve never been a big fan of the Xfce desktop environment, but MX Linux gives it a slightly more modern look and feel, with a custom layout and a nicely laid-out Conky configuration that displays the time/date and RAM/CPU usage percentages.

You get plenty of preinstalled applications, such as Firefox, LibreOffice, Asunder CD Ripper, a handy Bash Config GUI, Catfish file search, a GUI for installing downloaded .deb packages, FeatherPad (text editor), Firewall Configuration (GUI for ufw), LuckyBackup, Thunderbird, all the MX Tools, and much more.

What makes this distro so special?

There are tons of Linux distributions vying for your attention, so what makes MX Linux AHS the one you should use?

Simply put, it’s all about new hardware. If you have a new PC and want to make sure it works with Linux without any tweaking, MX Linux AHS is what you want. If you’re worried about Wi-Fi, sound, or discrete graphics (stand-alone graphics processors that function separately from the CPU) working properly, the combination of the Liquorix kernel, the latest MESA release, and the addition of DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support), you can bet that newer hardware will work out of the box.

Also: How much RAM does your Linux PC actually need in 2026? An expert’s sweet spot

And with the Xfce desktop environment, newer hardware is going to perform exponentially better than you expect. Running with just 4GB of RAM and 2 CPUs, MX Linux AHS ran like an absolute demon as a virtual machine.

MX Linux isn’t limited to working on modern desktops. If you own a modern laptop, MX Linux 25.2 AHS was built specifically for you.

Also keep in mind that the Liquorix 7.0.9-2 Liquorix kernel (the 7.07 kernel was immediately updated after the OS was installed) is a low-latency kernel, which means it has been designed to decrease the time it takes to respond to various events, such as audio, gaming, and industrial automation.

If you’re a gamer or audio designer and are using hardware that is 1-3 years old, MX Linux AHS might be the best distribution for you. Yes, you have to deal with a slightly less-than-modern desktop UI, but the speed you gain from using Xfce is worth feeling a bit out of date on the user interface side of things.

If you wanted to, you could always install a newer desktop environment, such as KDE Plasma or COSMIC. For kicks, I installed KDE Plasma desktop with:

sudo apt-get install kde-plasma-desktop -y

I wanted to see how the KDE Plasma desktop would perform on top of the MX Linux AHS release. It took roughly a minute for the installation to complete. After a restart, I logged into KDE Plasma (Wayland version) and found it performed as well as Xfce (and even had the nice Conky on the desktop).

Also: I customized an Arch-based distro my way in under 5 minutes – and it’s glorious

If you’ve been reading my work long enough, you know that I prefer a modern desktop over one that looks like it was designed in the early 2000s. It’s nothing against Xfce; I just want something more up to date.

The only thing missing from my KDE Plasma installation was the usual collection of KDE Plasma apps (such as Discover and Konsole). I was able to solve that with:

sudo apt-get install kde-full -y

Beyond the performance, I was happy to see that KDE Plasma ran flawlessly, so if you want the hardware support and low latency of MX Linux AHS, but would prefer a more elegant desktop, install this OS and then install KDE Plasma on top of it.

Who is MX Linux AHS for?

This question is simple: If you have a modern PC or laptop and you want an OS that’ll work right out of the box, MX Linux AHS should tick all the boxes. The only nit I could pick is that the OS didn’t ship with Steam preinstalled. That’s fine, as you can always install it via the command line like so:

sudo apt-get install steam-installer steam-devices -y

MX Linux AHS is a great option for anyone with modern hardware. Between the 7.09 Liquorix kernel, DKMS, and the updated Mesa stack, your hardware is most likely supported, and if you decide to install a more modern DE, you’ll wind up with an elegant, powerful, and modern PC or laptop.

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Bree Lambert

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Peacock is the king of comfort shows, and these 7 series prove it

What streaming platform do you think of when you hear the term “comfort shows?” There are plenty of great comfort shows over on Netflix, or maybe available with an HBO Max subscription. But for me, I always think of Peacock.

With a Peacock subscription, there are so many options for classic comfort shows that will no doubt make your day—and provide you with that comfy need that we all so desperately crave. Here are seven that you must check out.

The Office

A classic comedy

I mean, you knew it was going to be on here, don’t lie.

The Office was a nine-season sitcom that took the world by storm. Starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott, this iconic workplace comedy follows the professional and personal lives of workers at a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

I think The Office is a show that defines the word “comfort.” Anytime I ask people what they usually put on in the background, The Office is always the first choice because it’s easy to follow, has characters you want to root for, and is so freaking funny (even if some of those jokes have not aged well all these years later). It’s certainly worth a shot

Parks And Recreation

Amy Poehler is the best

Another great comfort show that also happens to come from the same developer of the U.S. version of The Office (the wonderful Greg Daniels), Parks and Recreation is a sitcom mainly about Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat who is trying to improve her home in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana, in the Parks and Recreation department.

The series is extremely well-received and has some huge stars attached, including Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, and more. With seven seasons and one hundred and twenty-six episodes, you’re in for a long binge.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The laughs go on and on

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is one of those shows that I think everyone has seen at least one episode of, just because it’s so funny. The main premise of the series follows the lives of police officers, detectives, and others in a fictional police precinct in New York, specifically in Brooklyn.

This series was a hit for NBC, and while it did move to another streaming platform towards the end of its run, it is a beloved comedy perfect for a weekend of comfy watching. Not only that, but the stars—Andy Samberg, Terry Crews, and more—have some of the best chemistry out there and will, no doubt, make you laugh out loud.

Everybody Loves Raymond

Who doesn’t love an Italian Long Island-er?

You better believe I put Everybody Loves Raymond on here—because everyone loves it!

This late 1990s-early 2000s sitcom stars Ray Romano as Ray Barone, an Italian-American who lives on Long Island and has made it as a successful sports writer. It tells the story of his family and how he deals with the drama, juggling his wife, his neighbors, and more.

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Switch on these shows when you want to switch off.

I genuinely cannot think of another television show I have seen more often over the last couple of decades than this, and the number of reruns is astronomical. With nine seasons, Everybody Loves Raymond is the type of binge you don’t want to miss.

Modern Family

A series anyone can relate to

Now this is my kind of comfort show. Modern Family—and all eleven of its seasons—is available to stream on Peacock.

This groundbreaking sitcom tells the stories of three diverse families in the suburbs of Los Angeles and how their lives intersect. But it’s so much more than that. The comedy is hysterical, and yet each episode finds a new way to tug at your heartstrings.

Not only that, but it’s also just a genuinely relatable show for modern-day parents, and I’m not just saying that because of the name. It touches on both funny topics and social issues, making it a really well-done series. There’s a reason why there were so many Emmys thrown at this series.

That ‘70s Show

So much smoke—and friends!

For some reason, That ‘70s Show was the series I was obsessed with as a kid. And honestly, it’s a vibe, even now. The series mainly follows six teenagers in Wisconsin between 1976 and 1979 as they come of age, experience growing pains, and learn to come into their own while also smoking the devil’s lettuce, if you know what I mean.

On a real note, That ‘70s Show is a hilarious series with great performances from Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama, and so many more. This series has been with me on my good days and bad, and while its little successor, That ‘90s Show, on Netflix is a fun one, nothing compares to the original. You’re missing out if haven’t had the chance to sit down and watch the whole show.

Saturday Night Live

Laughs and more

OK, so hear me out.

I know, when it comes to comfort shows, we honestly do think sitcoms are cute, but I think Saturday Night Live falls into that category. Why? Because it’s one of those shows that you can put on in the background and just chill.

It’s not something that’s heavily serialized or has any real plot to follow. It’s just funny sketches and enjoyable music performances. That’s it. And with the number of seasons that are available to watch on Peacock, you can’t really get better than this.

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