From Pop!_OS to Bluefin: A 20% CPU Performance Upgrade on Raptor Lake
Distro-hopping isn’t something I do on a whim. Changing your main operating system is always a bit of a hassle, but when a switch actually pays off, it’s a great feeling. For a couple of years, I enjoyed using Pop!_OS and even encouraged others to adopt it. However, being on the Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS version felt like I was stuck in the past. With System76 pouring all their energy into building the new Rust-based COSMIC desktop, the 22.04 LTS release naturally started to feel stale.
Working at Red Hat, I have a natural bias toward the Red Hat and Fedora ecosystem, as Fedora is the upstream for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Since Bluefin is an atomic, image-based spin of Fedora, it felt like the perfect opportunity to bring that familiar ecosystem to my daily driver.
Recently, I decided to make the leap from Pop!_OS to Bluefin on my personal desktop, a GMKtec NukBox K10 powered by an Intel i9-13900HK. The results genuinely surprised me, and for the first time in a while, I’m actually excited to sit down at my desk.
Preparing for Change: A Seamless Transition
Before diving into the installation, I took the time to back up all my data and jot down crucial settings, like my backup_sync.sh script that keeps my Home directory files backed up to an external drive. That little bit of prep made the actual switch painless. Installing Bluefin, along with my essential apps, was a breeze, though it did require a dedicated USB drive since Ventoy wasn’t supported.
Geekbench Performance Analysis: Pop!_OS vs. Bluefin
Curiosity and a desire for a modern, up-to-date desktop experience drove my decision to switch operating systems. I wasn’t explicitly hunting for raw speed when I made the leap, but after using Bluefin for a bit, the system felt noticeably snappier. I ran Geekbench to check if the smoother feel was backed up by actual scores.
Geekbench measures raw processor performance across everyday workloads. Single-core scores reflect how quickly your system handles individual tasks like web browsing or launching apps, while multi-core scores show how well it handles heavy parallel processing like code compilation, video rendering, and multitasking under heavy loads.
The post-install benchmarks confirmed what I was feeling:
| Benchmark | Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS | Project Bluefin | Performance Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Core Score | 2,065 | 2,264 | +9.64% |
| Multi-Core Score | 11,388 | 13,665 | +20.00% |
View full Geekbench benchmark runs: Pop!_OS Baseline Result | Project Bluefin Result
Why Bluefin Runs So Fast
A few key technical factors explain why Bluefin runs so much faster on Intel’s hybrid chips:
- Modern Kernels for Modern Hardware: Bluefin uses modern 6.x and 7.x kernels built for Intel’s Raptor Lake architecture. The scheduler works directly with the Intel Thread Director to push heavy tasks to Performance cores and background tasks to Efficient cores.
- Minimal System Overhead: Because Bluefin uses an atomic, image-based design, the base OS stays small. Applications run through Flatpaks or rootless Podman containers, keeping background daemons low and preventing OS slowdown over time.
- Performance Power Profiles: Default power settings allow the i9-13900HK to hold higher power limits under load without throttling prematurely.
Everyday Benefits Beyond Benchmarks
Synthetic scores are great, but the daily workflow improvements are what made me stay:
- Background Updates & Rollbacks: System updates install automatically in the background. If an update ever breaks anything, you can reboot and instantly roll back to the previous working state.
- Isolated Applications: Running apps in Flatpaks and containers keeps your core system clean and prevents library conflicts over time.
- Developer-Ready Setup: Built-in support for Docker, Podman, and developer toolchains means you spend less time configuring tools and more time building.
Discovering Universal Blue: Project Bluefin
For those curious about the performance gains and architectural improvements of Bluefin, the Universal Blue project website provides a deep dive into how Fedora-based immutable distributions redefine Linux desktop experiences compared to traditional systems like Pop!_OS.
Shout Out to Jorge Castro
A special shout out to Jorge Castro for his insightful videos on YouTube. His passion for Project Bluefin is contagious, and I’m so impressed with his ability to freestyle his video content at length without going off the rails.
Conclusion: Embracing the Performance Leap
Transitioning to Bluefin was more than just a performance upgrade. It was a step towards embracing simplicity and efficiency. If you’re considering a similar switch, I hope my experience provides some useful insights. It’s been an exciting journey, and I’m eager to see how Bluefin continues to enhance my computing experience.
If you have any questions or want to share your own experiences, feel free to leave a comment below. Let’s keep the conversation going!