Reviews and Ratings
KDE is an excellent desktop environment. Actually I think it is currently the best. It's easy to use and has a lot of options that enable you to customize it exactly a you want. The community of users and developers around KDE is also great. I liked it so much that I even started learning programming in C++ and Qt so that I can one day help with development.
Although I'm a more experienced user and now use Gentoo myself, I still think Mandriva is great for new GNU/Linux or new computer users. Most of the stuff works out of the box, including audio and video codecs. Mandriva Control Center makes it very easy to configure the system and manage packages. The new version 2007 Spring also makes it simple to enable all 3D desktop options (Aiglx, XGL, Metisse, Compiz). You can also buy a USB key with Mandriva preinstalled and this way your can take your desktop everywhere.