Since Windows is basically spyware at this point, I’ve decided to fully switch to LInux, but I’m not sure what distro to pick. I’ve looked into the basic ones and some recommendations for my needs like Bazzite, Nobara, Ubuntu, Mint, … but there’s just too much choice. I’m pretty familiar with Linux already since I use it on my job daily (I use Ubuntu there, so a Debian based system would be nice), but I don’t want an overly complex setup and maintenance like Arch for example.
I now use my current desktop setup mainly for gaming (mainly offline through Steam and emulation, but online support and support for other launchers like Epic would be nice) and general day-to-day browser stuff, but I also use it for coding from time-to-time. A plus would be a very customizable system, so I can change it up as I want to.
Hopefully you guys can help me out with this one. If something is unclear or you have any specific questions, please let me know!
Personally I use Linux Mint. I feel like it straddles the line between stability and being up to date quite well for general use.
Plus the Windows 7 like UI made it easier for me to switch.
Other, more gaming focused, distros could have advantages for your use case. But I will have to leave if for people more familiar to way in on what unique benefits they offer.
I’ve just switched over to Nobara. It’s made with gaming and content creation in mind. It auto sets up Davinci Resolve, Proton, and graphics drivers. I’ve been using it on my laptop for testing while keeping my main desktop on W11 still for Anticheat games.
If you’re good and familiar with Ubuntu/Debian based distros, Mint is fine. Stick with what you know IMO.
But if I’m ever recommending someone to get started, I’ve all but abandoned Debian based stuff and just say everyone should use CachyOS. Best starting point IMO.
I’m new-ish to Linux and Mint has been my first major landing spot, it just works for what I need. I use it mostly for gaming through Steam, but you can get other launchers to work via Lutris. Otherwise, I have a couple other use cases (video editing, design, DAW) that I still need to find workarounds or learn new solutions for, but I’ve been tangled up in other projects.
CachyOS has been about the only one I’ve considered otherwise so far since it (to my understanding) typically has more cutting edge driver support compared to Mint. I upgraded my system to a 4090 in January & the provided Mint drivers were causing a bit of a fuss but I managed to get that troubleshooted. Plus, updated drivers have been shipped in some more recent updates so it’s a non-issue for me on Mint now— so I guess that’s all to say it depends on how cutting edge you plan to be with your hardware IMO.
Linux Mint is what I suggest to everybody who is new to Linux. I personally ran into issues with it, but I’m pretty sure they were hardware specific (Lenovo Yoga 7 with a docking station) so I switched to Fedora KDE on my laptop and desktop (ASUS NUC).
Fedora KDE has a Windows 10 vibe to it which made it an easier switch for me.
Give Linux Mint a try and if you’re not feeling it then Fedora is a safe option (the project is about 22 years old at this point).
I do have an old laptop laying around on which I will test some distros. As I hear it, Mint looks like a safe bet so I will def try that one out. Hadn’t seen much of CachyOS, but after looking it up it also looks promising. Thanks all for the tips!
I’ve spent many years managing Ubuntu servers at work, and gotten familiar managing systems with only the CLI.
When I got my Framework laptop a few years ago, I opted for installing Linux Mint. Overall, it was a good experience since Mint was based on Ubuntu’s LTS releases. The base software and kernel’s were never bleeding edge and things rarely broke. The one issue I had was display scaling. The Framework display DPI was too high for 100% (everything too small) and 200% felt like wasting space (everything too big). Mint supported non-integer scaling, but setting the display to 150% resulted in bad screen tearing while scrolling.
About a year ago, I switched my laptop to Fedora KDE to get access to Wayland. The non-integer scaling worked perfectly for almost everything. Really improved the system’s usability. I’m not a fan of getting package updates as quickly as they come with Fedora, but haven’t ran into issues yet (knocks on wood).
If you want a Windows style environment, KDE or Cinnamon are the best options. If you want a more MacOS style desktop, go with GNOME. For old systems with low resources, XFCE and MATE are the good options.
I’d recommend using Flatpak versions of software applications as much as reasonably possible. It really reduces the old issue of dependency compatibility or breaking your system because you added a repo.
When it comes to dealing with the Epic Game Launcher on Linux, look at Heroic Launcher. It simplifies the process of installing games and getting them running under WINE/Proton. Heroic can also handle adding the games to your Steam client as a “Non-Steam” game. Artwork should automatically pull from SteamGridDB.
If I ever get to the point to moving my personal desktop from Windows, I’ll probably stick with Fedora KDE. I’m not into distro hopping and trying variants of the main distros. I like sticking with the base and adding the apps/customizations I need myself. I should try out Fedora’s Atomic Desktop some day, which adds OS immutability like in SteamOS and Bazzite. All this is easy to say when I don’t have a NVIDIA GPU. I’m sure my experience would be very different if I had to install the proprietary driver.
I’ve not messed around with many distros, but having moved from using Windows all my life I can say that Mint, Cinnamon specifically, has made the switch pretty easy. I’m sure there’s other distros with more potential, and I’ve had Mint occasionally freeze on me, but starting out it’s definitely a solid choice!
I’m not sure how much of a difference distros will make for most people. Most of what I do outside of gaming and 3d printing is browser based these days. I’ve been using Pop OS on a few different PCs now and it’s been fine.
Watching Linus’s troubles with the latest Linux challenge and hearing him and Luke talk about it on the WAN show has been interesting though. I’ve thought about trying something else to tinker. I remember hearing Bazzite was the distro to use for gaming. Is CachyOS the new hotness for that?
Thanks guys for all the input and help, I really appreciate it! I’ve decided to just go with Mint and try it on my laptop. Fedora was also one that sounded nice, but Cinnamon looked like the better choice for me because of the customization options and ease of use.
The beauty of Linux is you can play around with Linux Mint and get a feel for it, then if you want to switch to something for a specific reason all of the things you learned on Mint will translate across most other distros so it’s a really good first choice.
I got my start on Windows and used it for years as a basic user, ie gaming and general web browsing stuff. But when Windows 11 was going to become to only supported Windows OS I decided to finally switch to Linux.
I installed Mint and haven’t looked back. The only Windows install I keep around is an SSD with W10 on it, solely for some car diagnostic software. Everything else is Linux. All the PC’s in the house use either Mint Cinnamon or XFCE in the case of an old Toshiba Satellite. Honestly, it’s been great. The odd Proton version tweak here and there and the odd issue with Heroic launcher not playing games has been my main issues.
I found it’s little things like searching how to run .exe files that have tripped me up. Other than that though, it’s been great. Mint seems pretty solid as someone who only ever used Windows. Plus it’s made multiple PCs run so much better, mainly the low spec ones.