MintLinux and Pop!OS are normally the two front-runners for new users. Basically, if you use Steam and you don’t play online-only games with bad implementations of anti-cheat software, you are good to game on either.
Make a USB that you can “live boot” from, so you can test out how they work with your hardware before you actually install the OS. Generally speaking, Mint works better with AMD, and Pop! works better with Nvidia.
Awesome, thanks for the guide links, definitely bookmarking this whole post haha. The Nvidia vs AMD thing is good to know too, I scored a great deal a few years back on a RTX card and I really want that thing working properly if possible
It’s only a general rule. In my experience, Nvidia has kinda been all over the place on how Linux-friendly they are. Do a couple searches on the exact card you have, you might be lucky.
I hope you have fun with finding what works best for you and your hardware!
Don’t know how it’s going to go for you, but Mint has been going really well for me gaming-wise on an Alienware with Nvidia RTX. Pretty much all the Steam games I care about work, and all my Blizzard games through Lutris. All through simple GUIs, and if you like the Windows feel and setup, there’s a Windows 10 theme you can try out, and tutorials on how to get a Windows style mouse cursor too. Again - all up to you, but it worked really well for me and is amazingly customizable. Just… remember to do Timeshift backups regularly, just in case. You never know if you’ll need one.
MintLinux and Pop!OS are normally the two front-runners for new users. Basically, if you use Steam and you don’t play online-only games with bad implementations of anti-cheat software, you are good to game on either.
Make a USB that you can “live boot” from, so you can test out how they work with your hardware before you actually install the OS. Generally speaking, Mint works better with AMD, and Pop! works better with Nvidia.
Here’s the official basic guide for Mint:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
And here’s the official basic guide for Pop!:
https://support.system76.com/articles/install-pop/
Awesome, thanks for the guide links, definitely bookmarking this whole post haha. The Nvidia vs AMD thing is good to know too, I scored a great deal a few years back on a RTX card and I really want that thing working properly if possible
It’s only a general rule. In my experience, Nvidia has kinda been all over the place on how Linux-friendly they are. Do a couple searches on the exact card you have, you might be lucky.
I hope you have fun with finding what works best for you and your hardware!
Don’t know how it’s going to go for you, but Mint has been going really well for me gaming-wise on an Alienware with Nvidia RTX. Pretty much all the Steam games I care about work, and all my Blizzard games through Lutris. All through simple GUIs, and if you like the Windows feel and setup, there’s a Windows 10 theme you can try out, and tutorials on how to get a Windows style mouse cursor too. Again - all up to you, but it worked really well for me and is amazingly customizable. Just… remember to do Timeshift backups regularly, just in case. You never know if you’ll need one.