Read to leap into Linux

speck@kbin.social to Linux@kbin.social – 4 points –

Just bought a pc laptop and want to dual boot Linux. Windows will be for some games, Linux for everything else. Would this be the right place to ask for advice?

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I doubt you're going to get many responses here that aren't basically ” you don't need Windows at all, proton is magic that will solve all of your problems"

I'm going to give the opposite advice. I can tell you from experience, if you dual boot Windows and Linux, you're going to find that over time, while in Windows to use the stuff that only works there, you'll ask yourself "do I really need to shut down Windows and boot into Linux just for that one thing I need to use real quick?", and you'll just do it in Windows. You'll do that more and more, until you realize you have that Linux install sitting on your drive for no reason, because you don't use it.

My advice is to either test out a gaming-centric Linux distro, and see if EVERYTHING you want to use works fully(and I do mean try it for yourself, doubt just assume it works because other people say it does, Google a setup guide for the thing you want, and actually try it), or if you have anything you want to use that MUST run on Windows, just stick to Windows for the time being. You can always keep an eye on the status of the thing you want to run, and when it works properly on Linux, have another look at switching fully.

One exception would be if you really only spend a very small amount of time gaming, and so would only need to be in Windows occasionally. If you really will spend the vast majority of your time in Linux, then it makes sense to dual boot. But if you plan to spend any real amount of time doing stuff in Windows, you're going to find it really obnoxious to have to go back and forth.

I appreciate this input, thank you. You make a valid point. I don't game much, so there wouldn't be too much back and forth. This is also just about learning what it's like to use Linux. I have a backup apple device, which is the OS I'm used to, and it would remain my daily driver for all essential tasks. For now, at least. So I have the luxury of trying stuff out on the pc laptop but not being bound by it.

What's your main concern?

And allow me to add: the Penguin deals better and better with gaming, nowadays. Consider that as well.

Are you looking for a distro?

Yes, initially thoughts on a distro. As well as addressing a concern I encountered about additional steps that are perhaps necessary with an NVIDIA card (that it doesn't mix as easily with Linux, I think). And, of course, whatever else I should know straight out the gate — although I assume a lot would be covered in the process of installing a distro.

I've definitely noted the development of gaming with Linux. Dual boot was just to have one less element in the mix, as I adjust to Linux (I've MacOs for a while now). TBH, there's a bit of an irrational element, too: I got a PC so I can play a bunch of games that aren't on Macs. So if I'm going to find a workaround in Linux, well, why didn't/don't I do that with a Mac, instead?

Go to an easy distro like pop_os or something similar. Avoid Ubuntu because of their corporate fuckery.

I was going to default to Mint, just because it's the one I've most encountered being referenced, especially for beginners. I'll do some searching on Pop_Os vs Mint. Thank you!

  • Linux Mint is pretty much the stock recommendation for newcomers to Linux – straight forward, no big surprises
  • and Steam for your games – with Proton, there’s very little that won’t run under Linux in one way or another nowadays

That's what I've gathered: to go with Mint. I saw somewhere that I might, however, need to get something tweaked to the gpu card that I have? For reference, I just bought a Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (Ryzen 7 7840HS; NVIDIA RTX 4060). Apparently Linux struggles with NVIDIA cards?

I've also heard of Proton. Do games take a performance hit played through that? I just figured I'd boot Windows for games, to remove a challenge from this transition. But if it's not much of a challenge, and performance doesn't take a hit, I'm certainly willing to give it a shot.

The NVIDIA thing has been answered elsewhere in the thread, so I'll answer the other one: ... It depends, but usually there's a minor performance hit. Other times it works just as well, and there are some edge cases where it actually works better.

There's also the issue of compatibility: in general, if anti-cheat software is involved, expect to have problems. This website is a database for Steam games with reports from users about what works, what doesn't work, and what can be done to fix or at least mitigate what doesn't work. You can sync your Steam library to it to see how well the games you have are supported at a glance.

NVIDIA works fine for regular use (including gaming and training ML).

Mint makes changing to the propriety drivers easy, as you just search for and open the drivers screen, and then select the latest propriety driver. Mint will take care of the rest.

Now, I haven't used AMD in a long time, so I'm not sure what it has that NVIDIA doesn't since I haven't experienced any NVIDIA problems, other than open source drivers.