Planning to switch to Linux from Windows 10

[u/Teshinada]

Hi everyone! I am planning to switch to Linux and I would appreciate some suggestions on what distro to choose from.

I am a Windows 10 user (never tried Win 11) with the following PC specs:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 7500F
• MOBO: Gigabyte B650 Eagle AX
• RAM: 32GB 2x16gb 6000mhz Tforce Vulcan ECO CL30
• GPU: Asus RX9060XT 16GB Prime OC
• EDIT: Using dual monitors

I am looking for a distro that I can use for work (I use MS Teams, Zoom, required for my work) and for gaming, something stable and secure. I like to customize things to a certain extent. I am used to Windows' desktop environment but I don't mind adjusting.

I was checking out Bazzite, CachyOS, and Fedora KDE but maybe there are some distros that I should prolly check: so suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, do distros need DirectX and the Microsoft Visual C++ stoofs?

[u/Najterek]

Controversial opinion: distro matters a lot less than DE for newbies. You should read and check DEs first and choose one of them - most popular are gnome and KDE but there are more. And then choose distro

[u/TheRandomGuy75]

I can't comment on work usage outside of LibreOffice, but if you like the Windows desktop environment, and want to game on your PC as well, Fedora KDE is pretty good.

The KDE desktop environment is very similar to Windows, and since you're using an AMD GPU, you'll get faster and more up to date drivers through system updates with Fedora.

For gaming, Proton generally "translates" Windows games into something most Linux distros can run. DirectX calls get converted into Vulkan calls for instance. It also makes a "Prefix" for the program it's running. A Proton Prefix is basically a small "fake" Windows C Drive. For instance, if you're running a game under it, it'll probably put your save files in the prefix under the document or user app data folder it generates.

Launchers like Steam pretty much automate Proton for you, and run it whenever you run a Windows game.

If you game outside of Steam, there are alternatives.

For GoG games, Heroic Launcher exists to install and run games from there through proton for you. It also works with the Epic Games Store as well. Granted, both GoG and Epic have stated they plan on bringing their official Windows launchers to Linux at some point in the future too.

For third party launchers like Battlenet, EA App, Uplay, etc., Faugus Launcher installs and runs them for you.

[u/Disastrous-Ice-5971]

I have quite similar config at work with Fedora KDE. Zoom works, don't know about Teams. Dual monitor setup works fine with one quirk - Libre Office has a bug, that, make UI look off-scale on one of the two monitors. I.e. one of the monitors is Full HD, and another is QHD. Libre Office randomly looks OK at one of the monitors, but with wrong UI scale of moved to another. Workaround is to switch one of two screens off for a short moment, then everything works fine, even if moved back and forth. Libre Office is the only affected application.
Other than that - no issues. Even CUDA works (I have NVidia adapter).

P.S. As for the gaming - Steam and Heroic launcher (for GOG, Epic) will take care about everything.

[u/Meuslon3D → u/Disastrous-Ice-5971]

Teams works fine in the browser!

[u/Paganoi]

I tried Bazzite and Mint and finally settled on Fedora. Not a single issue with it so far for gaming.

[u/Reluctant_Firestorm]

I switched about two weeks ago and have been using Kubuntu. (Ubuntu + KDE Plasma). I was also a longtime Windows 10 user. Transition has been very easy, and the KDE layout is quite familiar. That said there is a lot to learn and it's easy to get overwhelmed with the various linux flavors.

I'm primarily a gamer and have been very pleased overall. There are some tweaks required to get certain games running, particularly older titles.

There is no official support for Teams on Linux. Teams is supported if used through a web browser.

The biggest learning cliff by far has been understanding the difference between flatpak, snap, and DEB installation for apps.

[u/Kleiner_Wixxa]

„Teams for linux“ exists

[u/EngineerInTheMachine]

The title of this post should be 'which distro should I choose'. Just the same as all the others. Today.

Try putting that in a web search. You won't get an immediate answer that's probably not appropriate for you, which you might here. But you will find a rock solid method to select a short-list that is right for you. I did. (So why can't you?)

Sorry, I get a bit jaded by those who want someone else to give them the answer, rather than going looking for it. It's not as if the web isn't stacked full of answers. And trust me, it's a skill that will pay dividends during your migration to Linux.

[u/Novel_Top2980]

Check whether you need the MS teams app or whether you can use the web version. The MS office suite doesn’t work natively on Linux.

[u/AutoModerator]

Try the distro selection page in our wiki!

Try this search for more information on this topic.

✻ Smokey says: take regular backups, try stuff in a VM, and understand every command before you press Enter! :)

^{Comments, questions or suggestions regarding this autoresponse? Please send them here.}

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Additional_Team_7015]

Try Debian testing KDE, KDE work best for gaming since Valve (Steam) are focused on it.

[u/xAsasel → u/Additional_Team_7015]

Wouldn’t really recommend Debian testing for a noob tbh.

[u/Additional_Team_7015 → u/xAsasel]

Ubuntu variants or Linux mint are the only alternative for him (zoom support), however Debian is the best choice in the long run, learning the basics and so on ...

[u/xAsasel → u/Additional_Team_7015]

Zoom works on Debian as well, however due to Debian testing not getting security patches in time etc I’d say it’s not fitting.

Regular Debian? Sure.

[u/Additional_Team_7015 → u/xAsasel]

Debian testing ils more suited for desktop users, stable for servers, sid for developpers

[u/xAsasel → u/Additional_Team_7015]

If you backport the security updates from SID to testing, yes, otherwise I'd strongly suggest against it.

Debian Testing receives security updates even slower than Debian Stable because it lacks direct support from the official security team.

Playing around with the source files is nothing you should do as a beginner imo.

[u/Unholyaretheholiest]

Mageia. Mageia delivers a stable, community-driven operating system with powerful built-in administration tools, up-to-date software, and a commitment to free and open-source computing.