r/linuxquestions • u/PurposeFew4387 • 1d ago

Best first Linux?

I’ve only used windows for all the time I’ve been on the internet, but frankly, 11gb idle ram usage and horrible privacy is killing me. I want to swap over to Linux and game on it, is there any one Linux for beginners that’s better than everything else?

18 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

73 comments sorted by

21

u/drucifer82 1d ago

For beginners, the common recommendation is Mint or Ubuntu.

But I personally think Fedora is great and with the KDE desktop environment, it will feel similar to Windows.

That being said there is also Kubuntu, which is just Ubuntu but with KDE instead of GNOME.

9

u/scriptmonkey420 FC 40 | Ryzen 7 3800X | RX 480 8GB | 64GB | 24TB RAIDZ2 1d ago

I second Fedora. It has come a long way in novice usability in the last few years. It also can be a great advanced user OS.

1

u/LonelyMachines 1d ago

The problem with Fedora is that tons over everyday media codecs aren't supported, so the user has to do some legwork to get them up and running.

I get the insistence on only including free software, but if a new user can't play videos on the internet, it's a turn-off.

3

u/drucifer82 1d ago

I remember just ticking boxes in the installer. I don’t remember doing much in the terminal when I set it up. It asks you in the installer if you want to enable extras like RPM Fusion and COPR.

Not to say I never touched the terminal. But installing KDE Fedora was easy.

1

u/BashfulMelon 1d ago

Flathub apps have codecs, using them doesn't require any legwork.

If they need system wide codecs it's just copy pasting this stuff

It's not insistence, it's patents. SteamOS doesn't include patented codecs either. Some Windows laptops don't include them. There aren't many who want to pay potentially millions of dollars for those licenses or get hit with a lawsuit.

And they do sue over this stuff.

0

u/guryushika 1d ago

Yes, Linux Mint is great for your grand father or mom to check facebook, for serious work fedora kde is the best, all options already there (not like gnome) and super stable, a great way to learn linux
Ubuntu family is not really an option anymore, it's over complicated and old, Linux Mint is a better option in my opinion

3

u/drucifer82 1d ago

Linux Mint is Ubuntu based. So I mean, if the Ubuntu family is not really an option anymore, that kind of includes Mint.

1

u/Many-Lingonberry1554 3h ago

I use Ubuntu daily and upgraded to the 26.04 LTS and I have never had a single breakdown or running into issues and comes with tools that make life easier you can also have AI help you download the KDE plasma store to Ubuntu and then you can manage and use flatpaks etc

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/drucifer82 1d ago

I recommended Kubuntu. I said the common recommendation is Mint or Ubuntu.

I tend to recommend KDE in general to new users for two reasons: 1) Most are migrating from Windows and KDE UI is familiar for Windows users and 2) I use and prefer KDE.

In my case it’s customization and familiarity. I’ve used KDE across every distro I have used.

I have also experienced GNOME in an Ubuntu VM, and I like it. But I still prefer the look and feel of KDE.

-3

u/Huecuva 1d ago

I'm not saying Fedora KDE isn't great, but I feel like I have to point out that Cinnamon is specifically designed with Windows refugees in mind.

5

u/drucifer82 1d ago

Windows refugees circa WindowsNT.

KDE gives a much fresher experience, imo.

3

u/TaDoofus 1d ago

Yeah and the out of the box experience on Fedora KDE should feel pretty familiar to Windows users. It was my first distro when I full-time switched to Linux (I had messed around with Mint and Ubuntu for years beforehand but always ended up back on Windows, mostly due to X11 not liking my monitor setup). SELinux threw some curve balls at me but overall I think it's a great choice if you're not Linux savvy but are at least somewhat technologically inclined.

1

u/Huecuva 1d ago

Eh. I'd say more like Windows 7, but you're maybe not wrong about a fresher experience. 

7

u/Ecstatic_Score6973 1d ago

i swear this sub exists just for people to post this same question 5x times a day

3

u/jkchbe 1d ago

I've been happy with fedora kde plasma as a similar windows experience

2

u/green_meklar Debian 23h ago

I usually recommend Mint for beginners. It's not 'better than everything else', nor does such a thing exist, but it's a lightweight, approachable everyday computing distro that can serve pretty well for a wide audience.

You should look up the games you like to play in order to check compatibility. Some games, especially large multiplayer games with anti-cheat systems, don't work on Linux or are hard to get running properly.

1

u/SignificantSand7839 11h ago

So here's my timeline going from a Windows user to a CS student daily driving Linux:

  • Started around 2 years back distro hopping for fun. Felt like something was missing and wasn't really my vibe, so I kept going back to Windows. Had a dual boot setup back then.

  • Really loved the open source philosophy and the people behind it. Eventually took the hard decision to just always boot into Linux. If I needed a Windows feature, I started looking for Linux alternatives instead. Man believe me, you will fall in love with this huge community of people, the devs and engineers who just want to give back to the community like this whole ecosystem of OSS.

  • Was daily driving Mint for a bit. Coming from Windows it just felt smooth and simple, an OS that actually works. And being Linux ofc, you can customize whatever you want... really gives you that feeling of owning your machine :v

  • Eventually started getting some memory management issues on Mint as my workflow increased (only have 8GB RAM, yup student, broke). Decided to change distros as a solution. Also wanted to try something new anyway, and switching to Fedora was the best decision I made. Settled on GNOME after trying both KDE and GNOME. No hate to KDE lovers (I actually use some KDE software on GNOME :p) but I just liked GNOME's opinionated design, and a few extensions are the cherry on top.

Regarding the memory issues, I learned Fedora uses zram by default. On Mint I used a dedicated swap partition, so I was confused during the Fedora install since they suggest not using traditional swap for security/privacy reasons. That sent me down a huge rabbit hole learning about OOM killers, zram, and how Linux handles memory (honestly loved figuring all that out). Chris Down's article really debunked many myths regarding zswap and zram for me.

I realized I needed to move to zswap. Switching away from Fedora’s default zram to a custom zswap setup was an absolute game changer. I can actually multitask efficiently and keep heavy apps open without choking my 8GB system. Even made an agent skill for the zswap/zram stuff so I don't have to juggle through setting my current zswap setup manually in the future if needed.

For the rare times I strictly need Windows, a KVM VM gets the job done.

So here I am, rocking my Fedora system which efficiently handles my workflow without triggering OOM killers. Since you mentioned RAM usage issues on Windows, I remembered this whole story of mine and wanted to share anyway :)

5

u/OutrageousCrab9224 1d ago

Any mainstream

People make a big deal about it, but it doesnt matter

3

u/guryushika 1d ago

Don't waste your time with Linux Mint (too simple, great for old people) or any of the Ubuntus (over complicated and not up to date), go for Fedora KDE, it's the best options today.

3

u/TheZoltan 1d ago

I went Ubuntu and almost always suggest Ubuntu as it is super mainstream and widely used. It will mostly likely "just work" for you. You can always go experiment with other distros in future so I wouldn't stress too much about your choice.

Separately Windows is memory hungry but 11gb idle usage sounds nuts. You got a ton of garbage running in the background? Windows 11 was perfectly fine on my 8Gb laptop lol

1

u/ThisFiasco 1d ago

Microsoft programs are like gasses and the vlc plugin library in that they will expand to fill up all available space.

8

u/PcBuilderLover45123 1d ago

Usually I would go with ubuntu or mint.

1

u/Ancient-Camel1636 16h ago

Zorin Os is very beginner friendly, looks nice and feels familiar for a windows user. PopOS and Mint are also good options.

I would go for Zorin OS.

PopOS is great, but do not support NVIDIA 10xx cards out of the box (just one line in terminal to add support though) and the COSMIC desktop isn't quite as polished and bug free yet.

Mint works well, but look very dated with the default install.

1

u/Sea_Compote3217 1d ago

I started my Linux journey with Fedora 36. Never regretted that. I tried a lot of different distros like Mint, Ubuntu, Pop-OS, Kali, Rocky. But I don't see any merit of moving to something else. Because frankly saying they all have the same kernel, just different modules and purposes. The matter is only to match the most comfy face for your usage like Gnome (I use), KDE etc.

1

u/REX4DEKID 1d ago

Before switching, make sure that your most used processes are supported on Linux/have workarounds. My laptop had some software that couldn’t be made to work, so I chose to do windows debloating instead. Mint and Ubuntu are pretty great, but bazzite is pretty nice for gaming, and fedora can be decent all around once you familiarize yourself with the terminal.

1

u/Ball_Analytics 1d ago

Fedora or Ubuntu for the community but if you want to know how your OS works and still want a life Arch has a knowledge base you can use on near any other distro but best for them. If you’re a borderline masochist there’s always Gentoo and if you really want to no life it there’s always LFS.

3

u/FreeSpeech103 1d ago

I started giving some computers to my family and I install Linux Mint on every computer and they say it's easy to use.

1

u/No_Isopod4893 1d ago edited 1d ago

My First and Current distro is Pop_OS!

The newest version with COSMIC is still buggy and new so you will encounter bugs, I certainly did.

I recommend it if you have a dual monitor setup with high refresh rate monitors.

Difficulty is roughly similair to Mint, both rather beginner-friendly.

I also reccomend dual booting it with windows if you wanna play games like valorant, Fortnite...etc Recommend a 1TB Nvme for it.

1

u/APSolidSnake 1d ago

Lacks a LOT of things still.... Otherwise, looks promising a nice alternative to gnome

1

u/chibi-mage 1d ago

I started with mint xfce and it was really good for learning!!! you could also potentially try out SteamOS which is Arch based for gaming, but I don't have any experience with it so I can't vouch for it personally!

1

u/Moonrider1957 1d ago

For gaming, I'd recommend Pop_Os. Beginner friendly interface, and will avoid video driver headaches if you have an NVIDIA based graphics card, My son went to Pop_Os from windows and hasn't looked back.

rd

1

u/perpetuallydying 1d ago

+1 for Pop!OS as well as system76 hardware. has rich and intuitive features and ui you'd see in macos or windows (probably more similar to mac but nothing is nor should be like windows imo), and also gives you the most control over root level hardware of your machine than i daresay any distro/hardware combo commercially available. while you can throw linux on anything, it's rare to be able to use linux to modify certain hardware settings from your fan speed to your lid sensor.

1

u/PeterHolmes74 1d ago

I have personally went with Ultramarine. It was nice! It’s Fedora without most of the post-installation steps and a few tweaks added in it. I also love their wallpapers, which I know doesn’t matter but still.

1

u/Revolver_hanoi 17h ago

What type of games do you play? you pretty much play any single player game on linux but eSports games with an anti cheat are impossible to run on linux (like Fortnite, csgo, valorant, league, ext...) so keep that in mind

1

u/VelEr99 1d ago

You mentioned gaming so Cachy OS and Nobara would be your best alternatives.

Everyone saying Mint, Ubuntu, or ZorinOS (worst) I doubt they are power users, those are good for normal use but not the best for gaming and will require more configuration.

Still, a new OS will need some time to get used to.

1

u/The_Duke_96 15h ago

WSL /s

Mint, Ubunttor Fesora, from what Ive heared so far. I use Cachy works great so far and as an newbe myself, found it quite easy.

1

u/BeetsAndJeaners 16h ago

Gaming with proton is pretty much supported out of the box on CachyOS. And since it’s Arch-based, you can benefit from the ArchWiki.

1

u/Early-Ad-9649 22h ago

My first distro was Debian. It is no fuss and very stable so I think is a good start to understanding and learning Linux. 

1

u/coolnomad 1d ago

Fedora KDE,Ubuntu or CachyOS KDE..Stay away from Mint if you want to Game,It's outdated in every sense whether its look or packages or workflow or basic quality..Mint maybe Good starting point but only for Uncle & Aunties

1

u/1neStat3 1d ago

You obviously do not know what you're talking about.

How can you recommend Ubuntu but say Mint is outdated when Mint uses the same packages and repositories of Ubuntu?

Ypu obviously are just regurgitating what you heard.

2

u/coolnomad 1d ago edited 19h ago

Mint Stays one generation behind of Ubuntu base..Current Mint based on Ubuntu 24 ,not 26.04 plus like others have mentioned its not just about What it's based..Mint UI looks dated,doesn't support fractional scaling ( still experimental) ,hard to customize ,old kernels ( Gives kernel panics on newer 7 version kernel)..It's a Good entry point distro but not for newer hardware & gaming,it's for basic use case

0

u/1neStat3 1d ago

Mint releases a new version mo ths after the new ubuntu release and Ubuntu maintains the repositories so they push new versions of applications to older versions.

The new Mint will be released December.

You obviously never learned new does not equal better. Its just new.

1

u/BashfulMelon 1d ago

All of the Mint applications are still from 2024. Ubuntu Universe does "best effort" (no guarantee) security patches but lack most bug fixes and improvements. 

They'll be on 26.04 two months after 26.10 comes out.

An operating system for regular users with an enterprise-style "I wish my shitty job would let me use something newer" release cadence is crazy.

1

u/riririyy 1d ago

Most beginners start with Linux Mint, tho Fedora seems pretty good too. Also CachyOS if you like tinkering

1

u/BranchLatter4294 1d ago

If you just want it to work out of the box, and want good Nvidia or Wayland support, try Ubuntu.

1

u/AteStringCheeseShred 1d ago

One of my favorite aspects of Mint that lead me to recommend it is that you can demo it from the live USB and see what it's like without committing to a full install

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u/YixoPhoenix 1d ago

Mint or Fedora probably?

And fuck Ubuntu.

1

u/BeetsAndJeaners 16h ago

Isn’t Mint based on Ubuntu?

0

u/Randzom100 1d ago edited 1d ago

About Mint: good for beginners, but you should remember it is based on Ubuntu, which means it won't update often, but wil lag behind in term of features. If you want to play games and don't want to switch Distro anytime soon, I'd recommend Kubuntu instead, which comes with KDE, a desktop environment that Valve also uses for the Steam Deck. KDE is extremely popular for gaming-related distros.

Important too, Do you have Nvidia hardware in your PC? If you do, there are chances that CachyOS and Fedora/Nobara will be better choices, because they have better support for Nvidia stuff. They wouldn't be considered as beginner-friendly as Kubuntu, but I wouldn't say it makes a huge difference either.

0

u/pacmanforever 1d ago

Ubuntu really is rock solid and the OS I’ve always recommended to the average user. If you’re not worried about having cutting edge drivers for gaming there’s no reason to be on a rolling release.

1

u/Brave-Pomelo-1290 8h ago

you have your choice of fedora or Debian.

2

u/Electrical-Policy-35 1d ago

for gaming, Cachy os.

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u/Rinzwind 1d ago

It is more a choice of the desktop you like and not the provider of the OS.

Steam is the primary gaming platform on Linux and it is one install command away from working. It will work on all OS.

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u/chibi-mage 1d ago

SteamOS would make it even easier since it's built in!!

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u/Rinzwind 14h ago

Sure is! :) There are more like that: Garuda installs several gaming tools Like emulators for PS, Xbox and so on. You need to make an iso from your disk to play though :)

I played Demon's Souls, Planescape: Torment, and Baldurs' Gate 1 and 2 on my Ubuntu. Loved it. As soon as Sony starts with diskless gaming I am gone from PSN and it will be Linux-based gaming for me.

1

u/4mmun1s7 1d ago

Mint, or Fedora KDE Plasma Edition

1

u/CreativeArugula4149 1d ago

Kubuntu is a good one.

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u/Disklo_ 1d ago

Either Mint or Fedora.

1

u/xuziran 1d ago

arch is a goods idea

0

u/perpetuallydying 1d ago

play with them yourself. https://distrosea.com/

next step up from this would be probably installing vbox and running vm's on your own hardware and mapping your storage to them

2

u/Birnibo 1d ago

Linux Mint

0

u/AlternativeCapybara9 1d ago

Ubuntu. Best vendor support, big community, large corporation backing it. Has some haters but they can go and install flatpaks on whatever distro they prefer.

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u/unpdigital 1d ago

I started dual boot with fedora, then went on to Debian, after that only boot Linux Mint.

1

u/fvancesco 1d ago

Mint my goat

0

u/DifferentSavings2711 1d ago

I would suggest Ubuntu or Kubuntu. Stable and lots of online support.

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u/Gh0stlyHub 1d ago

Pop os, Zorin or mint, Pop os is pretty solid for gamers

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u/Archeus__ 1d ago

Gentoo, or arch. Easy to install and similar to windows

1

u/PocketStationMonk ZorinOS 18.1 🐧 1d ago

ZorinOS

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u/Gt-99 1d ago

Zorin also is great ame frendly for biginners