Hello,
Basically I want to pick a distro and like most beginners I’m coming from windows. I don’t want to go on a full learning process from the start but I can probably handle some level of terminal usage. I, like most people play games(or thinking about playing games and it’s one of main things I’m looking into but because this isn’t the only thing I’m thinking of doing and do)

So here’s what I’m looking for to give a good idea,

-Can play steam games(since steam is compatible, this is mostly always checked(I think))
-Can play other games outside steam(like from GOG where you download the setup. Heard about apps like “bottles” but idk how good it will be)
-Video editing softwares (Resolve works but I might want to use another)
-Can run a CAD software(I do like designing and stuff so I do look forward for this(I have used some on windows and don’t know how its will be in linux. I know blender works but it’s more of a modeling than CAD))
-Programming(I don’t think this will be a problem)
-Microsoft like apps(Spreadsheet and stuff, Just need to be able to do work)
-Not sure if this is needed but I do sail the seven seas sometimes

My laptop has these if details are needed for compatibility
-GTX 1050(dedicated)
-intel i7 8th gen
-Intel UHD 630(integrated)

I heard a distro called “Pop! OS” which supports Nvidia GPUs but I also wanna know how intel stuff works too(cpu and Igraphics) It will be helpful if I can get details on how much change of performance I might have(increment or decrement as my pc is pretty weak) I just need your recommended OS and a brief explanation on what to look for in the OS and what to expect on the stuff I looked into (I’ll try doing my research according to your recommendations)\

Apologies if this is another “recommend me an OS” post, I do see all gaming related stuff but just doesn’t see much of the things that I look for

Thank you for reading!

  • Padit@feddit.org
    3·
    1 day ago

    As far as i can tell, all distros are capable of doing what you want (or if there were a problem, no distro could help)

    I honestly just use ubuntu, because its user friendly, has long term support builds that are well tested. Especially if you are new, use a major distro like mint or ubuntu, not cschyOS or PopOS. I personally like the gnome interface, which ships with ubuntu.

    other than that: decide if you like distro hopping as a hobby, if not, just stick to a major distro and thsts that.

  • utopiah@lemmy.ml
    3·
    1 day ago

    None of your requirements are distribution specific. I do all (Steam, non Steam, Kdenlive, Blender/OpenSCAD, vim/Podman, LibreOffice, Transmission) of that and I’m running Debian with an NVIDIA GPU. Consequently I can personally recommend it.

  • Ardens@lemmy.ml
    2·
    2 days ago

    My recommendation is, that you read ALL the other post about the same topic. Because there are plenty of answers to your question there.

  • Sonalder@lemmy.ml
    7·
    2 days ago

    If you’re comming from Windows and don’t want to be too much distabilized ZorinOS is probably one of the best.

    Other great choice are:

    • bazzite
    • Linux Mint
    • Pop_OS!

    However CAD on Linux is not great, there is some free tools but they are so much more limited than the proprietary windows suite of tools. Maybe WinBoat could make your software run good enough.

  • bassgirl09@lemmy.world
    3·
    2 days ago

    I just jumped ship from Windows 11 about a week ago. I have not logged back into my Windows dual boot since because I have not yet found a reason to. Beware of dual booting since Windows updates sometimes hose the boot manager for your Linux partitions. I chose Linux Mint Cinnamon because I wanted a similar look/feel to windows as well as favoring longer and more stable support. Mint is also a good option for Linux noobs (like us!) since it does a lot for you. I play both Steam and GOG games. Steam was easy, just go to to the software manager and download steam then install. GOG was a little different, since they don’t seem to have a Linux version of GOG Galaxy. So, I tried both Lutris and Heroic game launchers (available in the software manager) and connected my GOG account. I have been able to get everything to play so far. I cannot speak to video editing software or programming. Use the online version of Microsoft apps if you need them, otherwise, Libre Office is preinstalled with software that does everything the Microsoft Office suite does. Since I run several storage drives in my system that I wanted to auto-mount on boot, I did have to edit my fstab file to make this happen - this was the only thing I needed to do through the terminal and there were some great videos showing what to do, then you just apply what is shown in those videos to your system setup. I really didn’t have to do this, Mint is great that i could just click the drive and it would mount it, but if my Steam opened before it was mounted, then it didn’t know where my game storage was and I had to restart Steam for it to pick up my game drive. Again, very little terminal usage was needed on my side. My printer just works, wireless, bluetooth headset works, etc. So far, I say thumbs up for Linux Mint Cinnamon!! If I go a month without hitting a wall and logging into my Windows install, I will probably just totally remove my Windows installation.

    • LynxIsInvicible@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      2 days ago

      I saw the windows update thing damaging the booting process of linux on a YT video. If I run on windows it’s 100% windows 10. So I might be able to get away with updates and stuff(I think)

  • marcie (she/her)@lemmy.ml
    3·
    2 days ago

    bazzite is imo by far the safest and most usable distro for beginners. if you fuck something up with your distro you can easily solve the issue without data loss by typing “rpm-ostree reset”. thats it, it doesnt get as simple as this anywhere else. bazzite’s dev team also tests each image and makes sure its configuration works before pushing it to you, and since each image is exactly the same you basically have your own IT team.

  • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
    10·
    3 days ago

    Nobarra, Bazzite, or CachyOS.

    I’d say Nobara or Bazzite are better for ‘I install it and it just works.’

    Cachy is better for the learning aspect. It’s not hard, but there are more choices to make, and you’re closer to the Arch wiki and all its excellent resources/tutorials.

    I am biased, as I run CachyOS and I love it. I also love how much stuff is in its repos, including everything you need to game optimally, and how easy CUDA is (which is part of what you need for CAD).

    Whatever you choose, do not, I repeat DO NOT install Fedora, Debian, or anything that doesn’t explicitly support Nvidia laptops by default, out of the box, or you are in for a world of pain. If any guide starts with ‘install these 3rd party repos’ or so, you have entered a danger zone, and you will hate linux.

  • mrcleanup@lemmy.world
    5·
    3 days ago

    I’ve used both Bazzite and Garuda. Both have an Nvidia install, both are gamer focused, and both have been easy.

    Bazzite was immutable, which I ended up not liking.

  • Horsey@lemmy.world
    3·
    3 days ago

    First thing I wanna implore you do is create a separate partition on your boot drive for your /home folder. Distro hopping is super normal when you’re starting out, and by separating your home folder makes distro hopping very easy.

    Bazzite, like others suggested, is your best bet at a first attempt because it’s much harder to cause irreparable damage with a stray terminal command.

    All of the apps you listed should work just fine under Linux. Bazzite ships with Steam and Lutris (it’s a game store aggregator) to get you started with gaming. Use Microsoft 365 online or one of the open sourced alternatives like libreoffice for office apps. The rest of the programs should either be able to be run with wine/bottles/WinApps.

    A 1050 is kinda paltry by today’s standards, so just don’t expect a big bump in gaming performance or super snappy emulation.

  • BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world
    3·
    3 days ago

    CAD is going to be your achilles heel, unfortunately.

    If Blender can do what you need, then you are fine, but if you need CAD for things like architecture, I’m afraid it’s one of the most painful gaps in Linux, currently.

    Try Bazzite first. If you find you need more control, then switch to Fedora KDE.

    Avoid POP_OS for now. Their new desktop environment is currently in beta and it still has some bugs. When it finally releases later this month and the remaining bugs have been fixed, it may be worth a try. The nice thing about Linux is that it’s very quick and easy to install, so you can try different distros quickly and easily.

    I recommend getting yourself a dedicated thumb drive and put Ventoy on it. Ventoy lets you selectively boot to any iso you put on the thumb drive. It’s just wonderful.

    • k4j8@lemmy.world
      2·
      2 days ago

      For CAD, I really like Onshape. It’s free for personal use and runs in a web browser but is not open-source. I’ve used Creo and SolidWorks before and, IMO, Onshape blows them out of the water for being intuitive and feature complete. But again, web-based and closed source.

    • LynxIsInvicible@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      2 days ago

      I might keep my windows just for CAD and other things for a while. Other than that I think I will probably go with Pop OS. I don’t know much but from what I’ve seen, bazzite is an “immutable” OS. It’s a “read only OS”. I’m guessing you can’t modify much stuff as others.
      SO about Pop OS, I won’t be installing in the next few days and will be looking to pick one and install mostly by the end of this month. How do I keep in touch with the updates of it to know whether the bugs and stuff are fixed and stable.