Hey everyone! I've been a longtime Windows user but am contemplating making Linux my primary operating system, even though I have some experience with Linux already. Recently, I've been dual-booting with Windows and have primarily been using Linux Mint, which I find very easy to work with. I love that it 'just works' and I've been enjoying the Cinnamon desktop, though I've also tried Xfce.
My main worries revolve around software compatibility, especially for gaming and media editing since a lot of my favorite programs don't support Linux. I've been using Topaz Labs for photo and video editing, but they don't have Linux versions that I know of.
I also want to make sure I can enjoy good display scaling on my 4K monitor. I'm curious about how KDE Plasma compares for scaling versus Cinnamon, especially with fractional scaling issues I've heard can be problematic. Additionally, I've got an Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti and I've been running into issues running games like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on Linux. I've primarily used Wine and a virtual machine to run Windows software but would love to know if there are better routes I can explore.
Any insights on whether I should stick with Linux Mint or jump over to Kubuntu, especially regarding gaming and how well each handles a 4K display?
2 Answers
Sounds like you have a lot on your plate! I’ve tested Linux Mint with Cinnamon and XFCE along with KDE, and I’ve had my Nvidia drivers working like a charm on several. Just remember, installing third-party drivers for graphics can be straightforward; for instance, I selected the option during installation for Nvidia drivers on Xubuntu, and my 3060 Ti was ready to go! For your Steam games, check out ProtonDB for compatibility info on Microsoft Flight Simulator.
I'd definitely recommend trying a live boot from a USB stick. I was on Ubuntu for a long time before switching to Kubuntu for the awesome KDE Plasma environment. It's super customizable! While I haven't used Mint, I know it’s based on Ubuntu, so you might find some similarities—mostly in terms of package management and core functions. KDE does offer more customization options compared to GNOME, so if you enjoy tinkering, it could be a great fit for you!
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check out ProtonDB.