Is it worth buying a Windows 11 PC just to replace it with Linux?

Be careful about choosing your operating system before checking your required college software. Civil engineering courses may use AutoCAD, Revit, Bentley OpenRoads, Vissim, SolidWorks, or other programs that are Windows-only or unreliable through compatibility layers. Your university may provide remote access or a Linux-compatible computing cluster, but you shouldn’t assume that. Keeping a Windows partition for emergencies and using Linux most of the time is often the safest setup.

The simulations themselves may not be the main issue—your school might run demanding workloads on its own servers. Check the course requirements and ask the department what software students actually need. Also verify your music-production programs, plugins, game compatibility, and office applications. Linux can be an excellent daily system, but the best choice is the one that lets you reliably complete your coursework.

A good way to start is to leave Windows installed and dual boot. You can also test Linux in a virtual machine or install it on a second SSD. That lets you learn the desktop, package management, drivers, and application alternatives without making your main computer unusable. If Linux works for everything you need, you can erase Windows later; if not, it remains available for school software, music tools, or games that depend on Windows anti-cheat.

Yes, buying a Windows prebuilt and replacing the operating system is perfectly reasonable. Windows is often included because manufacturers sell far more Windows machines, and the license may not add much to the final price. Installing Linux is usually straightforward: create a bootable USB, start the computer from it, and follow the installer. Before buying, check that the exact hardware—especially Wi-Fi, graphics, and unusual controllers—works well with Linux. Slightly older hardware can be easier than brand-new components with immature drivers.

Look at vendors that offer Linux preinstalled, or ask a manufacturer for a system without an operating system. Those choices can provide better-tested hardware support, although the selection may be smaller. If you buy a normal prebuilt, keeping the original Windows recovery drive or replacing it with a separate SSD is useful. You can experiment with Linux while preserving an easy way to restore the machine for resale or troubleshooting.