I just got a new HP Omen 16 Max for my main use and light gaming, which means my 8-year-old Omen 17 is ready to be repurposed for traveling. Unfortunately, it won't run Windows 11, so it's time to give Linux a shot! My laptop has an Nvidia GTX 1050i graphics card, and I'm looking for a distro that won't require me to struggle too much with driver setups. I've heard OpenSUSE and Mint are user-friendly for Nvidia driver installations. I usually use Debian, but I'm open to suggestions. My main tasks will be web browsing, email, and maybe some gaming via Steam. I consider my Linux skills to be around a 4 out of 10, and I'm aiming for a 'set it and forget it' experience. Also, my system specs are Intel i7 7700HQ, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD.
4 Answers
If you're after a reliable experience, nothing beats Ubuntu or Mint. They both have strong communities, so you'll find tons of documentation and guides. Perfect if you want to avoid troubleshooting and just get gaming!
Have you heard of Ventoy? It lets you try out different distros as live USBs without needing to install them. Check it out! Here's a video that explains it: https://youtu.be/-7APoZzNPyU?si=LO6yYJ5zFyvJrIQe. Since you’ve worked with Debian, you can find the current live ISOs [here](https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current-live/amd64/iso-hybrid/).
You might want to consider MX Linux, which is based on Debian and usually has good Nvidia support. It could be a nice blend of what you’re used to and still get you better graphics performance.
I'd definitely recommend going with Mint. It usually offers a very smooth experience and most hardware just works without a lot of fuss, especially for graphics.
Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely check out Ubuntu as well.