Hello everyone! I'm a Windows user looking to switch to Linux, and my only previous experience is with Android. I have a laptop with an Intel i7 processor, integrated graphics, and an AMD HD 8500M graphics card. I mainly use my laptop for gaming and game development. I'm planning to use a browser (likely Floorp), Github, LibreOffice, Libresprite, Godot, Krita, Steam, Epic Games, and a music player.
I'm considering a few distributions: Linux Mint for its beginner-friendly nature, Pop!_OS for its tiling and workspace features that support many of the apps I need, Fedora since my boyfriend uses it, Zorin OS for its polished look, and Nobara/Bazzite as gaming distros, though I'm unsure if my hardware can handle them.
What do you recommend based on my setup and usage? Or is there another distro you'd suggest? Thanks for your help!
3 Answers
If you're going for game dev, consider using Libresprite. It’s true that you could compile Aseprite, but since you mentioned you're not comfortable with that, Libresprite should work fine. Just get used to some command-line stuff, and you'll be fine!
Fedora is great if you want something stable for development, but Linux Mint might be easier for gaming. If you have only 8GB RAM, you might want to stick with Mint or Zorin OS since they tend to be lighter on system resources compared to the gaming-focused distros. It's always good to check the community support for whichever you pick, to get help if needed!
Linux Mint is a solid choice for beginners. It's user-friendly and has good support for the applications you're looking to use. I have seen issues with installing Steam on Pop!_OS in the past, which sometimes causes problems with the graphical interface, so I'd be a bit cautious about that one. Could you share how much RAM your laptop has? That might influence the best distro for you.
I have 8GB of RAM!
Thanks! I’m trying to avoid any complicated setups.