I just built my first PC, and I'm totally new to this whole thing. Here's the setup I went with: a Ryzen 7 7700x CPU, Sapphire Pulse 9060XT GPU, MSI Pro B-650P WiFi motherboard, a Samsung 990 2TB SSD, 32GB DDR5 RAM, RAIDMAX Cobra 850W PSU, and a RAIDMAX H200 Air Tunnel case with a 360mm AIO cooling system. My budget was between $1000 and $1100, but I ended up spending around $1200. Now I'm looking to cut some costs and I'm considering switching to Linux since I've heard it's free and offers great features. However, I'm clueless about how to install it on my PC. Does it work like Windows? I have some thumb drives available, and where's the best place to download the software?
4 Answers
The choice between Linux and Windows largely depends on what you'll be using your PC for. If gaming is your main focus, Windows is generally the better option, especially for online games that use anti-cheat software, which isn’t yet widely supported on Linux. You can run Windows 11 without an activation key for a while, so you could use it to see if it fits your needs before buying a license. Also, you might want to try a live version of Linux first to explore its features without committing to an installation.
To get started with Linux, download your chosen distribution and flash it onto a USB stick. This allows you to test the OS out first without full installation. I personally recommend Kubuntu since it has a UI that feels a bit more like Windows. When you're ready, try dual booting Windows with Linux for the best of both worlds. Be aware that some games may perform differently on Linux, so using Proton instead of Wine is usually recommended for gaming.
If you’re new to Linux, I suggest looking into distributions like Mint, which is beginner-friendly. You can find detailed installation guides for each distro online. A good resource is [distrochooser.de](https://distrochooser.de/), which helps you pick a distro based on what you're looking for.
Installing Linux is quite similar to installing Windows. You choose a Linux distribution, download it from the official site, and write it to a USB drive. Boot from that drive and follow the prompts for installation. Many distributions have graphical installers that are user-friendly, while others may use text-based systems. You'll just remove the USB after installation and boot into your new OS.
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