I'm considering a switch from Windows to Linux but would like to maintain access to Windows for specific applications like Zbrush and gaming, which aren't compatible with Linux due to anti-cheat systems. I built my PC primarily for gaming, as well as some 2D and 3D art and photography. I've read a bit about dual booting, but I'm uncertain which setup would work best for me. Should I use two separate SSDs for Windows and Linux, or is partitioning a larger single SSD a better option? I do have a spare SSD from an old laptop—it's not the fastest—but I might eventually upgrade to a higher-end drive like a WD Black. My system specs are: Ryzen 7950x3d, Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite AX V2, MSI 4080 Ventus, and Trident Z Neo 32GB 6000MHz RAM (2x16). I'm also wondering about the complexity of this process for someone who's new to Linux.
3 Answers
Running lightweight distros like Debian or Arch shouldn't show much difference between fast and slow SSDs unless you frequently transfer large files. Even heavier distros like Pop!_OS, Ubuntu, or Fedora run way better than Windows 11, so you’ll likely be fine.
There are plenty of step-by-step tutorials available for dual booting. From my experience, using two separate SSDs tends to work better. If you go that route, make sure to choose a distro like Pop!_OS that has the NVIDIA drivers pre-installed. It can simplify setup a lot!
That does help, thanks! Are the tutorials usually found here or are they posted somewhere else?
Would you still recommend Pop!_OS even though it hasn't had a major update in a couple of years?
Two separate SSDs for sure! Just my two cents, but it makes things a lot smoother.
Currently, I'm on Windows 10 LTSC IoT, so I guess that experience counts for something.