As a Windows user with some experience in different Linux distributions like ElementaryOS, Ubuntu, and Mint, I'm considering making the switch to Linux for my daily desktop use. My setup includes a 64GB DDR4 RAM, an Intel i7 8700k overclocked to 5.1GHz, and an RTX 2070 Super. I'm mostly using apps like Chrome, Discord, and Steam for gaming. I also rely on Lightroom for photo editing but I'm aware that alternatives or VMs may be necessary for that. Would my current setup handle switching to Linux without issues, or should I maintain Windows and set up a dual-boot system?
2 Answers
It sounds like you're already familiar with Linux to some extent, so dual booting might be a good option to keep Lightroom on Windows while exploring Linux. I suggest setting up CachyOS with the Limine bootloader and using the BTRFS file system for snapshots—it could ease the transition.
If you decide to switch fully, you might want to dual boot to keep Lightroom handy since there aren't great alternatives for it yet. The other apps like Chrome work well, so you're safe there. For gaming, consider formatting a drive to ext4 for better performance. Just remember, while Steam will handle Proton for you, some games with kernel-level anti-cheat won't work on Linux.
That sounds like a solid plan! I think I'll keep my drives as they are for now, given that I've got all my games downloaded on one of them. I might try moving some files around and formatting them as needed. For Lightroom, do you think using PlayOnLinux or a Windows VM would be realistic? I don't need top-notch performance, just enough to view and edit photos!
Thanks for that! I'll definitely look into those options, especially the bootloader. Though I prefer ElementaryOS, I might try installing Pantheon on another distro to get the same feel. I'm excited to experiment!