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Should I Switch My Gaming Laptop to Pop OS or Keep Windows?

January 22, 2026 4 answers
Asked by CuriousCat93
I'm thinking about switching my personal gaming laptop to Linux, likely Pop OS, but I'm also open to other options. The laptop I'm using is an HP Omen with an NVIDIA Geoforce RTX 4060, 16GB of RAM, and an i7 14th gen processor. I mainly use it for light gaming and managing my side hustle, which involves some spreadsheets and website upkeep. My main question is whether I should dual boot or fully commit to Linux. I have some experience with different systems since I use a Mac for work and my job is related to networking. I'm considering this switch partly due to my frustration with Microsoft and partly for the fun of exploring new systems. I'm leaning towards Pop OS because it seems well-suited for gaming, but I'm open to suggestions.
dual boot gaming HP Omen Linux personal use Pop OS System Operations

Answers

FriendlyFox91
If you're used to Macs, Zorin OS might be for you! It has a one-click "make it look like a Mac" feature that might help with the transition.

CuriousCat93: I'm definitely more familiar with Windows but have been using Mac for work for about a year.

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PragmaticPanda74
Keeping Windows might be wise, especially since it's your work machine. It’d make it easier to revert if you hit any snags. If you're into learning though, Fedora or something Arch-based could be fun. Also, if you can swing it, upgrading to a 1TB SSD would be beneficial! You could set up Linux fresh on that and keep your Windows SSD as a backup.

CuriousCat93: I like that idea. I've wanted a good excuse to upgrade the storage anyway!

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TechieTurtle88
I say go all in and ditch Windows completely. Pop OS is great for gaming, but if you want alternatives, check out Feren OS which is more Windows-like, or Vanilla OS 2. They're both solid options!

SkepticSquirrel14: Cool. I'll look into those too!

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QuestioningQuokka27
What’s your reason for choosing Pop OS specifically? Does it offer certain advantages over Ubuntu? I’m just curious if it’s the Cosmic UI that’s drawing you in. Remember, you can dual boot and get rid of the other disk whenever you want!

CuriousCat93: Just going based off what I've seen from others who game. They often recommend Pop, and I’ve seen some nice videos about it, but I haven’t explored many other options.

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