I recently bought a new PC that came with Windows 11 pre-installed, but I'm not a fan of it. My PC specs include a Ryzen 5 3500X CPU, an Asrock B450m motherboard, a SanDisk 1TB SSD, an NVIDIA GTX 1070Ti graphics card, and 16GB of Kingston Fury RAM. I've been considering switching to something simpler like Linux Mint, but I heard it might not play nicely with NVIDIA graphics, which has me second-guessing myself. I'm looking for a straightforward system where I can run the Godot engine, Steam, Twitch, VS Code, and Obsidian. I'm aware some games struggle on Linux, particularly those using kernel-level anti-cheat systems. I want a distribution that doesn't cram AI features into my face or bombard me with ads. I appreciate any advice on what to pick. I'm a newbie and might explore more advanced Linux options later on, but right now, I need something basic and manageable.
4 Answers
You can indeed use Linux with your NVIDIA card without much hassle. Just pick a distro that feels right to you, and you can always test out a few via a live USB. Most modern distributions don’t force AI or ads, so you’ll be fine there. Focus on getting started and learning along the way!
Your GPU may be a bit outdated, but it should still work with many Linux distros since most of them have drivers available. If you can, consider upgrading to a newer NVIDIA card for better support. But for now, Linux can work perfectly fine with your current setup!
Don't worry too much about the compatibility of Linux with NVIDIA cards; it generally works well. Linux for gaming has improved significantly, but if you want the best gaming experience, Windows is still the way to go. A dual boot with Windows 10 might be a practical solution for you.
Linux Mint is a solid choice for beginners! Most of the software you mentioned, like Godot, Steam, and OBS Studio, should run fine. Just keep in mind that competitive games with kernel-level anti-cheat tools often don't work on Linux. You can check how well games run on Linux at ProtonDB.com. Overall, just pick a distro and start experimenting; you'll pick up the skills as you go!

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