Decided to ask here because I feel I’d be grilled on Reddit or anywhere else for this.

With data leaks, security concerns, and Microsoft’s spaghetti coding I really think it’s time for me to make the switch to Linux.

I will preface that I am used to SteamOS and KDE Plasma on my Steam Deck and love the functionality. It’s very intuitive for someone who isn’t prone to using a terminal, but I know a general understanding of when to use it and how to not brick my device.

I’m switching due to the security concerns of Windows 11, annoyances I’m sure we’ve all had, and looking for that hands-on experience for my new personal computer.

I’m going to be building a new gaming PC soon and I’m looking for a number of variables to note, warnings, and suggestions of:

    1. What distro to use that is as customizable as KDE, safe, and intuitive. Or should I stick with it? Any common issues with it or a recommendation?
    1. What games will I need to say goodbye to? I know many games using anticheat won’t always work but I understand how Proton and Wine can help for workarounds, I’ve used some to run Roblox and Rust before on the Deck.
    1. Will I need to replace parts? Maybe a stupid question, but still gotta know.
    1. Is it worth switching for the games I play or is it better to dual-boot/VM?
    1. Any other warnings that may stray me away from Linux (so that I can research and not fall into lol)
    1. Tips on applications for workarounds.
  • UNY0N@lemmy.wtf
    41·
    12 hours ago

    The other comments here are far more detailed than mine, and the posters are undoubtedly more experienced than I.

    But my two cents: bazzite is the way to go.

    It’s unbreakable, gaming-focused, and easy to install and work with. I used to run ubuntu, then arch, and I have been using bazzite for over two years now. Arch was amazing for tinkering any learning about how Linux works, but bazzite just works, and runs smooth.

    The only issue I’ve had are small ones with non-standard hardware drivers. I rencently bought a gigabyte gaming laptop, and some of the hotkeys don’t work (like screen brightness +/-) out of the box. Also openRGB didn’t find the drivers it needs/expects to control the RGB keyboard.

    Since bazzite is atomic, installing additional drivers for such stuff is more complicated, I haven’t even had time to look into it yet. On other distros this would be easier, for example I bet that on arch it would be simple. But arch can break if you don’t know what sou are doing, bazzite can’t really get into an unbootable state unless you try really hard to do so. So it is a tradeoff. Again, others here are much note knowledgeable than I, just wanted to share my experience.