Just bought a pc laptop and want to dual boot Linux. Windows will be for some games, Linux for everything else. Would this be the right place to ask for advice?

  • DLSantini
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    11 months ago

    I doubt you’re going to get many responses here that aren’t basically ” you don’t need Windows at all, proton is magic that will solve all of your problems"

    I’m going to give the opposite advice. I can tell you from experience, if you dual boot Windows and Linux, you’re going to find that over time, while in Windows to use the stuff that only works there, you’ll ask yourself “do I really need to shut down Windows and boot into Linux just for that one thing I need to use real quick?”, and you’ll just do it in Windows. You’ll do that more and more, until you realize you have that Linux install sitting on your drive for no reason, because you don’t use it.

    My advice is to either test out a gaming-centric Linux distro, and see if EVERYTHING you want to use works fully(and I do mean try it for yourself, doubt just assume it works because other people say it does, Google a setup guide for the thing you want, and actually try it), or if you have anything you want to use that MUST run on Windows, just stick to Windows for the time being. You can always keep an eye on the status of the thing you want to run, and when it works properly on Linux, have another look at switching fully.

    One exception would be if you really only spend a very small amount of time gaming, and so would only need to be in Windows occasionally. If you really will spend the vast majority of your time in Linux, then it makes sense to dual boot. But if you plan to spend any real amount of time doing stuff in Windows, you’re going to find it really obnoxious to have to go back and forth.

    • speck@kbin.socialOP
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      11 months ago

      I appreciate this input, thank you. You make a valid point. I don’t game much, so there wouldn’t be too much back and forth. This is also just about learning what it’s like to use Linux. I have a backup apple device, which is the OS I’m used to, and it would remain my daily driver for all essential tasks. For now, at least. So I have the luxury of trying stuff out on the pc laptop but not being bound by it.

      • DLSantini
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        11 months ago

        Then yeah, dual booting is probably a fine option. I still recommend trying out a distro that has a lot of gaming stuff setup out of the box, and see if your games run well there. Even if they don’t, you still have a good desktop Linux. Specifically, my recommendation is Garuda. The main build has two versions, one of which is the same as the first, but with a ton of gaming-related stuff already installed and ready to go. It’s also setup as a “mac-alike”, so you’ll probably be right at home, if you’re coming from MacOS.