cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/14762903
I am switching to Linux for the first time.
I heard Mint is really good but am not sure exactly which distro is best to use with Steam, as well as with newer games, as I primarily use my computer for gaming.
I generally play games like Final Fantasy XIV, Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, Elder Scrolls Online, and Total War: Warhammer 3.
As long as you don’t have an Nvidia card, choose whichever functional and complete distro (some people call these “beginner” distros).
MintLinux and Pop!OS are normally the two front-runners for new users. Basically, if you use Steam and you don’t play online-only games with bad implementations of anti-cheat software, you are good to game on either.
Make a USB that you can “live boot” from, so you can test out how they work with your hardware before you actually install the OS. Generally speaking, Mint works better with AMD, and Pop! works better with Nvidia.
Here’s the official basic guide for Mint:
https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
And here’s the official basic guide for Pop!:
https://support.system76.com/articles/install-pop/
Nvidia drivers are largely reliable these days. I’ve daily driven AMD/Nvidia hybrid setups since ~2020 and have only occasionally had Nvidia driver issues. I’ve actually had more breakage in amdgpu due to insufficient testing and code churn - I think I’ve reported close to two dozen regressions over the last 4y.