I have a home built PC that I want to get off Windows 11.

Specs:

  • Ryzen 3700X, upgrading to a 5800X3D soon
  • RTX 2080 Super
  • 500GB NVME for OS, 2TB SATA SSD for files, programs, etc.
  • 1440p Ultrawide monitor
  • an 8bitdo Ultimate controller

Usage:

  • I usually play indie games, emulators, and occasional AAA games. Most of my library is on Steam, with some games on GOG, e.g. Cyberpunk.
  • I have an original Steam Link in my living room, and I use it to play games from my PC on the couch. Does Steam on Linux even support this?
  • I also write game mods, so I need a distro that is a good fit for software development (C++, Python, and Lisp).
  • Random miscellany: I use mullvad VPN, stream movies from a friend’s plex server, and use an SFTP client to back up photos and videos from my phone.

I’ve been an on/off Linux user in the past, so I know my way around basic/intermediate terminal usage and configuration. Buuuut every previous attempt to move to Linux ended in disaster, so I have little patience for asterisks, strings attached, etc. If you’re offering a distro I’ve never heard of before, you’re probably gonna be hard pressed to convince me.

Thanks for the help!

  • A Sharky Anthro@fedia.io
    11·
    5 days ago

    If you do have some experience with Linux, I think perhaps Garuda Linux might be worth a shot. It’s based on Arch and makes it pretty easy to install Arch and configure it. I find their ChaoticAUR is probably one of the best repos. The Garuda team polices it and keeps bad malicious builds from being born on that repo. I’ve gotten a lot of great software from that place and never touched the actual AUR. In my experience of running Garuda Dr460nized KDE on my gaming PC, it’s been one of the best that I’ve ever had. Surprisingly, I haven’t jumped to another distro (notorious distrohopper here). My system is pretty stable and I’ve not had any problems with my installation of 2 months so far…

    I chose Dr460nized because it is colorful and bold, but also customizable, it gives you a strong base to build off of. I also like Garuda Mokka, which has a chill, smoky, gray vibe to it!

    Also, Mullvad VPN is in the Arch Extra Repo, you would just have to set it up by installing the application and the daemon which would run in the background. It’s not particularly difficult, and only takes barely 2 minutes.