Hello,
Basically I want to pick a distro and like most beginners I’m coming from windows. I don’t want to go on a full learning process from the start but I can probably handle some level of terminal usage. I, like most people play games(or thinking about playing games and it’s one of main things I’m looking into but because this isn’t the only thing I’m thinking of doing and do)

So here’s what I’m looking for to give a good idea,

-Can play steam games(since steam is compatible, this is mostly always checked(I think))
-Can play other games outside steam(like from GOG where you download the setup. Heard about apps like “bottles” but idk how good it will be)
-Video editing softwares (Resolve works but I might want to use another)
-Can run a CAD software(I do like designing and stuff so I do look forward for this(I have used some on windows and don’t know how its will be in linux. I know blender works but it’s more of a modeling than CAD))
-Programming(I don’t think this will be a problem)
-Microsoft like apps(Spreadsheet and stuff, Just need to be able to do work)
-Not sure if this is needed but I do sail the seven seas sometimes

My laptop has these if details are needed for compatibility
-GTX 1050(dedicated)
-intel i7 8th gen
-Intel UHD 630(integrated)

I heard a distro called “Pop! OS” which supports Nvidia GPUs but I also wanna know how intel stuff works too(cpu and Igraphics) It will be helpful if I can get details on how much change of performance I might have(increment or decrement as my pc is pretty weak) I just need your recommended OS and a brief explanation on what to look for in the OS and what to expect on the stuff I looked into (I’ll try doing my research according to your recommendations)\

Apologies if this is another “recommend me an OS” post, I do see all gaming related stuff but just doesn’t see much of the things that I look for

Thank you for reading!

  • marcie (she/her)@lemmy.ml
    6·
    3 days ago

    bazzite is imo by far the safest and most usable distro for beginners. if you fuck something up with your distro you can easily solve the issue without data loss by typing “rpm-ostree reset”. thats it, it doesnt get as simple as this anywhere else. bazzite’s dev team also tests each image and makes sure its configuration works before pushing it to you, and since each image is exactly the same you basically have your own IT team.

    • snowsuit2654@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      I’ve been very happy with Bazzite so far. It basically just works. Only thing I have had issues with is chatmix on my Steel Series headset but that seems to be a common issue.

  • Sonalder@lemmy.ml
    8·
    3 days ago

    If you’re comming from Windows and don’t want to be too much distabilized ZorinOS is probably one of the best.

    Other great choice are:

    • bazzite
    • Linux Mint
    • Pop_OS!

    However CAD on Linux is not great, there is some free tools but they are so much more limited than the proprietary windows suite of tools. Maybe WinBoat could make your software run good enough.

  • golden_zealot@lemmy.mlEnglish
    82·
    4 days ago

    If you are coming from Windows, I would say Mint for sure. I have friends that are 20 using it and my parents in their 70’s use it. Both seem to like it and even find it easier to use in quite a few respects.

  • J4g2F@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1·
    3 days ago

    You already got some good recommendation. I’m just giving you some tips regarding your needs.

    -Can play steam games(since steam is compatible, this is mostly always checked(I think))

    Steam is indeed Linux native, some games also have Linux builds. But most run through proton (this is a lot of the time still clicking install and just run). You can check protondb.com/ if your favorite games run on Linux. (Sometimes the comments recommend a fix)

    -Can play other games outside steam(like from GOG where you download the setup. Heard about apps like “bottles” but idk how good it will be)

    For Gog games I recommend heroic game launcher, it can manage epic and Gog games and run them with proton. (I think it also does Amazon games, but never tried)

    -Video editing softwares (Resolve works but I might want to use another)

    Resolve is indeed Linux native. A nice project to look at maybe is kdenlive

    -Can run a CAD software(I do like designing and stuff so I do look forward for this(I have used some on windows and don’t know how its will be in linux. I know blender works but it’s more of a modeling than CAD))

    I do some 3d modeling myself for 3d printing. So anything web-based works of course, like thinkercad and on shape. I got fusion 360 to run for about a month with wine before it broke. I moved to freecad it’s Linux native and very powerful. It is a other workflow then some other cad software.

    -Programming(I don’t think this will be a problem)

    I also don’t think this is a problem

    -Microsoft like apps(Spreadsheet and stuff, Just need to be able to do work)

    There are obviously options like libre office or only office. But if you really need Microsoft office for work you can try the web versions or something like winboat. Winboat runs a full install of windows 11 in a docker container. So for apps like Microsoft office or works better then wine.

    -Not sure if this is needed but I do sail the seven seas sometimes

    I would look into running pirated software in containers. Keep in mind proton/wine is not a container.

    Al software can be installed using your distro’s “app” store. On Linux you first always check your systems software store/packages manager to download and install software. (I see new Linux users download stuff from website’s and then having problems with installing software pretty often)

    I would pick something beginner friendly like pop os or bazite.

    • LynxIsInvicible@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      3 days ago

      From all the suggestions, Pop OS and Bazzite seems to be the better one to go with(I also saw about Cachy OS). So I’ll go with either one I find more easy to start with. As for CAD and some other things that are “only good” on windows, I’m thinking about maybe partitioning with small amount of storage for windows and higher amount of storage for linux since it’s something I’m trying to get into .

  • Ardens@lemmy.ml
    3·
    2 days ago

    My recommendation is, that you read ALL the other post about the same topic. Because there are plenty of answers to your question there.

  • Tenderizer78@lemmy.mlEnglish
    33·
    3 days ago

    Others have answered your question but nobody’s mentioned GNOME so I think I should.

    Most distros have the option to install with GNOME or KDE (or a different one). Never pick GNOME. GNOME is very “my way or the highway” desktop and it’s way is to emulate an iPhone.

    • muhyb@programming.dev
      2·
      3 days ago

      I wouldn’t say never against a FOSS project. Some people do like GNOME. It’s the best to see for OP’s own eyes. They might like it or hate it. However one shouldn’t be prejudiced. Hate all you want after you tried and found weak points for your usage cases. Some popular distros use GNOME for a reason. Personally I find it too restrictive, but I don’t hate it. You would have rights to hate if it was the only DE around but you have tons of alternative options out there.

    • psycotica0@lemmy.ca
      3·
      3 days ago

      I run stock Ubuntu Gnome on one of my machines, and I have no idea what you’re talking about with “its way is to emulate an iPhone”.

      I’m not a fanboi or anything, and it has a few things I think it could do better at, but it’s a pretty normal DE as far as I can tell?

  • mrcleanup@lemmy.world
    6·
    3 days ago

    I’ve used both Bazzite and Garuda. Both have an Nvidia install, both are gamer focused, and both have been easy.

    Bazzite was immutable, which I ended up not liking.

    • Damage@feddit.it
      1·
      2 days ago

      May I ask:
      Are these your first Linux experiences?
      What is it about Bazzite that you didn’t like?

      I’m asking for future reference, I’ve got friends who are getting curious and to me Bazzite seems quite beginner-friendly, but I’m not a beginner so maybe I’m missing something

      • mrcleanup@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 days ago

        Yes, Bazzite was my first. Immutability sounds great in theory but it wouldn’t let me change my login screen background and wouldn’t explain why. I bricked my drive permissions trying to get access and had to reformat.

        That got me looking for alternatives and I learned about immutability and found Garuda, which let me do whatever I wanted, was also gaming focused, and has great helper applications.

        • Damage@feddit.it
          1·
          2 days ago

          Hmmm, yeah I think it’s mostly that documentation online isn’t compatible with immutable distros.
          For example the login screen background can easily be changed from the KDE Settings, but if you search online docs it probably tells you to edit something in /usr, and that’s on the immutable part of the filesystem, changing that need an overlay I think.

      • Blaiz0r@lemmy.ml
        31·
        3 days ago

        I can’t understand why Mint is still recommended there are so many better alternatives

        • melroy@kbin.melroy.org
          1·
          2 days ago

          Well. I used all alternatives (trust me). And I’m coming back to Linux mint due to the most stable system, that is not called Debian. I don’t have the time to debug my system, as a software engineer I’m debugging enough already.

      • Horse {they/them}@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        installing a separate ppa for graphics drivers that BRICKS YOUR SYSTEM if you don’t remove it before every update and then reinstall it

        i used mint for a year and literally never had to do this or heard of anyone that did

      • Kajika@lemmy.ml
        2·
        2 days ago

        I am not here to defend mint, never used it, but saying that a graphic driver can brick your system is spreading misinformation.

        Bricking is very serious and means that your device becomes as useful as a brick. It can happen when damaging the hardware or firmware.

        It seems you had a bad experience with graphic driver, this is 99% of the time the responsibility/fault of the GPU manufacturer (I guess Nvidia for you, AMD is not that friendly either). At worse you plug a bootable USB to recover your files and reinstall Linux.

        • Cease@mander.xyz
          11·
          2 days ago

          Very cool modern OS

          ItS ThE FaULt Of ThE GPu MaNuFaCTUrErS

          I can’t think of a more useless comment than to split hairs on what “bricking” means to a beginner when you can’t even boot your system if you fuck this up

          • Kajika@lemmy.ml
            2·
            2 days ago

            this is 11 years ago situation. there are still ppa requirements for Nvidia last time I checked but not for mesa.

            • Cease@mander.xyz
              11·
              2 days ago

              Also, there are literally people who are doing this as of 3 MONTHS AGO

              • Kajika@lemmy.ml
                1·
                2 days ago

                I can’t read anything from that website but I trust you. It’s been a while I am away from debian based distro and digging a bit : the problem is not that you need a ppa but you want the very latest version of the driver. You can have your reasons for that.

                Mesa drivers are properly packaged from debian and forks alike. Going out of this way to install package from unknown people/org has its risk indeed. If newer GPU/graphics chipset would need newer driver I still make a point that this should be the manufacturer responsibility and not community to work from opaque implementation.

  • Günther Unlustig 🍄@slrpnk.netEnglish
    9·
    3 days ago

    Regarding the stuff you want to do: it doesn’t matter what distro you pick, they can all run the same stuff anyways.

    I would recommend something Fedora-based, because that’s most people recommend. It’s very sane and user friendly. Bazzite would be the best pick imo, but the classic Fedora KDE variant is also good for most people.

    All other of your questions, like gaming stuff, are (or will) be answered anyways by a dozen other people here.

    But I can give you some perspective regarding CAD and video editing.

    CAD on Linux sucks. Most is made as Windows only, and many people have tried running it through Wine (Bottles) or other janky methods. Don’t even try it.
    FreeCAD is also not the best choice in my personal opinion, especially if you come from other CAD software. But you can try it of course, maybe you’ll like it.

    The only “proper” recommendation, and what I also use personally, is Onshape. It’s browser based, intuitive to use, has a good UX and many features. Downside: it’s proprietary and browser based, including all your files. If the company behind it decides to piss in your face, there is nothing that will stop them.

    Video editing is a lot better.
    As you already mentioned, there’s Davinci Resolve, which is available for Linux too.
    I recommend you, especially if you choose Bazzite or any other distro where it isn’t available officially, to check out Distrobox and install it from there, so it won’t mess up the rest of your host OS.
    But maybe try Kdenlive first. It’s a one click install and works great too, while being FOSS on top.

    • amorpheus@lemmy.world
      2·
      3 days ago

      CAD on Linux sucks. Most is made as Windows only, and many people have tried running it through Wine (Bottles) or other janky methods. Don’t even try it.

      How is gaming not a problem any more, but CAD is? Shouldn’t the same tools work to enable both?

    • danciestlobster@lemmy.zip
      2·
      3 days ago

      +1 for Bazzite, I did pretty much exactly the switch you are describing a couple months ago and tried mint first but didn’t love it for gaming (problems with my Nvidia card) but have had literally no issues whatsoever with Bazzite. It just works ™

      • Digit@lemmy.wtfEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        Installing Gentoo, for the first time, especially as a newbie to linux, is like the jump program in The Matrix movie.

        “Everybody fails the first time.”

        “But what if he doesn’t?”

        Even if you’re not “the one”, the attempt would sure be a great learning experience. Alas, that was specifically stipulated against in the OP’s criteria, on the first line:

        I don’t want to go on a full learning process from the start

  • Creat@discuss.tchncs.de
    410·
    3 days ago

    I know it has been mentioned in passing a few times but I would highly recommend CachyOS. Just to emphasize how good that is.

    Avoid Mint.

  • Padit@feddit.org
    3·
    2 days ago

    As far as i can tell, all distros are capable of doing what you want (or if there were a problem, no distro could help)

    I honestly just use ubuntu, because its user friendly, has long term support builds that are well tested. Especially if you are new, use a major distro like mint or ubuntu, not cschyOS or PopOS. I personally like the gnome interface, which ships with ubuntu.

    other than that: decide if you like distro hopping as a hobby, if not, just stick to a major distro and thsts that.