Hello!
I’m interested in moving my personal computer to running Linux but I’m not sure where to even begin. As background, I am a casual user and have a desktop with hardware from around 2014 running Windows. I am hoping to setup a NAS drive as a media server in the next year or so, offloading all of the files currently on the Windows desktop and have been interested in open source software such as Jellyfin. I also mostly game on an Xbox and Nintendo Switch, but have used the desktop in the past for gaming such as with an Oculus Rift Headset and some Steam games so not huge on getting games working on the computer. But, I do sometimes torrent using the computer so don’t want to lose that capability (especially with upkeep for the media server).
With all of that said, I didn’t know how to get started with choosing what Linux OS to use, setting it up, backing up my files to make sure I can use them with the new OS, etc. Making the switch seems to have great options for customization and “choosing a distro that works for you”, but I don’t know what would work for me or what will be user friendly for a beginner.
Any tips or pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
My method was easy.
Completely removed and eradicated windows, and forced myself to adapt and learn Linux.
Used it for gaming and everything. No regrets.
How good is linux gaming nowadays on the desktop? I have a steamdeck but I mainly use it for emulation and rarely play pc games. Gaming is the last percieved hurdle for me to flip.
I use NVIDIA on Wayland with the kernel-open module and… It’s pretty much bloody bulletproof. I don’t play anything with anti-cheat but outside of that I’ve less of my Steam library fail on Linux than on Win10.
Well, my wife’s gaming PC ran linux for the last few years. And, as a non-technical person, she never noticed, nor had issues playing games.
What OS is she using.
Manjaro. Its a “user-friendly” version of arch.
Have also used Kbuntu.
Both worked well.
Do you know of good emulation setups in Linux? I’ve run a bunch of emulators (NES, SNES, N64, GBA, and some GameCube and Playstation although not as prevalent), and am interested in getting something to emulate the Switch after I upgrade the hardware.
All of the same emulators you use on windows, works in linux too.
Although, I have honestly not emulated anything newer then a ps2/wii, so, I cannot speak to the switch.
But, https://dolphin-emu.org/ can do gamecube/wii effortless, and runs native on linux.
Likewise, epsxe runs native on linux too. https://www.epsxe.com/download.php
A few years back, I built a HTPC for streaming games to my Livingroom TV.
https://xtremeownage.com/2020/09/29/htpc-retro-build-complete/
This PC has long since been repurposed, into a part of my server rack… but, it did its job wonderfully well. It ran Manjaro.
Now, one cool thing I did, is setup multiple “desktop environments”. IE, I could either load into retroarch, or a desktop environment just by selecting it at the boot screen.
Retroarch, would hands down, be my preferred way to emulate on linux, as it consolidates everything into one easy place. however, years back when I did this, I still had to run ps2 separately. But, it did gamecube/wii perfectly.
Thanks for the detailed response! This sounds promising.
I suppose trial by fire can be a fast method of learning! Thanks for the response!
It’s very effective.
Just try not to mess up your xorg.conf.
That typically ends in pain.
Noted: avoid xorg.conf!
As long as you don’t break it, things will be just fine!
But, the second you break it, it’s going to be a long night for you, with lots of pain.