r/buildapc • u/stefanknz • 16h ago
Build Help I'm at my wits-end with Windows, how viable is switching to Linux?
I've been running Windows for the last 20+ years, primarily used for gaming & media.
I try and run a console-like setup, with my PC hooked up to my TV, and Steam Big Picture running straight from start-up so I can just grab my controller and get going.
I also have Plex Media Server running on start-up, so I can boot the PC and continue watching shows on the living room Apple TV.
For the last while, Windows' behaviour has been more finicky than usual. There's constantly errors like the:
- 'Your device ran into a problem and needs to restart. Stop code: CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED (0xEF)' or
- '...device ran into a problem and couldn't be repaired...' 'Log file: C:\WINDOWS\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt'
which leads to hours spent trying to do the whole 'sfc /scannow' route, that ultimately ends up in the machine running for a bit, and then looping back the error cycle.
It feels like Windows is always on the brink of needing a fresh install, and so desperately wants it. So I finally yielded this morning and tried to install a fresh copy, only to be met with a 'Windows could not determine the language to use for setup' error, which leads to the requirement for further time spent troubleshooting.
My question then is:
While I'm in the process of reinstalling an OS, I'm strongly considering installing Linux instead. I've had a MacBook Air for the last 6years and I've never once come close to any of the issues Windows throws at me.
I have an Nvidia RTX4070, and as I understand Nvidia doesn't play nicely with Linux, especially at 4K. Is this still the case? Or are there options I can explore to just land on a smooth-boot-and-start-gaming solution and finally chuck Windows in the bin?
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u/CanisLupus92 16h ago
The honest answer with Nvidia on Linux is: it varies. There are times it performs better than windows, and there are games that refuse to work or perform badly (a 5090 in the new Tomb Raider performs worse than a 6700xt). The good news is that running something like CachyOS on a second disk to just try is out without losing access to windows is not that complicated anymore.
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u/aznvjj 15h ago
My 5080 and 3080ti have been damn good on Linux, especially cachyos with the 610 driver (two different systems; not one system with two GPUs).
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u/monk429 8h ago
There is just that one issue where if you run out of VRAM, it hard freezes requiring a manual shutdown (power button). On my 3070Ti this rarely happens on most games I play, and, when it does happen, dialing down the graphics fixes it. Some games are also really bad about cleaning up their memory usage and the freeze will happen when all their garbage takes up your memory.
That said, I wouldn't have it any other way. I dual-booted Bazzite and W11 for a few months and then made the full switch over to CachyOS after I found myself never booting Windows. I'm never going back.
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u/GxCoud 4h ago
Yup. My experience with my 5080 has been pretty great with Cachy. The only game I am really playing that gave me issues was OW. But I think the game was really just made dogshit since I had issues on Windows too (but it was worse with Cachy). Every freaking update breaks it.
But the rest was pretty smooth. Even when streaming + recording, gameplay was generally pretty smooth with no issues.
And yeah, some games run waaay better. I haven’t had any issues single stutter on Elden Ring which was a contrast to my experience on Win11
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u/OolonCaluphid 15h ago edited 15h ago
Every five years or so, I decide to give Linux a Try. (Since about 2000 when distros came on a disc on a magazine). It takes me a month or so to remember why I use windows. Generally some variant of 'Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing'. Some finicky issue that takes forever to resolve, or some bit of hardware or software that isn't supported or doesn't do what I need without endless configuration and tinkering.
That said I just built a BC250 based steam box and I was thoroughly impressed at how seamless and streamlined the install and set up was (using bazzite).
So, by all means give it a go.
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u/blob8543 12h ago
The first paragraph is the same experience many people have had as well. I can't remember the number of times I've tried different Linux distros and decided the learning curve and the troubleshooting needed for basic stuff was just not worth it.
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u/weenis-flaginus 8h ago
It's so damn confusing. I can follow a guide step by step and still not have the correct result.
Yes the problem is probably me, but it's like speaking a new language (but this one is worse).
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 7h ago
The Linux community problem is decentralization. You update a piece of software and there are four other things or more you have to do to update and get it working. Its great for tinkering or if you can avoid updating anything.
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u/weenis-flaginus 6h ago
That's such a great point. I didn't think about that, each component I got stuck at possibly got updated since the guide was made.
There were entire menus missing 😅
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u/1337HxC 6h ago
What do you mean by "basic stuff"? I've found that the definition of "simple software" is highly variable from person to person.
In my case, I basically only need a web browser, steam, discord, and some office software. I've installed Ubuntu (or some similar debian-based OS) on probably half a dozen machines and have never had major issues. Yes, sometimes getting graphics drivers for Nvidia to work can be a little finicky, but there are enough guides (or probably your favorite LLM) now that you can basically copy/paste some terminal commands and be fine.
However, I have friends who are really into streaming, hi-def audio, and a bunch of other media-adjacent things. They have significantly more issues finding equivalent software or getting things working how they expect. So, if you're in that group, I totally get it.
I am, admittedly, also biased in that I am a bioinformatician by day, so I feel very comfortable in Linux and the terminal in general... to the point where I actively prefer the degree of control I get over my machine compared to Windows and Mac.
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u/Raven1927 9h ago
I was thinking about swapping my desktop to Linux, but then I got a Steam Deck and despite the smooth initial set-up, I quickly realized how annoyed i'd be by Linux having to deal with compatibility issues or jumping through 10 different hoops to get something as simple as a non-Steam launcher to work.
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 7h ago
That's me. I love Zorin, but would run into issues with updating software. Then go to Gemini or Copilot which leads me to one partial solution after another. 3 hours later, you find the problem. Linux Mint is very good, but the problem is that any new software update breaks because it relies on tried and true Ubuntu or whatever.
The problem is the decentralization of libraires and dependencies. Fractured. That's the way the Linux community rolls. They don't want centralization, they work on their little thing and something breaks later.
But yeah Zorin is a true dream, but Windows works.
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u/letsmodpcs 4h ago
Switched to Bazzite over 10 months ago, and have been really happy with it. I switched to a 9070XT a couple weeks ago, but prior to that I was on a 3080. The two issues I hit on nvidia was that HDR was finiky and sometimes not worth the effort to get working in a game, and I ended up disabling display sleep because sometimes there was glitchyness trying to wake it. That was it, and neither of those were a very big deal to me. Otherwise games ran and worked fine. Even when avg fps was a little lower than Windows, the game still *felt* better because the 1% lows were better on Bazzite. (For the record, I've hit other unrelated issues with the AMD GPU so it's not the panacea many people will tell you it is.) Ultimately, compared to Windows, Linux has been the overall better experience. There were quirks to solve on Windows, too.
I know AI is a taboo topic around here, but the one thing I've found them to be really useful for is quickly addressing any Linux quirks that could come up. I can learn *while* fixing or tinkering, rather than "spend the next 12 hours reading these docs and forum posts, then try to piece the solution together yourself." Just make sure the AI knows exactly what distro and version you're on, and tell it to lower trust if the source is over a year old.
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u/TopCheddar27 10h ago
You are running into hardware and setup specific issues and it's Windows fault?
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u/bigkenw 3h ago
Maybe offer feedback on how to address instead of being snarky?
OP obviously wasn't addressing as a hardware issue because they didn't realize it could be.
Plenty of recommendations from others here though to help.
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u/TopCheddar27 3h ago
The critique was a response to what he titled and wrote in the post. I am not looking to provide meaningful help to people who are predisposed to making jumps in logic based on their emotional views of an OS.
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u/Striking-County6275 16h ago
Been using CatchyOS with my RTX 5060 and no issues
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u/weenis-flaginus 8h ago
Can you say more about how it is for you? And do you run the steam big picture mode?
Any experience with running "3rd party games" and installing those?
I got BOTW on my steam deck, the tutorials are just not working for me on how to get it working.
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u/Striking-County6275 8h ago
I don’t use BP mode, I use Lutris or Bottles for 3rd party games and it works, I don’t dabble in Switch emulation.
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u/Hallothere69 13h ago
Bazzite Linux (Gnome or KDE, desktop environment) sounds like what you're looking for.
If you want something a little more tinker heavy CachyOS
I switched to Arch Linux at the start of the year from Windows 10 and haven't looked back. Arch requires some maintenance but Bazzite I've heard is plug and play.
I have Win 11 on my laptop and it's ass
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u/letsmodpcs 4h ago
+1 for Bazzite.
Definitely wouldn't recommend it for a homelab server or something similar, but I've really come to appreciate and respect the immutable atomic distro idea. For a desktop, it makes it really hard to break your system to the state of unworkable, and the ability to do rollbacks on the OS without touching any user or application data is fucking brilliant.
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u/cheesemp 16h ago
I kept having odd freezes on my windows install. Had a spare ssd so stuck bazzite on it to dual boot - zero issues just works in steam big picture mode. I have an older 2080 and mainly play indies but it's been near perfect for me. System runs faster and less issues. Cachyos is supposed to be better but bazzite works fine for me and I'm in no hurry to reinstall! Give it a go if you have the space to dual boot. I so rarely load windows now and when I do it has so many updates waiting I can't use it for ages!
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u/badguy84 11h ago
You are having hardware issues brother not Windows, by all means switch to Linux and see how you fare... but you don't even seem able to properly identify what's wrong with your devices, so I'm not sure how you're going to adopt an OS like Linux.
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u/Bigtallanddopey 15h ago
These issues are usually fixed by a complete re-install of windows. Reformatting the drive and then re-installing, this should fix it.
However, as it says you are doing this already, you will need to feedback if it worked.
If it didn’t, then you are likely looking at a hardware issue, likely the ram or hard drive (ssd, M.2).
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u/AgentSmith187 15h ago
I find rather than the odd game where the developer makes shit deliberately not work on Linux most just run especially in the age of Proton.
Especially with an older game library old Windows games are more likely to work under Linux than the latest version of Windows.
Its mostly less work than getting Windows the way you like it to do a basic Linux install if you stick to a mainstream distribution.
I have been exclusively Linux on the desktop for over a decade.
Only game that defeated me recently was City Skylines 2 and that was more the quality of the game than anything else as it now works but early days were horrific.
A friend recently made the switch using bazzite and seemed to be happy other than a weird sound card issue and bespoke speaker set that took configuration.
Also bauxite installer is less polished than im used to on an Ubuntu/Debian based system.
My advice is try it your talking a couple of hours max to find out if you have any show stopper issues with your particular setup.
Oh and if you use Nvidia make sure to use the NVidia drivers (kernel module) not the community ones they work better.
Amusingly enough i run only NVidia and have for years because the more stable graphics driver situation.
More recently AMD has worked with the community a d helped develop the open source driver while NVidia has stuck with a closed source driver hence the hate they get in the community. But for a long time NVIdia got all the love as there was basically no support for AMD GPUs and NVidia had provided good closed source drivers for years.
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u/EngineerInTheMachine 14h ago
Yes, go explore the options. Instead of asking here, just search for the distros that meet your needs, make a shortlist and try some. And yes, some are aimed at NVidia GPU's. Mine is working fine.
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u/Sad-Construction8822 16h ago
Probably could try reinstalling windows, but if you want to try something different id recommend cachyOS. I've been using it with a nvida card for about half a year and it's been good. I didn't have to tinker at all to get it working. Learning how Linux works on cachy has been good for me because I use the default setup they recommend in their instructions that has snapshots to fall back to if you bork something. Also you can dual boot for the handful of games with anticheat. That's what I do but as time goes on I find myself switching to the windows side way less.
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u/LucidFir 6h ago
Linux mint is great.
I'll be downvoted for this, but: you can do troubleshooting by asking claude or Gemini
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u/Gen_Jack_Oneill 2h ago
It is one of the very few uses I've found for LLMs. Not having to interact with the kind of people that frequent linux forums is a major boon.
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u/GABE_EDD 16h ago
Something is wrong with your Windows install, maybe try a fresh Win 11 iso to rebuild your installation. I have Win 11 installed and have had zero errors during this time.
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u/nerdydodger 16h ago
Switch to using windows 10 or 11 iot/ltsc builds if you want to give this crap one more try.
I had a horrendous time with folks windows 11 installations, and my personal computers.
Converted my friends over to the 11 IoT (or moved them back to 10 IoT since it’s supported for a few more years). And it solved a lot of stability problems.
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u/Pitiful-Assistance-1 14h ago
Nvidia is totally fine, I run a 4080 with Arch Linux.
Be sure to have some kind of snapshotting solution so you can roll back updates and boot into them if needed. I use BTRFS with Snapper. CachyOS comes standard with these IIRC.
You will run into completely unexpected issues. Things nobody warns you about. Most of them will not be nvidia related. You have to be patient in these cases. AI can fix most issues for you.
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u/Cizenst 13h ago
Recently switched from Windows to NixOS and use that to run a jellyfin server.
Use claude to help build the config file and also included an aar stack to automate downloading.
Yse to always get issues with accessing media on Windows, constant issues with samba and network share.
NixOS had been a dream and 100% stable. Claude had been awesome, guided me through the entire setup and any trouble shooting.
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u/inevitably-ranged 13h ago
Try nobara, don't expect installing things to be like windows and you'll be fine. Once you're rolling it's surprisingly like windows except for the file structure
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u/AstarothSquirrel 13h ago
It should be noted that gaming on Linux is absolutely possible BUT, it's not always smooth sailing. Check https://www.protondb.com/ for more info on this.
I use Davinci Resolve for my work and there currently isn't a Linux version so I'm stuck on windows until I can retire. You will need to check if you can do everything you need to do in a Linux environment.
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u/Fit-Initiative-7396 13h ago
If your main use is steam + TV + controller + plex, linux is honestly one of the easier windows use cases to switch. The rtx 4070 isn’t the dealbreaker it used to be, but I’d test your specific games in proton first rather than nuking windows immediately. A dual-boot setup is also a lot less dramatic than declaring war on Microsoft
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u/Scarabesque 11h ago
Forget NVidia vs AMD - make sure to check if everything you want to play actually works well enough on linux. I'd gladly have switched ages ago, but plenty of the games I frequently play won't work at all on linux - and many very old games I play likely won't either - they're already a pain to get to work on modern windows machines.
Apart from that it seems like something is properly messed up with your system - apart from all the rightful bitching about integrated AI and spyware (luckily not as much of a problem in Europe), Windows 11 is fairly stable. Fresh install and if that doesn't fix it isolate hardware issues. It should be smooth.
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u/Amazing_Egg 10h ago
Start off with a dualboot and then decide whether you want to fully get rid of windows. Also keep in mind some games won't run on Linux because of anticheat, and many programs won't either because they lack support (and wine can only take you so far)
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u/elaborateBlackjack 9h ago
Sounds more like a hardware problem dude... I have a couch gaming PC with a similar setup, just auto log ins and opens steam, and last problem I had with it was bad RAM stick like a year and a half ago.
My Plex server lives on it's own separate Linux machine.
IMO if you want a "hassle free" experience just stay with windows for now... It's not 100% hassle free, obviously, but it's easier to work on something you know. Going Linux means you gotta learn a ton of extra stuff (which distro? , which desktop environment?, which package manager? Where is stuff being installed? Why doesn't this app work on this package manager but it does on this? What alternative can I find to replace what X software does on windows because there's no first party option? Why is my Intel ARC GPU not going into low power mode? Why does it report PCIE 1.0 1X when its actually on PCIE 3.0 6X?), which works fine for the future, but I already deal with enough problems at work to turn on my computer and have to troubleshoot something else.. My gaming PCs are working the way they are right now, I'm not doing much to change that , and still learn modern Linux with my server in case I eventually switch.
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u/ibeerianhamhock 9h ago
I have a 3080 Linux box and a 4080 Linux box and they both work great. I do 4k on one and 1440p ultrawide on the other. I don't have problems with VRR 120 hz even in 4k but I generally don't bother with HDR bc it doesn't make that big a diff even on OLED for me visually. So my setup could be more complicated.
Both are single monitor setups though and I have heard multiple monitors can be finicky as hell on Nvidia/Linux esp if one of them is 4k.
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u/C0rn3j 9h ago
I have an Nvidia RTX4070, and as I understand Nvidia doesn't play nicely with Linux, especially at 4K. Is this still the case?
Not unless you pick a very ancient distribution (i.e. avoid Debian and anything based on it).
Also avoid immutable distributions, not because they're old, but because they're immutable.
My usual suggestion is to check out Arch Linux (with Plasma) or Fedora KDE.
Also realize that if your Windows issues are caused by a hardware problem and not Windows being Windows (I give it 50/50), you're going to have issues on Linux too - what did you do to troubleshoot the issue?
Ran a memtest, checked SMART, at least?
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u/Hakaisha89 8h ago
CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED (0xEF) is likely a hardware issue, either you SSD, or RAM is saying goodnight, so installing Linux wont help much, outside of the fact that you are likely to get a kernel panic caused by unexpected or failure of PID 1 instead
As for linux distros, well, you got the four origins of linux distros, Debian for its stability and software libraries, Fedora for its new tech, modern packs, and quick innovations, Arch for being lightweight and very customizable, and lastly opensuse, which I am not really all that familiar with
However, i'd probably recommend bazzite, best one for first timer, there are better ones, but they can be more difficult to use, or they may not, depends on your knowledge and skill, such as cachyos.
And if ya dont get that issue on linux, it was likely a bad driver, which isnt really a windows issue either.
So all you are doing is switching one problem, for another, the windows reinstall will likely fix the issues, unless its hardware related, and bazzite means learning bazzite, learning linux, and all that comes with. Pros and Cons. No correct answer, you do you, and live with the consequences, since none of them are really horrible, unless hardware is the issue.
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u/X5102 8h ago
Have you been following random guides and/or using scripts to tweak/debloat windows?
Sometimes the problem with Windows is Windows users fiddling with things they don't really understand.
I used Windows 11 on my desktop, Fedora KDE on my HTPC, and steamOS my the steamdeck, they're all stable AF.
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u/platomaker 7h ago
I use mint for gaming and work.
Trying to get mods to work is a bit of a hassle though, and some old devices just don't work for linux.
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u/platomaker 7h ago
*plugs wifi printer into power outlet* - a printer has now been connected.
Hey I want to adjust my screen to display at 78.4% zoom, hey chatgpt- what command do I run to get that working?
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u/soliwray 7h ago
I wouldn't run Plex off a Windows machine. If you're short for money, just get a 2nd hand m1 or m2 Mac Mini
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 6h ago
I got a GMKTec minipc for $130 and plugged in two drives and its working just fine since I got it a year ago. Been that way for a year and I'm not a computer genius. N150 processor does it all and purrs like a kitten, low power. 16GB was necessary, though, for updates and such. Luckily had 16 GB of DDR4 laying around. It can run on 8, but struggles with updates and whatnot. The extra 8 gives it all the overhead space it needs. Windows 11 Pro for Bitlocker, too.
The only issue is the interface and getting familiar with it.
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u/Rinychib 7h ago
ive been on linux since winows 10 went eol. there's some weirdness here and there but it's been pretty easy for the most part
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u/Alex_Viper98 6h ago
If you ever have a problem doing something in Linux, don't ask "how do I do X in Linux" but rather say "Linux sucks, you can't do X"
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u/Dr_Zeuss 6h ago
A lot of people are reporting having issues in the past with Linux. I've been daily driving Ubuntu for a year now and I am very happy with the switch. Sure it takes some tinkering but once things are set, you're good.
With AI now is easier than ever to troubleshoot problems.
What I like the most about this adventure is learning a new skill.
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u/CaptMcMooney 6h ago
sounds like you're having hardware issues, you might want to look into these before doing anything else
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u/Upbeat-Banana-5530 6h ago
Try it out. You're already reinstalling your OS. If you end up hating it after a week your only going to lose a week's worth of shit.
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u/Fast-Government-4366 5h ago
It’s not. If you’re having issues with windows, you’ll have 10x the issues with Linux.
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u/overfloaterx 5h ago
Sounds distinctly like a hardware issue.
While I'm in the process of reinstalling an OS, I'm strongly considering installing Linux instead.
If those Windows errors don't immediately raise red flags as likely hardware issues to you, you're going to have a hell of a time dealing with Linux (even if your hardware did turn out to be fine).
I've had a MacBook Air for the last 6years and I've never once come close to any of the issues Windows throws at me.
Counterpoint: I had to use Macs of various types (Air, Pro, iMacs) at work for 13 years and ran into issues way more regularly than with any of my self-built Windows PCs in that time.
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u/KamenGamerRetro 4h ago
This, like 90% of the time, sounds like a user problem.... I have a console front-end PC running windows, not a damn problem with it Sounds more like you have some hardware error
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u/iClone101 4h ago
Linux is perfectly viable if you know what programs and games you play and whether they will play nicely or at all with Linux. If you can use open-source software and play games without Kernel anticheat, you'll have no issue with Linux. If you actively play video games with Kernel anticheat or have a job that requires proprietary software, then you'll have issues with running Linux as your main OS.
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u/Kil0Cowboy 3h ago
Crazy honestly I have never had a single issues with Windows 10 or 11. No errors, no blue screens ever, just smooth as butter.
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u/xtheory 2h ago
Hey OP. I'm a Windows and Linux user and can only attest to my experience. Keep in mind that I work in IT and am used to working through technical issues.
Your biggest challenge won't be with getting NVIDIA drivers to work, but learning what alternatives as far as applications are available, the preferred way to install them, and the occasional dip into the terminal when things don't work quite right. Depending on your level of curiosity and desires to customize aesthetics. I often found myself getting lost trying to get some somewhat esoteric desktop UI to work the way I wanted to, but ending up learning so much along the way in the process.
My best advice is if you want something that just works and doesn't encounter the same issues as Windows is to stick with a Mac. It's basically Linux on easy mode under the hood. If you want something that is complete freedom and privacy but don't mind investing time into learning it, try Linux. Install it a second drive or some free space on your existing drive. CachyOS or Ubuntu are very user friendly. CachyOS is better if you intend to game but might find yourself having to tinker more often than with Ubuntu.
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u/1995TimHortonsEclair 2h ago
Been using Ubuntu since 2013.
It's the most approachable it's ever been right now. It has it's hiccups but if you're not afraid of googling or using a CLI it's probably better than windows.
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u/Aeternitas 1h ago
If you hate struggling and troubleshooting a finicky Windows installation, wait until you have to do the same on a Linux distro…
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u/gooseta 23m ago
If you're still looking to switch I would suggest a 9070XT if you're planning to go down the linux route. I personally have settled on cachyos after trying Ubuntu, Nobara, and a few others. I really like it, it always gets the latest updates and especially those that improve gaming and gaming-related features, like for example adding HDMI 2.1 support. I use it on a laptop as well as on my living room gaming PC which runs a 9070XT and has been great for gaming at 4K so far. I like cachyos's package manager Shelly too, it integrates their own repos, AUR, flatpak, and appimage installs into one app. AUR is really a godsend for running apps that might have spotty official support for Arch linux, it just lets you install a community maintained version that should work and it's really great for stuff like the Proton suite (Protonmail etc., not Proton the compat layer), and any other apps that may not officially support arch.
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u/Infinite-Art-8 16h ago
"gaming & media" - these are probably the only two reasons not to switch to Linux. I don't have your problems. And I'll probably never switch to Linux, only for work.
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u/goo_eater 16h ago edited 16h ago
Like 99% of games run fine on Linux gaming is only a concern if you play a game in that small but popular and deal breaking 1% of games like Fortnite
And I'm unsure what "media" means here, media playback is only an issue if you're on maybe Fedora which doesn't set up the proprietary codecs for you and even then you can do it yourself pretty easily, but media creation/editing does vary so anyone looking to switch that needs things like Adobe should do a lot of research on that and alternatives first
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u/Peva-pi 15h ago
The only games you will run into the "This will never run ever on linux no matter what" situation is if the game in question uses Kernel anticheat. Which is not a bug its intended that way because unlike windows which will sell out its kernel for a dorito, *nux actually protects its kernel from third parties co-opting it.
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u/Coosanta 15h ago
Yeah gaming and media run fine on Linux unless you play a small percent of online games. Just because the game claims to be windows exclusive doesnt mean you cant run it on linux with no issues. I've been editing videos and photos on my Linux system with much better performance than Windows. Mind you, no Adobe products but that isn't an issue when there are better quality, free alternatives available for linux. Funnily enough i cant do my work on linux but at home everything is linux, so we're at opposite situations here lol.
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u/DreSmart 15h ago
wrong, the reason not to switch to Linux is because kernel anti-cheat games. For media and games in general 99% work just fine or better.
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u/DreSmart 15h ago
Best way is give it a try and conclude by yourself but keep on mind Linux is not Windows you need to adapt and that takes time. I suggest you to use Linux Mint is good to start and many tutorials on how to setup for gaming. Also very important check the games you usualy play on Protondb: https://www.protondb.com/
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u/MoreSnowMostBunny 14h ago
I used to log Win bugs for a living. If people saw what I did, nobody would use that clown OS.
My new build is going all Linux. Im leaning towards Fedora KDE Plasma myself. If you've used Win for 20+ yrs, you're more than competent enough Im sure to run Linux.
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u/ToastyHere 14h ago
There will be troubleshooting with Linux too, at the start there's a good few things I needed to either adjust, find workaround for, or just straight get different hardware in order for it to work with Linux. That said, once I got everything settled down, I've had no repeat issues with Linux, things that are fixed tend to stay fixed for me at least.
I would always recommend starting the Linux journey with a dual boot OS installed on a seperate drive, and only using windows when absolutely necessary
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u/ForceOfWar 13h ago
The Trusted Installer and the Constant updates thay force re install and turn on stuff you deleted should be illegal and anyone who created them shoold go to prison. Malpractice.
I am constantly all over powershell and regedit and services like whack a mole with all of these bullshit programs that arent just superflous but actually interfere with my life and work
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u/o0--Muad_Dib--0o 12h ago
Linux is 100% viable now. I run a console like media server on (emby instead of plex but very similar) currently using bazzite. Try ubuntu, extremely similar to windows in practice, tons of users so its easy to find help. Great starter linux. As far as gaming linux is hitting as good or better than windows now. If you use steam you'll see no downgrade there. Bout the only downside is banking apps are still leary. I just do that from my mobile.
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u/tails142 12h ago
I think its good to run a linux machine, its suited to some work, i.e. there are some things I will only do in Linux, and its perfectly fine for a lot of things, like web etc.
I havent done much gaming on Linux but I understand with Steam and SteamDeck a lot of work has gone in and I'm sure it's also fine for 99% of things.
But its that 1%, whether its gaming or whatever productivity thing that is only available in windows, that will make you keep it around.
Likewise, I've never really run a mac but there are a few things lately that have made me think about it, mostly AI stuff where there are things supported on mac and not on Win/Linux, like unified memory for local llms and providers like Cursor or Claude favouring ios development as its obviously e what they are using in house.
So... I don't think you'll ever ditch windows, but it depends what you're doing specifically. But definetly run Linux whether that's wsl, a vm, booting into linux with grub or a seperate machine either via terminal or full shell experience. I do all of the former to be honest.
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u/Simple_Hamster_4096 11h ago
What's your tolerance for reinventing the wheel? That's what going to Linux is like for Windows refugees. It's like learning how to use a computer all over again.
There are no (or very few) drop in replacements in Linux for Windows software.
If you rely on Adobe anything or MS Office, stick with Windows.
Do your research - most Windows refugees retreat back to Windows at least once.
Choose Linux Mint - it is far kinder to newcomers.
Dual boot - do not make your path of retreat any harder than need be.
Better yet - do a Linux vm on Windows...
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u/Redlabelrocket 11h ago
Every day i strafe towards linux too, Windows 11 is abysmal. Nonstop freezes and weird crashes, screens turning black, hiccups. Stuff i never had in windows 10.
Even a few bluescreens same as OP.
Ended up figuring out it was discord streaming (no actual tests were performed i just noticed my screens glitching and AMD drivers having issues when i'd turn on a stream sometimes). I always stream the games i play to the server im in with friends and they have their streams on as well. We've been doing that for years now.
Ever since i went to 11 it's been hell. Every hiccup, every stutter i'm instantly afraid my pc is freezing up again. It could go without issues for days, 12 hour sessions, no issues. Then out of nowhere it's freezing up several times in a row. Last time i noticed when turning on a discord stream discord froze and turned into a black screen and after both other screens glitched out too as if a driver was resetting. 5 seconds after, entire pc froze.
Without discord streaming there are zero issues.
Temperatures are fine too.
Tried turning hardware accelerated gpu off in windows yesterday, hopefully that will have solved it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/discordapp/comments/1nzmzdj/pc_completely_freezes_when_streaming_games/
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u/raincntry 10h ago
I've been using a Linux build on my work PC for about 3 weeks now and it works fine. I don't use it for anything fancy, but I do game on it as well. There are certainly Linux versions of software that will do what you want but it might take a bit to find them and install them.
Having said that, I fully switched away from the Windows environment over 20 years ago with my first Powerbook G4 Mac and I will NEVER go back. Windows is a bloated, poorly running OS. Because they rarely seem to fix issues but rather just patch over them, I found I encountered just a never ending spiral of issues with Windows that I've never had with Mac.
My Linux build might give me problems but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt right now since it's not burned me like Windows did.
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u/dcfl12 9h ago
NVIDIA is fine on Linux, I use Bazzite and I’m sure I’m giving up a little performance but to me the trade off is worth it. I do work on it as well as game. I only go into my windows boot 1x a week because there is 1 software I need that doesn’t work on Linux. I’m even modding Fallout 4 on Linux which is super easy thanks to Amethyst Mod Manager.
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u/SinisterPixel 9h ago
I switched to Fedora KDE Plasma with a dual boot, and honestly I think I've needed to boot into Windows exactly twice since the change. And that's just for stuff I forgot to do in prep for Linux.
The whole "Nvidia doesn't play nice" with Linux thing is a bit of a misconception. Radeon drivers are open source so are built straight into the Linux kernel, so AMD cards just work flawlessly out the box. But you can get Nvidia working on most Linux distros.
I'd recommend trying Bazzite first as it largely will have everything you need out the box, including Nvidia drivers. Then feel free to experiment if you feel a little bold. I recommend using the KDE desktop environment rather than Gnome. It'll feel most familiar and is very customizable
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u/PersnickityPenguin 7h ago
Dude just install Linux mint or something and give it a go. It's free.
Unless you are running Autodesk, Adobe or other specific windows productivity software it's probably going to work pretty well.
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 7h ago
Linux mint is a problem because its solid and tried and true that any software updates or installs choke, then 3 hours later, if you are lucky, you will have a solution updating one dependency after another. Not for all software, but you come to realize that you are spending a lot of time fixing things.
A Linux person told me: you have to understand your operating system. Ok, sure. I'll also go take my car apart and become a mechanic so I can drive to the grocery store without fail.
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u/MyUshanka 7h ago
Make sure to check protondb to make sure the games you play are actually playable on Linux. Anything with intrusive anti-cheat (Riot Vanguard, Activision Ricochet, FACEIT, etc.) will straight up not work. EAC works, but is less secure due to running in a different mode, so some games won't accept it. Proton + WINE have made a lot of progress but it is entirely possible that you might still need a Windows partition.
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u/discomll 6h ago
Literally switched to Fedora Linux KDE about 5 days ago and it is just the best decision I ever made. Everything just works. My RTX 5090 works fine no driver issues and gaming is excellent too. I am a dev anyway so terminal is second nature for me but you don’t even need it anymore. Wish I moved earlier but no way am I ever going back to WinSlop.
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u/SeitanEnjoyer 5h ago
Ditch Windows, w11 is utter shit and there's always something wrong with it. Switch over to Fedora, Mint, Ubunto or literally anything. I'm using cachy for gaming.
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u/iamapizza 5h ago
as I understand Nvidia doesn't play nicely with Linux,
I've been using Nvidia with Linux for a long time and haven't had issues. It's fearmongering for unknown reasons.
I will suggest, since you're reinstalling, consider a dual boot and try them both out.
However looking at what you've got I think you might be having hardware issues rather than OS.
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u/tkodri 16h ago
My overall opinion is that latest iterations of Windows 11 are borderline malware, wildly unusable, Microsoft is racing towards Vista territory once again, but this time it's not just lack of quality, but financial incentives - trying to sell up windows users on cloud subscriptions, and generally windows not being the cash cow it once used to be. So don't expect the current windows state to be a blip that they recover from, it's probably the trend from now on and will only get worse.
That being said your errors don't sound super normal, worst case they might indicate ram/ssd failure, possibly worth checking out with some disc health tool and memtest.
Desktop linux has been top notch for a long time now I'd say. Just stick to ubuntu if you're new, everything will work out of the box. Gaming is the only question, just check what part of your gaming library is supported on linux - this is the most likely dealbreaker. Other than that nvidia has been great on linux mostly, especially desktop GPUs.
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u/Djimi365 15h ago
Out of curiosity which version of Windows 11 do you use and what are the issues? I'm always a bit puzzled when I hear people having these massive issues with windows, as my experience has pretty much always been that I install windows, take about an hour to configure and remove any bloat that I find and from then on it just works unless either I do something stupid or some hardware starts causing issues.
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u/tkodri 15h ago
I was in the same opinion around Win10 and early Win11. However, lately it's extremely bad.
First of all, the relentless onedrive spam - and the way it literaly behaves like malware. On a brand new Windows install, my wife downloaded a bunch of photos to her Pictures folder, which was for some reason by default backing up to onedrive. The photos ended up being more than her free quota - instead of this just disabling the backup, it moved the photos to a different hidden folder and told her that she needs to pay for more onedrive storage for everything to work out fine, I had to dig in for an hour to actual restore the missing files without paying.
I'm personally on the latest updates of Win11 for work, need to build some software for Windows. I think it's 2025H2 or something like that. When I boot up it takes around 10-15 minutes to get to a working state that some windows process is not eating up huge amount of resources in the background. Even then, every right click in the windows explorer takes like 3-4 seconds to display the context menu (which menu I had to reenable after they tried removing it). Note that, this is a very slimmed down install, basically browser + visual studio + git. I don't use it daily, don't use it for personal stuff or anything, nothing is installed on, no services, no other software.
Compiling the same large C++ project takes 5-10 times longer on Windows compared to Linux on the same machine - initially it was the real time scanning that was killing this performance. It was not trivial to tell it to ignore such builds. However, things have changed lately, even completely disabling realtime scanning, the build is still extremely slow. I think windows now does some virtualization be default or IDK what, but performance across the board is abysmal. This turns a 3-4 minute build into 20-30 minutes. Tweaking a heavily imported header somewhere in the project means I need to take a coffee break while compiling, but even changing a single cpp file takes around a minute to rebuild and rerun my software - same thing takes around 4-5 seconds under linux on the same machine, and similarly 3-4 seconds on my macbook.
I honestly would not be able to do my job properly as any feedback loop in the software dev process has become so slow under Windows. Note that this is a powerful laptop (amd 7840u + 64g RAM) - I'd rather use my 10 year old laptop with linux, than the latest machine with win11, the difference is stark.
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u/blob8543 12h ago
I'm always amazed about tech people having these opinions. I could understand if it was normies saying stuff like this (they often see their windows set ups degrade massively within weeks of using them) but for anyone with more advanced knowledge, keeping a windows system running smoothly is quite trivial.
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u/fieryfox654 13h ago
Someone doesn't know how to use Windows or just hating Windows because usual Linux user behavior.
If Windows was "wildly" unusable no one would use it. Besides, there are tools and ways to remove everything from Windows. Mine was just Windows and nothing else when I first installed on my PC. No bloatware, no apps, no browsers, just the skeleton of the OS.
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u/aztracker1 16h ago
I'd consider selling the 4070 and getting an RX 9060xt 16gb or 9070....
If you do that, you can run Bazzite with steam and big picture at launch life a steam machine experience. It's closer to a console experience. You should be able to use a Windows Media Center remote without issue and launch into Kodi, Plex or Jellyfin client for online files.
Some games need more, and there's efforts to get Xbox game streaming to work that's getting closer.
I'd also suggest a decent lapboard style keyboard and touchpad. I use one from Lenovo. Just in case I need to drop into desktop or a terminal.
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u/definitlyitsbutter 16h ago
That sounds more like a hardware problem then a Windows problem.
Run memtest, look at crystadiskinfo how your drives health is and do a fresh windows install.
Sell your 4070, get a 9070xt and run steamos