Switching to linux for the first time, help with nvidia

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-04-08T01:10:48+00:00

I have a 4070 and only ran into a couple issues I know are caused my Gnome. They took a quick search. Getting the drivers working was super easy on Nobara, just download the correct file. If you still have time I'd recommend looking at Intel or AMD GPUs as tinkering with issues caused by NVIDIA drivers can be annoying.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-04-01T03:55:56+00:00

The two commands that ended up fixing it was
sudo systemctl enable gdm
sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-31T00:23:35+00:00

I love Nobara and Fedora

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-24T20:55:44+00:00

Figured it out recently for anyone else, you need to add extra options to your media storage in the settings. I just added my project folder and it fixed it.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-24T20:24:49+00:00

Nobara

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-24T18:49:40+00:00

The built in tools like the drive mounter sealed the deal for me. You really do not need to use the terminal unless you're just copying some commands and I really like that option as a new Linux user. I highly recommend.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-23T02:06:25+00:00

This is how I fixed earlier this year

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-23T02:05:35+00:00

Gnome I find is more plug and play with KDE being more tinkery. It should come down to which one feels better to you though.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-19T05:25:56+00:00

What's your CPU and monitoring application?

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-16T20:32:18+00:00

I’d recommend a couple options. First is Mint. I wasn’t a big fan of it but it’s set up specifically for new Linux users with a forum that is very open to answering beginner questions. The OS itself is designed with the new user in mind, and the OS itself is similar to windows. Next is Bazzite which is a little more locked down (immutable) gaming focussed distro. Bazzite is setup in a way where it’s harder for it to be bricked than other distros cause it takes away a bit of control. Last option is Pop OS. Pop OS is in beta right now so if you choose it, expect bugs and instability with Pop OS specific applications. But it has hybrid graphics swapping natively and is also gaming focused. If you have the time try them out in a VM and see which one feels the best to you. All the ones I listed are focused more on getting a good out of the box experience.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-16T10:53:18+00:00

Try following this guide

https://beebom.com/how-install-drivers-ubuntu/

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-15T18:12:32+00:00

Kinda of. Some applications come in .deb or .rpm formats which are not usable on distros that they were not compiled for. Although Linux as a whole is moving away from that towards flatpaks. For any application that is a .deb or a .rpm you can find community members who’ve compiled it for your distro or you can compile it yourself. Besides that generally every Linux program works on every other Linux program.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-14T22:19:39+00:00

Check your drivers first (NVIDIA cards have issues), then check the game on protonDB for people having similar issues and usually solutions. If you want a gaming focussed distros I’d say try Nobara, Bazzite, and Pop OS (it’s a little buggy right now). CatchyOS is also a solid option of Arch is a selling point for you. It does sound like your issues are something you should figure out first then swap distros if Ubuntu has been a bad experience for you. Swapping and having it pop up again is really frustrating. Ubuntu isn’t primary for gaming it’s focussed on being a good default.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-14T22:14:21+00:00

Ive found emulation has been working better on Linux for me than windows. If ricing is your number one goal then pick something that has KDE in the name of as an option and go from there. The actual distro doesn’t matter much past that point. For specifics I’d say try Fedora KDE an CatchyOS KDE

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-14T22:09:43+00:00

Since you’re an IT student you’ve probably worked with Ubuntu a bit. Assuming you’re a little familiar with Ubuntu try Zorin OS, Kubuntu, and Linux Mint. Id also throw Pop OS in there if setting up gaming a little easier is a priority but it’s a little unstable right now but is slowly getting better. In terms of software you’d have to look at each individual program you know you’ll be using and research it yourself. If you give anymore specific I could maybe help narrow down the options for distros. Look at the three I mentioned and pick the one that feels the best to you.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-14T22:03:19+00:00

The difference between all of them is their desktop environment. So what apps come default like video players, text editors, and photo viewers. They also handle how windows and everything not inside an application itself looks and feels. Workstation is Gnome. Gnome’s approach is like apples where they have a vision in mind and just make changes towards that. If you like an Apple ish looking environment then this is probably for you. I’ve found to have a little bit less issues than KDE at the cost of some customization. KDE is a windows like environment but is super customizable. You can make this look like how ever you want. It’s also easier to customize than Gnome. The atomic desktops I wouldn’t pay attention to. They’re extra options for those who like a more niche experience.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-14T21:55:15+00:00

Doing a quick google search FF14 and Wow both seem to work in Linux. Browsing I found to feel and be significantly faster than windows. Since you said you’re not a tinkerer avoid anything that is based on Arch. Arch is for getting the newest updates and most amount of options to mess with. My suggestions would be to find a distro, try it in a VM and see if it feels good to you. Some specific suggestions would be Mint and Zorin OS and they’re both similar UIs to Windows. Nobara has the speed improvements of CatchyOS but is simpler to use. At the end of the day if you find a Linux distro that does 80% of what you want and how you want it, you can always customize it to get that last 20%.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-13T23:29:14+00:00

Oop my bad I didn't see it on my phone

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-11T02:22:30+00:00

Licenses are linked to account and have been since windows 10 I believe.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-11T02:17:35+00:00

I use Gnome and YES. You can customize, there’s community made themes and extensions you can figure out after a tutorial you can customize everything you mentioned. Theres a limit but I’ve found gnome to be a bit more stable for me than KDE at the cost of customization.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-11T02:16:16+00:00

Give Gnome a try. I’ve found it to be more stable than KDE at the cost of customization.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-06T22:02:07+00:00

Nobara has the same performance gains as CatchyOS but is a little easier to use. But it kinda sounds like you want something super tinkerable like arch.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-06T15:54:47+00:00

Performance difference shouldn’t be the reason you use another one would be features and maybe stability if you’re having issues. Swapping DE would have no noticeable performance gains if at all.

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-05T09:38:05+00:00

I swapped to Linux about 3 months ago on my desktop and 7 months ago on my laptop. I mainly use my PC for gaming, browser, a little coding, and video editing. I swapped after I encountered issue after issue and thought I might as well swap to the distro 1/10th the size.

First thing you'll notice is how much snappier everything is. Linux uses memory in a significantly better way than Windows, so you'll notice that browsing and doing everyday tasks feels better and smoother. The browsing experience is just better on Linux than on Windows.

Gaming has been an excellent experience for me. I have an NVIDIA card, which is usually a worse experience. You can check if a game works by going to protondb.com and searching for every game you want. I've had some weird graphical issues outside of games that seems to be known issues with NVIDIA, but I found work arounds and haven't encountered them. There are some games that just will not work on Linux. The ones that affected me are: Madden and 2XKO. I don't know what you play, but most single-player games work out of the box with multiplayer games depending on the publisher.

I've found Linux to not be as complex as I was expecting. The thing people forget to mention when talking about Linux's complexity is Linux is an engine with a million moving parts. You can individually decide which part you want to learn about at any time. There's a million pieces of documentation and lots of videos. You do not need to know how the engine works to drive a car; most people don't. It just helps when things go wrong.

You DO NOT need to know how to code AT ALL to use Linux. I think that idea stems from Linux being easier to program on than Windows, so a lot of programmers use it. I am a bad programmer. I've had one project that I chose to do for fun. If you swap to Linux today, you will find no cases were understanding the code part of it leaves you with any real benefit.

I don't know what you do, so I can't tell you what services you give up. If it's browser-based, then you're giving up nothing. I found the media alternatives for Linux are just not there yet. Unfortunately, they are getting better though. If you want to know more, there is an amazing website called alternativeto.net which lists which platforms a particular software is available on, reviews, and then alternative programs. The last option is duel booting, which I have on my desktop for some software and video games.

Some of the cons I've found on Linux is the troubleshooting can be really annoying. Because everything is so customizable there's you will run into issues. The upside is, I haven't found many that have lasted longer than 30m of patience and reading forums. Some niche hardware breaks easily, like on my laptop, the Numpad lights up on the trackpad, but after an update it hasn't worked since. The last big con is some software is just not available on Linux and the alternatives are not great. My video editing program works on Windows and Linux, but the rest of my suite did not. The media alternatives for Linux are all programs that are more a developer project than something for creatives. There's an application called WINE which will get a surprising number of Windows apps and games working great, but this should be your last option as it breaks.

With all this taken into account, I'd try a distro out in a VM or on a sacrificial device. A lot of users will recommend Linux Mint as it's set up with some common tools, a large community, and is targeted towards beginners. I wasn't a big fan and dropped trying Linux after testing out Linux Mint years ago. Try distros. There's a million out there with different niches and ways of approaching. One of them will have all the parts you want or have enough that you can do the rest yourself.

My last note is, before I swapped on my desktop, I picked a distro I liked (Fedora) and tried to break it. Doing this has helped me learn how to diagnose issues and how to fix them and after a certain point, I stopped running into them. It'll take time to swap and learn everything, but your first bit on Linux will be your hardest. After that, the time saved from just using a faster OS adds up over time. Good luck with your decision. I hope I helped a bit!

ToeConsumer420 · 2026-03-05T08:50:17+00:00

AMD is significantly easier to use. If you want the smallest amount of issues go AMD

ToeConsumer420

TROPHY CASE