Jaeder1d ago

I desperately want to switch to Linux but I'm terrified of breaking my computer still. I'm sitting on a GTX 980 and Windows 10 (computer is old and I'm very poor).

EDIT: To clarify, I have used a bootable USB stick before to test Linux Mint. It gave me a good impression but was kinda laggy (10 year old USB ports aren't very fast).

Anyone out there willing to poke me in the right direction?

I am dependent on Discord for friends and Microsoft Teams (no matter how much I hate it) for many job search reasons. #linux #windows

Show threadZelphir Kaltstahl1d ago

@jaeder

(1) Discord runs on GNU/Linux. It is an app based on Electron, which is a cross-platform framework/thing.

(2) MS Teams you can use inside Chromium, which you can easily install on GNU/Linux distributions.

(3) For your graphics card (I think GTX 980 is one?) you should check the driver situation online. Worst case is that you have use proprietary Nvidia drivers, but that's still easily possible.

In what way are you terrified to break your computer specifically?

Show threadJaeder23h ago

@zelphirkaltstahl

For your question: I just cannot afford a new one. So it's like... alright, so i did a Mint installation on a USB just to test the general user experience and get a feel for it. But I've never tried installing on my PC as is.

1) Great.

2) Alright, that sounds... like it could take some time (just extremely cautious and trying to not overestimate my fluency in Linuxing) but is doable.

3) Mm... yeah, so it'd work but it'd be better to switch to an AMD card from what I understand. But it'd work. At least.

Show threadZelphir Kaltstahl22h ago

@jaeder Open source AMD graphics card drivers I think are coming with the Linux kernel or at the very least are easily installed through the official repositories on many GNU/Linux distributions. I have a desktop with an AMD graphics card myself and all I had to do was to install GNU/Linux (in my case Debian) and the package `amdgpu` was already installed and my graphics card just work.

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Show threadZelphir Kaltstahl22h ago

@jaeder With Nvidia cards the situation is different. Choices being https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/ driver and the proprietary driver. Afaik Nouveau lagging far behind, and any modern card basically needs the proprietary driver to get anywhere near its potential. Please someone correct me, if I am wrong.

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nouveau · freedesktop.org

freedesktop.org
Show threadJaeder22h ago
@zelphirkaltstahl Alright. That helps clarify it. I guess I'll see if I can get my hands on another SSD and install Linux on these one for a dual-boit setup. I can't wait to get out of the Windows experience.
Show threadZelphir Kaltstahl
@jaeder Just know, that you don't have to switch completely from one day to the other. Many people feel a bit overwhelmed with all the choice and possibly different ways of doing things on another OS. Feel free to ask people on here for ideas/help, before potentially giving up =)
Apr 7 at 4:16pmWeb
Show threadJaeder19h ago
@zelphirkaltstahl Haha, yeeeh, I appreciate that. I have tried Mint a little, but I think a gaming+Dev+creative suite is what I after. I don't know if Mint is a good fit for that or if I should opt for another. How easy is it to change boot installation if I want to just... jump around for a bit in the beginning?