Linux or Windows on new SSD?

[Domain16]

I just bought a new SSD to run my OS and a few games, the remaining items will be on my hard drive. I get tired of Windows using so much resources and was thinking of trying Linux, what is everyone else's thoughts/recommendations? I mainly play a few games, watch YouTube and twitch and also use Discord and a few other programs frequently. I'm also looking for ease of use, I don't have the best PC knowledge and I'm somewhat lazy on how often I want to fool with the OS and programs, I want to instal and not worry about it.

[Slottr]

Linux (most distros) use close to no space, you can set aside a small partition of your ssd for it and use the other majority for windows 

 

Though linux might not be for you if you just want a plug and play option

[Domain16]

If it is not "maintenance" free then its probably not for me. Whats the benefit to installing both Windows and Linux? Doesn't that defeat the main purpose I want it for, reducing resource usage.

[Slottr]

3 minutes ago, Domain16 said:

If it is not "maintenance" free then its probably not for me. Whats the benefit to installing both Windows and Linux? Doesn't that defeat the main purpose I want it for, reducing resource usage.

Linux is a fair bit more of a learning curve than windows is

 

Installing apps, and stuff is a lot more of a hassle on linux - sure it can use less resources, but you'll have to set aside some time to learn the basics of it to become efficient. And from the sounds of it, you want to kind of avoid that.

 

btw make sure to quote people when you respond so we get notified

[Domain16]

2 minutes ago, Slottr said:

Linux is a fair bit more of a learning curve than windows is

 

Installing apps, and stuff is a lot more of a hassle on linux - sure it can use less resources, but you'll have to set aside some time to learn the basics of it to become efficient. And from the sounds of it, you want to kind of avoid that.

 

btw make sure to quote people when you respond so we get notified

I thought I did quote you, my bad. Yes, it sounds like it's not for me. I would almost rather deal with Windows resource usage then a constant struggle of understanding a new OS. I have limited time as it is and hate wasting it. Thank you for your input.

[Slottr]

16 minutes ago, Domain16 said:

I thought I did quote you, my bad. Yes, it sounds like it's not for me. I would almost rather deal with Windows resource usage then a constant struggle of understanding a new OS. I have limited time as it is and hate wasting it. Thank you for your input.

If you're wanting to make windows feel kinda more "fresh" theres plenty of tools like Rainmeter and wallpaper engine that'll breath new life into the OS 

[Domain16]

30 minutes ago, Slottr said:

Linux (most distros) use close to no space, you can set aside a small partition of your ssd for it and use the other majority for windows 

 

Though linux might not be for you if you just want a plug and play option

Thoughts on Linux mint? My PC is about 5-6 yrs old with a few upgrades (graphics card, added RAM and this now SSD). From what I read Mint is similar to Windows 7 which I prefer.

[Slottr]

2 minutes ago, Domain16 said:

Thoughts on Linux mint? My PC is about 5-6 yrs old with a few upgrades (graphics card, added RAM and this now SSD). From what I read Mint is similar to Windows 7 which I prefer.

Mint is a good starting place OS, next to Ubuntu.

Theres tons of tutorials  using these two. So if you do intend to learn a little bit on how to use the OS', then you'll be in a good place

[Domain16]

2 minutes ago, Slottr said:

If you're wanting to make windows feel kinda more "fresh" theres plenty of tools like Rainmeter and wallpaper engine that'll breath new life into the OS 

I'm only interested in performance, I always lower graphics just for the extra performance boost.

[TechyBen]

2 minutes ago, Domain16 said:

I'm only interested in performance, I always lower graphics just for the extra performance boost.

You cannot get magic performance gains. What you have is what you have.

Linux can be a bit quicker when web browsing IMO, but mainly because your not running windows update/defender etc. It would be a cleaner install.

 

To stop Windows bloat, you can just reinstall a fresh go at Windows. To improve PC performance, get newer and faster parts.

[wasab]

Get mint with the cinnamon desktop. Ubuntu with gnome isn't as snappy as cinnamon but also is a good choice. 

[Domain16]

Just now, wasab said:

Get mint with the cinnamon desktop. Ubuntu with gnome isn't as snappy as cinnamon but also is a good choice. 

Yes, from what I've read cinnamon is similar to Windows 7. How's installing games and programs with Mint?

[TechyBen]

24 minutes ago, Domain16 said:

Yes, from what I've read cinnamon is similar to Windows 7. How's installing games and programs with Mint?

What games? It's not magic. It runs Linux, etc. You could try Wine.

[Domain16]

3 minutes ago, TechyBen said:

What games? It's not magic. It runs Linux, etc. You could try Wine.

Right now I play League of legends and Apex. I have many others but the majority of others are Steams games.

[TechyBen]

2 minutes ago, Domain16 said:

Right now I play League of legends and Apex. I have many others but the majority of others are Steams games.

You are not going to get better performance on Apex with Linux. What performance do you currently get, and what performance do you want?

 

I run Linux on my Laptop for web browsing and some light gaming, but generally still have 50% of my games needing Windows.

[Domain16]

1 hour ago, TechyBen said:

You are not going to get better performance on Apex with Linux. What performance do you currently get, and what performance do you want?

 

I run Linux on my Laptop for web browsing and some light gaming, but generally still have 50% of my games needing Windows.

I have no issues with game performance, I can run most games on max if I wanted. I ment with how slow the OS is with running updates or w/e it does. I have to wait 10 min while Windows OS is done doing its thing before I can do anything.

[Mooshi]

6 hours ago, Domain16 said:

If it is not "maintenance" free then its probably not for me. Whats the benefit to installing both Windows and Linux? Doesn't that defeat the main purpose I want it for, reducing resource usage.

If you want ease of use ez mode, it's gonna be Windows. Some distros are easier than others, but it's not the same experience as a Windows machine. If you're on the fence, try installing a virtual machine with Linux Mint or Ubuntu. Benefit is if you actually like Linux, you have both OSes to boot into.

 

As far as resources, if you mean storage - that's cheap these days. I paid $250 for a 120GB SSD back in 2011. You can get a 1TB SSD in the 150ish range now.

[TechyBen]

8 hours ago, Mooshi said:

If you want ease of use ez mode, it's gonna be Windows. Some distros are easier than others, but it's not the same experience as a Windows machine. If you're on the fence, try installing a virtual machine with Linux Mint or Ubuntu. Benefit is if you actually like Linux, you have both OSes to boot into.

 

As far as resources, if you mean storage - that's cheap these days. I paid $250 for a 120GB SSD back in 2011. You can get a 1TB SSD in the 150ish range now.

Can also just live boot a USB, once in memory, should be snappy enough to figure out if you like how it works.

 

OP seems to mean "resources" as in CPU/GPU for gaming.

[captain_aggravated]

What I'm going to recommend is pulling a couple distros down, the usual candidates like Kubuntu, Mint Cinnamon, maybe Elementary, and give them a try in or as a live USB.  Play around in one for awhile, see how you like it.  Worst thing that happens is you spend an afternoon trying something new and find out it's not for you and you go back to using Windows as usual; best case scenario is you find something you like better.

[Domain16]

2 hours ago, captain_aggravated said:

What I'm going to recommend is pulling a couple distros down, the usual candidates like Kubuntu, Mint Cinnamon, maybe Elementary, and give them a try in or as a live USB.  Play around in one for awhile, see how you like it.  Worst thing that happens is you spend an afternoon trying something new and find out it's not for you and you go back to using Windows as usual; best case scenario is you find something you like better.

 

2 hours ago, TechyBen said:

Can also just live boot a USB, once in memory, should be snappy enough to figure out if you like how it works.

 

OP seems to mean "resources" as in CPU/GPU for gaming.

Yes, I stated that i just bought a new ssd so I'm not sure why they would think i need to upgrade storage. Windows uses a lot of resources to run and slows everything down, I don't want that.

[captain_aggravated]

1 minute ago, Domain16 said:

 

Yes, I stated that i just bought a new ssd so I'm not sure why they would think i need to upgrade storage. Windows uses a lot of resources to run and slows everything down, I don't want that.

There are certainly Linux distros that are a LOT lighter in terms of RAM and processor threads compared to Windows, but double check they'll run the software you want, and that you're willing to live with them.  That's why I suggested trying some out.