which linux platform is best for gaming?

[S.S.Dragon]

im building a gaming pc. but i dont wanna pay out an arm and a leg for for windows 7, so im planning to go with linux. ive dealt with linux before with tf2s linux update, but i dont remember which one it was. the main game ill be playing is tf2.

 

something basic for now is all im looking for

[leonard_sun]

Because the SteamOS is based on Debian, then debian would be my bet.
I use Arch but not for gaming though.

[steezemageeze]

Manjaro (Arch Linux spinoff) and Chapeau (Fedora + extras) come with Steam pre-installed, but a Debian-based distro (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, etc) is probably going to be your best bet, especially if you're new, because it's officially supported by Valve. I have had some trouble getting it installed on both Ubuntu and Debian though, but it is an easy fix with a quick google search

[Azgoth 2]

For a long time, Ubuntu was the distro that Valve told devs to target for compatibility.  Since the release of SteamOS I imagine (but have not specifically seen mention) that they now tell devs to target that.  But Ubuntu, or anything directly based off of it, will probably be your best bets for a general-purpose computer.  I personally use Mint, and I do some gaming on it (when games are Linux-compatible, else I boot into Windows 7), and it's great.  I wouldn't recommend SteamOS if you plan to do non-gaming things on the machine once it's built, since it does have a full desktop, but doesn't support desktop programs as well as other distros.  Ubuntu or Mint are probably your best bets, but others like Debian (if you're a bit more tech-savvy) or maybe Zorin might also work well.

[S.S.Dragon]

Besides internet use and steam. Not much. I would like to play paladins, but its only windows. Unless i can get a copy of windows cheap, ill just have to wait.

[steezemageeze]

9 hours ago, S.S.Dragon said:

Besides internet use and steam. Not much. I would like to play paladins, but its only windows. Unless i can get a copy of windows cheap, ill just have to wait.

You could try to play it through Wine/PlayOnLinux. It's less than perfect, but it's better than nothing. How cheap does the Windows key need to be though? I got a Windows 7 OEM key for $50 on Amazon (and used the free upgrade to W10), and you can find them for even cheaper, like $20ish, on G2A/Reddit/Kinguin. 

[S.S.Dragon]

7 hours ago, steezemageeze said:

You could try to play it through Wine/PlayOnLinux. It's less than perfect, but it's better than nothing. How cheap does the Windows key need to be though? I got a Windows 7 OEM key for $50 on Amazon (and used the free upgrade to W10), and you can find them for even cheaper, like $20ish, on G2A/Reddit/Kinguin. 

As long as it's legit and doesn't break the PC. $50 is fine, but how would I go about getting a copy from a place like Reddit

 

[steezemageeze]

32 minutes ago, S.S.Dragon said:

As long as it's legit and doesn't break the PC. $50 is fine, but how would I go about getting a copy from a place like Reddit

 

I haven't personally tried it, but https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/ is where you can get them.

[S.S.Dragon]

On 3/22/2016 at 5:03 PM, steezemageeze said:

I haven't personally tried it, but https://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/ is where you can get them.

oh cool. ill have to check that out. thanks

[PheonixOne]

a bit late to the party here but you can get Windows 10 for free from Microsoft's website..

[Sack]

On 24.3.2016 at 11:23 AM, PheonixOne said:

a bit late to the party here but you can get Windows 10 for free from Microsoft's website..

You still need a key, or an actual copy of a pre-existing instalation of a legit Windows 7, 8 or 8.1