Question about installing Steam OS on my PC

[Islandswamp]

I have been gaming on this AIO desktop computer I inherited that is not compatible with Windows 11. I plan on getting a real gaming computer some day, but I want to keep using this one for a while.
Since I only need this PC for gaming, could I install Steam OS on this in order to keep playing the games in my collection? I don't want to keep using Windows 10 after Microsoft stops supporting it, and I thought booting up into steam every time would be cool.
I have begun researching the subject, but if anyone has any suggestions or tips I would love to hear it.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

SteamOS is still not officially released on PC.

[Islandswamp]

thanks

[Iceira]

Windows 10 Home and Pro ( Oct 14, 2025 ) ( according to MS current statement. )

[ReBoot]

Does it have to be SteamOS, can't it be Bazzite or Pop_OS or any other Linux?

[Islandswamp]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Does it have to be SteamOS, can't it be Bazzite or Pop_OS or any other Linux?

I guess that's what I meant. I was looking into bazzite after realizing that it is what the youtubers mean when they "install steam OS on ___".

I have never used linux in my life. I like the idea of trying it though. Have you ever installed linux and is it very complicated?

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Islandswamp:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Does it have to be SteamOS, can't it be Bazzite or Pop_OS or any other Linux?

I guess that's what I meant. I was looking into bazzite after realizing that it is what the youtubers mean when they "install steam OS on ___".

I have never used linux in my life. I like the idea of trying it though. Have you ever installed linux and is it very complicated?

Depends on the hardware involved and what you're trying to do with the system.

In terms of drivers, Linux is way less modular, than Windows. Rule of thumb: getting really old hardware to work on Windows is more of a pain, than with Linux and getting brand-spanking-new hardware (specifically GPU) to work on Linux is way more pain, than on Windows. The "why" of this is beyond the scope of this post.

Fact remains, before installing Linux on a gaming rig, you should check out hardware (specifically GPU) compatibility. Some Linux distributions offer different images for AMD and Nvidia and then you still have to check whether your card isn't too new.

Once that's sorted out, gaming, specifically Steam gaming, isn't more complicated. You install & start Steam, you download & play the game. At this point, ou got an experience (mostly) identical to SteamOS.

Not "identical to Windows" though, there's one key point (which divides into several detail points) which differs between SteamOS and Windows. With the post being long enough already, I'll stop here and amend further detail only if you specifically ask for that.

[Islandswamp]

This computer isn't very good. It has an i3 cpu and only 8gb ram. But it runs HROT really well, and some other old games, so I didn't want to have to stop using it when windows 10 stops being supported. I know that the computer will still function, but my understanding is that once windows 10 isn't supported, someone could design some sort of exploit and there would be a security risk. I don't care about losing other functionality beyond gaming really.
Thank you for answering my questions, I appreciate it.