Moving from Windows to Arch Linux

[AOwlNation]

What are your thoughts on gaming with Arch Linux? I'm considering a switch from Windows to Linux due to "Microsoft" recent "good ideas". I currently have a 256GB NVMe drive. My plan is to dual boot Windows 11 and Linux initially, with the intention of eventually removing Windows altogether. Do you think this is a good idea?

[Heitor Villa-Lobos]

Welcome to GNU/Linux!!

You'll never look back.

There are some adaptation efforts, but its easier than to switch to MacOS.

You can get as familiar with your OS as you choose.

You own it. It respects you, not some company. It does what you say and not the other way around.

[lamborghinipro9292]

arch linux sucks

[AD]

You're a braver man then I, since I'm still using Ubuntu (specifically Ubuntu 24.04... it's good, but there are quite a few bugs still floating around, especially relating to sleep).

I would initially use a virtual machine like VirtualBox to try out Linux, that way you don't have to mess around with the hardware (though it won't have as good performance as dual booting and hardware accelerated graphics might not work very well). Dual boot is also a good option.

[Talby]

Originally posted by lamborghinipro9292:

arch linux sucks

Disagree, it is bleeding edge so problems are expected and you have to know how to resolve - a bit difficult for the linux novice.

On that note, I am currently running Garuda on an old laptop and it has been quite reliable and problem free - only a single issue on the installation, so it is bridging the gap quite nicely.

[AD]

Originally posted by Talby:

Originally posted by lamborghinipro9292:

arch linux sucks

Disagree, it is bleeding edge so problems are expected and you have to know how to resolve - a bit difficult for the linux novice.

On that note, I am currently running Garuda on an old laptop and it has been quite reliable and problem free - only a single issue on the installation, so it is bridging the gap quite nicely.

Yeah, that's my only concern. Arch is probably great once you know your way around Linux, but OP indicates it's his first distro. I would suggest newcomers to Linux to try something like Linux Mint or Ubuntu, or Pop OS if they have NVIDIA.

[videogames10]

Originally posted by AOwlNation:

What are your thoughts on gaming with Arch Linux?

Contact these guys, they can tell you everything you need to know about Linux. Nice YouTube channel. They talk about video games, Steam, PC hardware and a multitude of things. And they have a sense of humor :)

https://www.youtube.com/c/linuxgamecast/videos

[Knee]

Originally posted by lamborghinipro9292:

arch linux sucks

it’s probably not age appropriate for you

[Talby]

Originally posted by AD:

Originally posted by Talby:

Disagree, it is bleeding edge so problems are expected and you have to know how to resolve - a bit difficult for the linux novice.

On that note, I am currently running Garuda on an old laptop and it has been quite reliable and problem free - only a single issue on the installation, so it is bridging the gap quite nicely.

Yeah, that's my only concern. Arch is probably great once you know your way around Linux, but OP indicates it's his first distro. I would suggest newcomers to Linux to try something like Linux Mint or Ubuntu, or Pop OS if they have NVIDIA.

The conundrum is, if you have new hardware Arch is going to have the latest kernel to support it much faster. Older gear is no problem with the Ubuntu and Debian based distros since it takes some time to get it in the mainstream point releases and the LTS versions make it a bit longer still.
Probably why SteamOS is arch to support the deck, so if you have the latest generation gear I would recommend Garuda but it is not as popular unfortunately...

[Xautos]

Excellent! Another convert to Linux.
Glad to see some sense prevailing in the PC master race!

Windows has become toilet standard the last decade. Make the point to Microsoft, jump over to Linux, you won't regret it, just get a few changes to adjust to the new OS of your choosing and away you go.

[sleeps]

wait, you did this straight away? because while arch itself is not as difficult, arch is not a good beginner distro, not because it's bad but because it can be time consuming to get into.

[Chaosolous]

I’ll be doing something similar once windows 10 isn’t supported anymore. Good luck on your transition.

[m662]

Originally posted by BlackBloodRum:

Originally posted by sleeps:

wait, you did this straight away? because while arch itself is not as difficult, arch is not a good beginner distro, not because it's bad but because it can be time consuming to get into.

On the other hand, it gives you a good jump into the linux basics, avoiding the need to learn the basics later.

If the OP is interested in the tech aspect and specifically troubleshooting strategies than yes if they just want the functionality it is a terrible choice. It is the same reason why most people do not read a cli- cookbook even though it would solve a lot of issues they might ever have in Windows. Not every end-user wants to invest time.

You do not need Arch to learn any basics. Any distro can do that. You use Arch because you want a specialized image either minimized, hardened or optimized. it is Overkill for any other purpose.

Native Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or virtualization is the best steppingstone I would recommend with regards to Windows to Linux No to minimal impact on the Windows operating system easy to recover from mistakes and with having both systems on screen it gives a honest comparison between functionality.

Dualboot is a next step but completely unnecessary in these times to test the waters virtualization has become stable enough with driver support to give a close to native experience without messing up the already present OS.

When you do want to swap and are confident in your ability just back-up the data external and than wipe the entire drive. Do not bother with dualboot setup if you are planning to stick with a new OS because it simplifies your setup and it forces you to stick to your guns when something does not work initially. Otherwise your going to get a situation where 90% is done in Linux and 10% is done Windows because it is easier there than to find a working solution on your new OS.

Originally posted by Cid:

Not to hijack the thread with questions here, but what's a good Linux route to go for a Linux noob? I'm also not enthused about Windows 11 but have a lot of concerns about how well most of my stuff is going to work on Linux. Very comfortable with hardware/software in general, just don't have much experience with Linux.

Games are probably the big thing for me. I have a pretty big Steam library, some Blizzard stuff (am a former WoW addict who gets tempted to resub for a month once in a blue moon), and a lot of older/retro stuff that took some tweaks to get working even on Windows 10.

I still have my older (built in 2011, upgraded several times over the years, obviously doesn't run stuff on Ultra anymore but would still handle a lot of games even today) gaming PC that's just sitting in a closet doing nothing right now. Thought about using it as a test dummy to play with/get comfortable with Linux and get a better idea of what will and what won't work on it.

Why do you want to switch?
That is the first question you have to ask yourself.
Why do you not like Windows 11 in particular
If you can answer those two questions you can create a plan to search for a alternative.

And I am not saying with this that only certain reasons are valid answer, just saying that for yourself you need to understand the reason. Otherwise your going to end with a product that might entirely not be that for you based on recommendations instead of your own needs.

[Vox]

Wine sucks, just saying.

[☮ne✟rue𝓢ax☯n]

I have it on the Deck, though I'll keep my PC Windows based.

[GunsForBucks]

Originally posted by Cid:

Not to hijack the thread with questions here, but what's a good Linux route to go for a Linux noob? I'm also not enthused about Windows 11 but have a lot of concerns about how well most of my stuff is going to work on Linux. Very comfortable with hardware/software in general, just don't have much experience with Linux.

Games are probably the big thing for me. I have a pretty big Steam library, some Blizzard stuff (am a former WoW addict who gets tempted to resub for a month once in a blue moon), and a lot of older/retro stuff that took some tweaks to get working even on Windows 10.

I still have my older (built in 2011, upgraded several times over the years, obviously doesn't run stuff on Ultra anymore but would still handle a lot of games even today) gaming PC that's just sitting in a closet doing nothing right now. Thought about using it as a test dummy to play with/get comfortable with Linux and get a better idea of what will and what won't work on it.

As a noob myself

A few years ago I tried some linux OS I think Ubuntu was new then.

It works out of the box and is basic.

Then go to the different makers of your hardware and find the linux drivers.
You may want to do that first and have them on a usb drive or something to search for.

Update/install drivers manually

That seems about it.

I am sure there are lots of tweaks you can make to your system to optimize performance that I have no clue about.

I found getting help to be difficult as most users tend to be off-put by the novice asking dumb questions.

If you want to get deeper into it expect to spend weeks to months reading and learning. Or longer.

But for basic function you don't need to go that far typically.

IDK how correct the above is in reality, that was just my experience as a noob setting up a media server

edit add - direct x is windows... you will be looking for OpenGL options in games, I think Vulcan is linux also.