Is now the right time to switch to Linux? (midwest.social)

submitted 1 year ago by mouse@midwest.social to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.ml

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Experience: I have a bit of experience with Linux. I started around 2008, distro-hopped weekly, decided on Debian until around 2011, when I switched to Windows as I started getting interested in gaming. Tried switching back around 2015, this time using Arch Linux for about a month, but had some bad experiences with gaming and switched back to Windows. I have had a Debian and Arch VM in Virtual Box since then for testing different applications and a more coherent environment to work with servers.

Understanding: Which brings me to now, I am really interested in using Linux for gaming, I know there is Proton from Valve and that they have been really pushing Linux gaming forward with it.

Thoughts: I have been contemplating dual booting by installing Debian to an SSD and simply using the UEFI boot menu to choose instead of having to install to the EFI of Windows.

I guess, I should just do it, as it won't affect my Windows installation, and I could test different games and if all works well, move over. This would also allow me to try different distributions, though my heart is for Debian, I even like Debian Unstable.

Note: I am sorry for the wall of text, I am just kind of anxious I guess.

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[-] itmightbethew@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago

I do this exactly. I have a Pop Os installation on its own drive and the original win 10 drive, plus they each have their own secondary storage drives. I switch using the BIOS but honestly I find myself doing that less and less.

I used to have a larger NTFS storage drive both systems could see but it kept getting marked as read-only so I gave up and just got a fourth one for Pop Os.

Sometimes when I boot up Pop Os after having been in Windows it can't see any USB devices until after login or until I plug and unplug them.

So there's some minor annoyances to this setup but at least windows doesn't overwrite the bootloader every couple updates.

I'm very much considering never getting windows 11 (or 12 lol). The only games I have issues with are some AAA multiplayer games - like Borderlands - and even then they run they just don't play nice with other players.

this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023

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