So I'm thinking about switching from Windows to Linux and I'm searching for distributions. Currently I have checked out Linux mint but then I found Zorin OS so I'm so confused what distro am I supposed to pick. I'm also worried about my PC specs. It's Amd Ryzen 5, GTX 1050. I tried out live testing with a USB stick but couldn't get internet drivers to work since I couldn't restart and check if those drivers actually work so I'm worried about that too. If you're wondering my wifi graphics card is RTL8821CE. I have another question. Is Zorin OS 15.3 Core lightweight? Or is it even less light weight than windows 10? I tried looking for this answer and couldn't really find it
Can't choose between distros
Your computer is capable of running any Linux out there, though you may need to play around with the wireless card. (I don't know what a 'wifi graphics card' is.) So, it's up to you to pick one. We can't decide what's best for you, only what we prefer.
linux-tips.us
Finally, an Answer to What is The Best Linux Distro? • Linux Tips
Finally, an attempt to answer to the age old question: Which Linux distro is the best? Read on to find out which distro is the best Linux distro.
linux-tips.us
My recommendation is this. Go out on the Internet and find out what the most popular Desktop Linux operating systems are that are also known to be good for newbie Linux users.
Once you have your list, narrow it down to the top three that sound the most interesting. Pick one, buckle your seatbelt and install it and take it for a spin.
If you find you don't like it much, or for the hell of it. Want to try another one. Rinse and repeat. Linux is free and the only thing it cost you is time to take it for a test drive.
Once you have your list, narrow it down to the top three that sound the most interesting. Pick one, buckle your seatbelt and install it and take it for a spin.
If you find you don't like it much, or for the hell of it. Want to try another one. Rinse and repeat. Linux is free and the only thing it cost you is time to take it for a test drive.
As I am also recently coming from Windows, the choice of picking a distro was not easy, but what worked for me was picking a distro that was easy to start working with and fit my needs.
What I recommend to try, is to use virtual machine software to test out different distros before doing any type of install on your main machine. You'll then have an idea of what works best for you. Ultimately the choice is yours.
In terms of wifi comaptibilty, you should be able to find information about it through google searches. Here's something I've found about Ubuntu and that wifi card: https://askubuntu.com/questions/126...-rtl8821ce-network-controller-on-ubuntu-20-04
Mint: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=328556
What I recommend to try, is to use virtual machine software to test out different distros before doing any type of install on your main machine. You'll then have an idea of what works best for you. Ultimately the choice is yours.
In terms of wifi comaptibilty, you should be able to find information about it through google searches. Here's something I've found about Ubuntu and that wifi card: https://askubuntu.com/questions/126...-rtl8821ce-network-controller-on-ubuntu-20-04
Mint: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=328556
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Cut to the chase
Run Linux Mint 20.2 (LIVE)...from a usb stick
That will at least get you up and running. It will give you an idea of what is on there. It has tons of support. It is the most likely to just work where wifi etc etc is concerned.
Just do it........and then branch out to others if you wish.
Simple.
Run Linux Mint 20.2 (LIVE)...from a usb stick
That will at least get you up and running. It will give you an idea of what is on there. It has tons of support. It is the most likely to just work where wifi etc etc is concerned.
Just do it........and then branch out to others if you wish.
Simple.
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
lets start with your equipment..
the RT RTL8821CE will probably be a pain to set up but it can be done [you will need an ethanet connection to download the required drivers to install]
the Ryzen 5 drivers are in the linux core from version 5.8 so depending on your choice of distribution you may need to either upgrade the Core or download and install a driver set [updating the core is the easy option]
Now as to the best distro, that is the one that works best for you, some are better for general use some better for gaming , some better for office and some for scientific, but all can with a bit of work be modified to suit your needs, coming from windows you will most likely find an Ubuntu or Mint distribution easiest to get use to,
Just remember Linux is not windows so changing will involve a bit of a learning curve
Bwiz
the RT RTL8821CE will probably be a pain to set up but it can be done [you will need an ethanet connection to download the required drivers to install]
the Ryzen 5 drivers are in the linux core from version 5.8 so depending on your choice of distribution you may need to either upgrade the Core or download and install a driver set [updating the core is the easy option]
Now as to the best distro, that is the one that works best for you, some are better for general use some better for gaming , some better for office and some for scientific, but all can with a bit of work be modified to suit your needs, coming from windows you will most likely find an Ubuntu or Mint distribution easiest to get use to,
Just remember Linux is not windows so changing will involve a bit of a learning curve
Bwiz
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
Just remembered the latest version of MX Linux-has , is considered one of the fastest main builds and includes the 5.10 core and other additional drivers and may work "out of the box" but the desktop will take a bit of getting use to, try downloading and running from a USB "Live" drive the build you need is
MX-19.4.1_x64 “ahs”
MX-19.4.1_x64 “ahs”
It's hard to choose a Distro for another person because we have such varied expectations. I use Mint most of the time and find it meets my desktop needs nicely you'll (As Brickwizard said need some help with that RTL wireless so if you can get a Ethernet cable connection at first it will be a great help to you.
The Mint Forum is a great place to get the info you need. I recommend you follow the following web pages advise on what to do after installing Mint. Easy Linux tips for your RTL8821CE this page Realtek drivers
Be open to learning because linux is different than windows. But once you get the hang of it you most likely you will never want to go back. I vote for Mint but there are others that are great also MX - KDE verison would also be a good choice. Happy computing. Let us know which you choose.
The Mint Forum is a great place to get the info you need. I recommend you follow the following web pages advise on what to do after installing Mint. Easy Linux tips for your RTL8821CE this page Realtek drivers
Be open to learning because linux is different than windows. But once you get the hang of it you most likely you will never want to go back. I vote for Mint but there are others that are great also MX - KDE verison would also be a good choice. Happy computing. Let us know which you choose.
Last edited:
Oops. I didn't mention that the drivers that I couldn't manage to get working since I can't restart are for the RTL8821CE. I expected that once I install the drivers that they're gonna instantly work since on my old computer the Broadcom wifi drivers instantly worked. And I didn't use Ethernet. Instead I am using Bluetooth tethering with my phone. It's pretty slow but good enough. I'm using the computer for gaming (mostly Minecraft), productivity, programming and for other things. I'm gonna check out MX Linux soon since I'm sick right now and can't manage to get onto my computer. If you have any other Linux distro recommendations, tell me them!
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
And that is why [as a hardware man] the first line in my signature reads ..."Please state the make and model number of your machine or its specification [some problems may be equipment specific]"
and in many cases it is the cause, the second bigest problems for the newbie are a corrupt download [always check the md sum] or a bad burn of the install medium.
Bwiz
I second "Condobloke". Im new to linux and installed Mint alongside Win 10 , on WI-Fi and it works right out the gate. I am running some fairly new software as well, no problems. Every time I boot to Mint i just say Ahhhhhh. The freedom my friend. I will keep my widows OS as well. I can backup the whole thing to an image and be safe. You can find your win license key, put it aside on paper or anywhere you can retrieve it easily and do a fresh install of windows and mint at the same time. Split the drive between the 2! Its a blast. You wont be sorry.
I concur with my fellows, choosing a distribution is a largely personal endeavor to find the one that suits your needs the best, and I advice that you do not feel discouraged if you do not find a match your first time, or your first few times.
Personally, I learned to use computers and Linux with Ubuntu, but nowadays there are a lot of different offerings out there that have user-friendliness in mind.
I wish that you experience a swift and comfortable recovery!
Personally, I learned to use computers and Linux with Ubuntu, but nowadays there are a lot of different offerings out there that have user-friendliness in mind.
I wish that you experience a swift and comfortable recovery!
D
Deleted member 111282
Guest
From my experiences, I can tell you right now: Linux ain't yo daddy's OS (and no, I'm not saying that to scare you away).
We can recommend every specific distro under the sun, but it's YOU that has to decide which one you'll be using full-time. This is why I ALWAYS recommend newbies getting distros, running them in a virtual machine, and understanding how each one works from first-hand experience. Yes, it's confusing at first, but its not impossible to learn if you're technologically-inclined for it (I'm not, but I manage).
Once you feel comfortable enough with that, then you'll have to learn about everything that makes it fragmented (that's not necessarily a complaint, that's just the nature of the software). That alone is the most challenging aspect of it, IMO. You'll also need to be aware of the workarounds to get hardware, such as printers, to work properly.
Hopefully you'll find a distro that works for you, and that you're fine with the challenges Linux will give you
We can recommend every specific distro under the sun, but it's YOU that has to decide which one you'll be using full-time. This is why I ALWAYS recommend newbies getting distros, running them in a virtual machine, and understanding how each one works from first-hand experience. Yes, it's confusing at first, but its not impossible to learn if you're technologically-inclined for it (I'm not, but I manage).
Once you feel comfortable enough with that, then you'll have to learn about everything that makes it fragmented (that's not necessarily a complaint, that's just the nature of the software). That alone is the most challenging aspect of it, IMO. You'll also need to be aware of the workarounds to get hardware, such as printers, to work properly.
Hopefully you'll find a distro that works for you, and that you're fine with the challenges Linux will give you
I reckon you should run live first. Just had a relation of mine try installing without having tried Linux first and what a mess. Trying in a live environment and running that from a usb pendrive is a safe way of finding your distro of choice. Then study up on how to install - doing your homework.
Okay, firstly, I always install Mint on customers' machines without issue. It is far superior to Ubuntu with UX and stability, especially for Winblows users. But if you have issues, consider the below points.
Debian, grandfather of Mint, father of Ubuntu has a "firmware-blahblah.iso" which smoothly autodetects hardware and installs accordingly. I never have Realtek/RTL issues. Ever. And that is notwhithstanding Debian's out-of-datedness. I would say Mint's LiveCD probably just doesn't have the drivers on-disc.
If you want Out-of-the-Box, "just works" then Manjaro is the best of the best. Great support and detection of hardware, choice of official/closed or OSS drivers wherever possible. Handles updates automatically, but allows you to defer them as long as possible. Exceedingly friendly for Winblows users. More stable than its parent, Arch, but still offers very new software. Since it descends from Arch which has the biggest selection of software if you count the AUR, there's a lot of choice. Basically, if you have hardware issues, I recommend Manjaro above all. For such a robust distro, it's quite light weight and snappy. It also provides you with a help menu when logging in.
Zorin OS is a god-awful pile of steaming shite. Sorry, but it sucked back in the day when I tested it and IDK if it was still maintained these days since I heard it failed going commercial and faded back into the abyss it belonged in.
That all out the way, Debian-based systems like Mint (and Mint Debian Edition -- built straight off Debian instead of Ubuntu), can use later kernels. For example, when Debian 8 was the latest (aka "stable") version of Debian a few years back when I had just got a new notebook. I had some hardware issues. Using backports and a newer kernel fixed this (pity it didn't fix Debian 8 generally being inferior to the usual Debian and tempting me to change to Debian "testing").
So, in a nutshell, you'll probably be fine with Mint and the latest possible kernel, but if you want the best support and a more gamer-centric distro, Manjaro is for you.
Hope that helps.
Debian, grandfather of Mint, father of Ubuntu has a "firmware-blahblah.iso" which smoothly autodetects hardware and installs accordingly. I never have Realtek/RTL issues. Ever. And that is notwhithstanding Debian's out-of-datedness. I would say Mint's LiveCD probably just doesn't have the drivers on-disc.
If you want Out-of-the-Box, "just works" then Manjaro is the best of the best. Great support and detection of hardware, choice of official/closed or OSS drivers wherever possible. Handles updates automatically, but allows you to defer them as long as possible. Exceedingly friendly for Winblows users. More stable than its parent, Arch, but still offers very new software. Since it descends from Arch which has the biggest selection of software if you count the AUR, there's a lot of choice. Basically, if you have hardware issues, I recommend Manjaro above all. For such a robust distro, it's quite light weight and snappy. It also provides you with a help menu when logging in.
Zorin OS is a god-awful pile of steaming shite. Sorry, but it sucked back in the day when I tested it and IDK if it was still maintained these days since I heard it failed going commercial and faded back into the abyss it belonged in.
That all out the way, Debian-based systems like Mint (and Mint Debian Edition -- built straight off Debian instead of Ubuntu), can use later kernels. For example, when Debian 8 was the latest (aka "stable") version of Debian a few years back when I had just got a new notebook. I had some hardware issues. Using backports and a newer kernel fixed this (pity it didn't fix Debian 8 generally being inferior to the usual Debian and tempting me to change to Debian "testing").
So, in a nutshell, you'll probably be fine with Mint and the latest possible kernel, but if you want the best support and a more gamer-centric distro, Manjaro is for you.
Hope that helps.
Thank you all so much for the responses. I finally decided to make a dual-boot of Windows 10 and Linux mint since that's what I'm most comfortable with. Though I do have a question about dual booting. How do you dual-boot on separate drives? I have been looking thru the internet quite a bit and haven't found a solid response. Are there extra steps? Those questions have been wandering in my head. I have tested Linux mint using a USB stick and it works perfectly fine.
Ok, so I figured one thing out that you can choose a drive in the part where you install Linux mint alongside windows boot manager. So I can choose my D:\ Drive I think. Is that correct?
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
I use to run multiple distro's on multiple drives [my old puter had 5 inboard bays plus i use to have a couple of USB connectable laptop drives], each drive had its own distro, just be careful to make sure you choose the right drive on install.
Bwiz
