How to properly switch to Linux

[Admin]

I have noticed that a lot of overclockers boot to windows to test new overclocks and do stresstesting which often results in windows being corrupted to the point where a new installation is the only way to actually fix those problems.

But we are now at the point where you can do very throught stresstesting in linux alone almost to the point where the need for windows for stresstesting has been eliminated completely.

OCCT (which has a proper linux version) recently added something similar to testmem5 (you can even convert old testmem5 profiles for it).

Stressapptest, y-cruncher and mprime (linux equivalent of prime95) are all excellent tools for stresstesting the memory controller.

Intel MLC exists for ram benchmarking and the measured latency in linux is significantly lower (not sure why to be honest).

While you could simply use some usb with linux for testing purposes i think it makes more sense to do a proper linux installation.

 

[Admin]

Intalling linux
I would recommend to use a separate SSD to install linux on and disconnect all other drives to make sure you do not accidentally eraze any important data. There is also a security risk (with regard to your linux install) if you keep the SSD with linux installed connected while you use linux (malware could then potentially/theoretically infect your linux drive from windows).

I do not recommend just erazing the windows drive (even if you are frustrated with microsoft) since it's hard to completely eliminate the need to use windows. Often there is some software or game you want to use that doesn't properly work in linux (if it works at all) such as games with kernel level anticheat (basically a rootkit so you don't want to run it on your main operating system anyway).

Next once you have a spare SSD ready you need to get yourself a USB with your linux distributions of choice. While you are free to chose any distribution most choises are obviously going to be bad.

Most distributions you hear about will be based on Arch Linux, Fedora or Debian.

Distributions based on Arch Linux does provide faster access to new software than opensuse tumbleweed and distributions based on fedora (maybe 30 days difference).

Debian (and distributions based on it) honestly mainly make sense for servers due to how far behind it is.

 

[Admin]

Examples of distributions that seem good
Arch Linux: i have been using it for years and i honestly foud it easier to manage and much better than the first distro i tried (linux mint). It got noteriety due to supposedely being hard to install (hyped out as much harder than it actually was) but later they made it quicker and easier via "archinstall".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm-1CPA6j-I

EndeavourOS: Arch Linux except that that it comes with a graphical installer and more automated setup process (but also less customization). I installed it on a laptop and it has worked fine so far (much better than manjaro).

CachyOS: comes with optimized packages for the purpose better performance and has a lot of options during the installation process. I actually tested the cachyOS kernel recently but i switched back due to an issue i noticed with stressapptest.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cachyos/comments/1szcs6o/i_noticed_potential_drawback_with_the_cachy_os/

It comes with an installer that has a lot of options and honestly it does seem fairly beginner friendly (for people who actually want to learn linux properly):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nAc4QQ_5eE

Currently the main issue i have with Arch Linux is that it relies too much on the AUR (unofficial repositories for software) which doesn't always work properly when you try to install something and there is also a malware risk since those packages are not properly vetted.

You can technically install .deb packages to Arch Linux via the "debtap" package for example but i never actually had to resort to that so far.

Fedora: used by Linus Torvalds himself and it does actually seem pretty good based on what i have read but i have never gotten around to actually trying it myself. It's very much tied to Red Hat giving it strong corporate backing but it's also effectively controlled by the Red Hat (now owned by IBM) which makes some people uncomfortable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZKt13bdmww

Nobara Linux: fork of fedora focused on gaming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9dK77Dkm3o

Opensuse tumbleweed: rolling distribution that isn't as up to date as Arch Linux but might offer better stability. Uses the same RPM format for installations as distributions based on fedora.