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Dear respected Ubuntu community

I will be running Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)

NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12

GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH

Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2

500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)

8GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

I primarily use my pc for gaming, though not the latest games, I have an extensive collection of older titles. I have never been a Linux user, but I am able to research how to bugfix having spent years battling windows in its various forms.

I am making this inquiry because I am worried about windows 10. Is WIN10 as bad as all that? I actually feel dread at the prospect of installing it on my sweet new rig and am really here to ask.. can Linux help me? As a disgruntled customer I should be able to take my business elsewhere. Will Ubuntu be able to support my hardware. I am relatively advanced user but not a programmer or commercial networker or anything like that.

Sorry if this is not the right place to post this. I need good advice fast as my build date is rapidly approaching. Should I get a second hgardrive if I plan to run a dual booter. Thank you for your time in regards to this matter.

Kind regards

Inquirer

Inquirer
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  • any version of ubuntu will support your hardware but it is recommended to use/install the latest one (stable). For the video, nVidia has native drivers for linux so you can review that here http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/81252/en-us you mentioned games, I am not gamer so I am afraid I can't help you there. Maybe someone who play games with linux can help. You can keep your windoz and install ubuntu along if you want to just test and see how it goes. – ostendali Dec 10 '15 at 16:01
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    @ostendali I, personally, wouldn't recommend that someone new to Ubuntu would get the latest version. 15.10 is only supported for a little more time, and the upgrade to a newer version can be a pain. – TheWanderer Dec 10 '15 at 16:02
  • I meant to write latest stable version:-) – ostendali Dec 10 '15 at 16:04
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    @Zacharee1: the newest Intel Skylake processors will only be supported from kernel >= 4.3. which will not be included before Ubuntu 16.04 (but can installed in Ubuntu 15.10 if needed). We should always run the latest Ubuntu on new or brand new hardware to avoid incompatibilies or lacking drivers. See https://askubuntu.com/questions/691216/no-version-of-ubuntu-can-be-installed-with-any-6th-generation-intel-processor – Takkat Dec 10 '15 at 20:01
  • Possible duplicate of No version of Ubuntu can be installed with any Skylake 6th generation Intel processor and Will my device work with Ubuntu? – karel Sep 22 '18 at 19:08

1 Answers1

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Windows 10's automatic updates are definitely annoying, and the new tracking methods they put in are a bit invasive. However, Pro can turn off auto updates (I think there's a patch for Home) and the data tracking can be turned off with another program. Of course, Linux is great, especially Ubuntu ;), but if it doesn't work out, Windows 10 should be fine for just gaming (although I recommend Windows 7).

Now, for Ubuntu. Your computer is a very good build. Your processor will work fine, but make sure you get the 64-bit version of Ubuntu to use it to its full potential. Since your LAN and WiFi are both Intel, everything will be OK there. Anything Intel is usually fine. Unless your hard drive is SCSI or in soe weird proprietary RAID system, you're fine, and I doubt you'll be doing that. You almost never have to worry about RAM from a software point of view.

The only thing I worry about is your graphics adapter. NVIDIA tends to have annoying problems when you install its proprietary drivers. You can go without installing them, but games won't run as well. I have the 950M, and it works fine on Ubuntu 14.04-15.10, so the 960M should also work fine.

Everything you've provided should work fine with Ubuntu. Since you're a new user, I recommend getting the latest LTS (long-term support) release, Ubuntu 14.04. I believe it's supported until 2019 (meaning you can get help with it until then), and you'll have an easy upgrade to the next LTS release, 16.04.

If you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment.

TheWanderer
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  • Thank you for your comprehensive reply. I think I will give Ubuntu a try as I don't like to feed the beast. Does Ubuntu come with the necessary features to connect to the internet? Can you recommend an Ubuntu antivirus? Will Ubuntu support the max supported RAM of my system... 16 gb? Thanks again :) – Inquirer Dec 10 '15 at 16:18
  • Ubuntu comes preinstalled with Firefox, though you can install Chrome from the web. The great thing about Linux is that it's very secure. I've never seen an antivirus program for Ubuntu (though I'm sure they exist), and I've never needed to get an antivirus. Ubuntu 32-bit only supports 4GB RAM, which is normal for every OS. 64-bit can support up to some ridiculous number. – TheWanderer Dec 10 '15 at 16:44
  • Thanks a lot you really have given me the confidence to ditch Microshaft, at least as my primary OS. I have been reading more about Ubuntu and this looks like it could be a bit of fun. Will a boot usb stick help me load it onto a brand new system with no prior OS? I see instructions how to install on Windows and Mac but not on blank pc. Anyways I am cancelling my WIN10 cos it scares me. Wish me luck! – Inquirer Dec 10 '15 at 16:52
  • Use Rufus to burn the Ubuntu ISO to a USB stick on Windows, then boot from it on the new computer. – TheWanderer Dec 10 '15 at 16:53