Hey guys I have been using windows all my life, and windows 10 has no killed my love for windows. Started playing with the ones in my profile and now fell in love with linux. I am going to have to take a Linux class for school, really nervous since i just started to use Linux in the past 2 months. I am trying to narrow down the best versions to use, but since their are so many, i am a little lost. I have a Sager Laptop i will be using to install Linux on. Its a i7 6700HQ, 16GB DDR4-2400 ram, 8GB 1070 Nvidia card, X400 Scandisk 480GB, and is a beast. I wanted your guys input on the best for a beginner like me, and on my specs. Will any version work just as fast as my Windows now? So far i have maybe decided on Zorin 12.1 64Bit Ultimate, Mint 18.1 Serena 64 bit, and maybe Loki, or Mate. I wish the Linux class would tell you what version they use but do not. Another question is will my SSD and all my specs work well with linux? Like support for Quad core, SSD, etc? I would appreate any input from anyone. Thanks so much! Brian

Hi Brian. Being a user of Mint 18.1, I am very happy with it and would recommend it not only for a beginner but also for more advanced uses as well.

Have you tried booting off a Mint CD/DVD/USB and seeing if it works fine on your computer? If it does then you can install it as a dual boot on your computer.

No need to be nervous! There's a lot to learn but as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty, searching on the internet for solutions, and asking questions here, you should be fine.

One alternative you have is to, at least in the meantime, run Linux in a Virtual Machine (using e.g. VirtualBox) on your Windows 10 machine. It's not quite the same as running on "bare metal" but it does have its advantages - for example, you can create a snapshot, muck around to your heart's content and then revert back to the snapshot once you've finished (and thus you don't need to be scared about trying things out). That might be a bonus when you're in class and experimenting at lot.

i run OpenSUSE and have for many years now

try a few distros and find you YOU like

rpm and deb is the main issue

the redhat VS debian packaging

I suspect the class will use Red Hat. If its Red Hat I suggest CentOS which is a free build of their enterprise distro. Otherwise I suggest what I would suggest to myself. Try as many as you want but try to pick ones that have a different lineage so you get a good feel of what is out there so you know what you want.
http://distrowatch.com/

Nvidia has you covered with linux drivers. The intel processor was made in 2015 so I suspect most distros should support it now without having to use the very latest kernel.

That's bizarre! What reason did they give for not disclosing this information when you asked?

If they don't tell you which distro to get, then it probably doesn't matter. Any Linux will run fine on hardware like yours. You'd probably have less risk of trouble if you get software that is newer than the hardware and which isn't fussy about including proprietary drivers.

I'd go for Mint. When you run the live version, you can soon see how well things run before you install. Mint, unlike some distros, allows you to encrypt /home when you install. Do it: your computer is very "stealable" and if the worst did happen, it's nice to know that you haven't lost personal information along with a very expensive piece of hardware!