Hello good people of the Linux world. Pardon the long-winded first post, but I'm trying to provide as much useful info as possible in hopes that those willing to help can respond accordingly.

I am absolutely new to Linux but looking to dive in. I am mostly an experienced Windows user, but I also use a Macbook, mostly for web surfing and emails. I also have some other household Apple devices (ipads mostly).

My current desktop PC is a home-built rig that I made way back in 2008 all from parts ordered on Newegg.com. A friend taught me how to do this and it was such a fun experience. When I built this desktop I originally installed Windows XP Pro for the OS and then upgraded to Windows 7 back in 2011. I've resisted the urge to upgrade to Windows 10. About 4-5 years ago, Microsoft pulled the sneaky move one day and tried to automatically upgrade my machine to Windows 10. I was able to revert back to Windows 7 and also installed some third party app called GWX Control Panel in order to prevent the Windows 10 upgrade, but still have Windows updates regularly installed.

Since my desktop is reaching 14 years old, it's safe to say it's time to upgrade. The computer is becoming slower and bogs down here and there. I mostly use it to run Microsoft Office applications and to store personal files, documents and family photos. (Everything of importance is also backed up on external hard drives). I used to be able to play some decent games on it, but it likely can't run any modern games, since I'm maxed out at 4GB of RAM and the CPU is an old Intel Core2 Duo. I would like to be able to do some video editing with a new machine. With my current rig, it's impossible to do anything with a large video file from a GoPro or from a smartphone.

Because of my previous experience, I guess you could say I'm a bit more advanced than the average person. Maybe so, but I found shopping for and putting together all the hardware components rather easy (and much fun). But I don't have any programming experience, and I'm not particularly savvy when it comes to software or apps.

As I prepare to upgrade to a new computer, my primary concerns have been privacy and security. I've become aware of the privacy and security issues with Microsoft and Apple and would like to go in a different direction. I'm simply tired of these huge corporations that just want to collect as much user data as possible. That said, however, just last week in a moment of weakness I purchased a new all-in-one HP Pavilion desktop from Best Buy. It comes with Windows 11 installed. It's been sitting in the box unopened, and as I read more about Windows 11 and the potential security/privacy risks, I just can't bring myself to open it. This thing is going back to Best Buy. Since this is a Linux forum, I think most of you reading this would agree that keeping the HP machine is not the way to go if I have security/privacy concerns.

So with all this information out of the way, I have a few specific questions for anyone who may want to chime in. In my quest to upgrade to a new computer, what makes the most sense out of the following:

1) Should/can I buy a new Windows-based PC, uninstall Windows and then install some version of Linux? If going this route, is it possible to completely wipe out every trace of Windows? Does this option make sense?

2) I wouldn't mind hand-building another machine like my current one and then install Linux. Is this an option? Though with the chip shortage still in full swing, I don't know how difficult it is to find PC components. I know graphics cards were quite scarce the last time I checked.

3) Are there good reputable online dealers who sell computers with Linux pre-installed? No affiliation, but I came across a small company in Colorado, I believe, called System76 that sells desktops and laptops but with Pop_OS installed. This seems like an attractive option. Has anyone heard of this company? Are there others like them out there?

4) What are my other options?

Again, sorry for this lengthy post, but I wanted to be as detailed as possible.

When I do upgrade to a new machine, I'll probably keep my current PC around just to have as a backup of some sort or something I can experiment on.

Thanks to everyone in advance for your patience in reading my long post and for any suggestions or advice you may have. I'm really looking forward to joining the Linux world.

Hi, and welcome to LQ.

Be prepared for many opinions, here are mine.

Provided the hardware is not too bleeding edge, yes. Check for Linux compatibility for graphics, network etc adaptors before spending - DuckDuckGo will help.

Note that you'll probably need to disable secure boot (depending on which Linux distribution you intend to install) which will make it unusable with windows (at least until you re-enable secure boot).

It's very much an option, it's what I do. Checking for Linux compatibility first is important.


I've heard of them, but not had any experience. Basically if it sells with any Linux installed the hardware should be OK (but check first just to be sure).

One option is to keep using your Macbook and install a lighter distribution on your old PC and use that to learn how Linux works. "Lightweight" is a relative term - I have a laptop with very similar specifications (4GB RAM, Pentium) to your old PC usefully running the stable version of Slackware (there are much more newbie friendly distributions to try first). It is useful that you're comfortable with hardware and, I assume, windows. There will be a learning curve in understanding the different approach to doing things you're doing now with windows, because Linux isn't windows (an old web page but still accurate).

Really you need install some flavour of Linux, play with it and break it, learn to fix it. Start using it for your daily use and keep pushing until it's your default.

Come back here when you can't find information you need and let us know what you've tried.

Have fun.

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Welcome to LinuxQuestions.

1,2. One caveat with buying new specifically for linux is the latest and greatest hardware might not be supported just yet. Most hardware compatibility lists are probably outdated but Think Penguin does have components that are known to work. https://www.thinkpenguin.com/

3. A few websites to check out. https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=hardware

4. Buy refurbished or used from a local retailer. I have a few older Dells that work quite well. I know Dell and Lenovo sell new computers with Ubuntu preinstalled. If you do not like Ubuntu you can install something else.

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I bought an Asus ROG laptop (gaming machine) about a year ago and installed Linux on it dual boot the day I got it home. Everything worked on it with linux (Fedora) when initially installed.

Have never had any trouble with Asus or HP, but have occasionally had issues with Dell machines. The main issues I have seen reported with newer laptops is updated hardware such as the wifi chipsets or similar may not yet have the updated drivers but that seldom lasts for very long.

Cannot say much about the latest & greatest desktop machines since I build all my desktops myself and only buy a laptop pre-built over the counter.

I do caution about buying a machine that was newly designed & released yesterday because there is the often occurring problem of new parts for which linux may not yet have the drivers. However, most systems that have been out for 6 months or more are likely to be 100% compatible.

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As you format a disc it wipes all the data from the drive. Therefore all traces of Windows is removed.

Well kinda. The windows data is still there, but it can be a long and complicated process to recover it.

But in an operational sense, the data is lost.

Considering you've already done it once, you can do it again!

That is when you start a thread in the hardware lounge to check whether something you want will play nicely with something else.

Buy another computer which turns into an oversized paper weight........ like the one your threatening to return.

I can not speak for any one else, but I like detailed questions. Cause it saves me having to ask for information that I need to work out what has gone wrong.......... which in turn shortens the time the electronic marvel plays annoy the operator.

By the way. When you join the linux world, most every windoze thing you know about computers needs to be abandoned.

1 members found this post helpful.

For video editing, a $600 budget self-built Linux computer today is going to feel like a $2,500 computer in comparison to your 14 years old desktop. I had a similar experience and I was surprised by the difference. Look into kdenlive, davinci resolve, flowblade, and shotcut for video editing on your computer. Just a starting point -- there are more. You should also be aware of ffmpeg as well.

Don't wipe out your 14 years old Windows computer or install Linux to it. Leave it alone until you're not a newbie anymore. Instead, zero out that hard drive in your unopened HP all-in-one computer and put Linux on it.

Welcome!

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Rather than buying a "New" machine or even building one, you may like to check out some computer brokers for a second hand machine. Banks, insurance companies and other commercial businesses generally refresh their desktop systems roughly every three years, they sell their old kit to brokers and you can pick up some reasonably priced stuff pretty easily; HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc. I'm running an HP Z400 workstation with a pretty good spec even though it's circa 2009. Couldn't have justified the price new.
You don't say where you are in your profile so I'll give you a couple of links here in the UK; IJT Direct and Morgan Computers. (You should be able to find brokers wherever you are.)

Hope that's of some use.

Play Bonny!

opinions only here....

#1 is perfectly fine, including your HP whatever. Just use that is easy solution, put linux on it and be happy.

#2 is perfectly fine too. I have heard this chip shortage stuff related to gpu but dunno all the details. You could build the PC and use your old video card for a while, or buy a used one - i bought nvidia 750ti for $40 on craigslist few months ago. Then buy fancy gpu later, if this shortage is a temporary thing...

#3 theres a few, but web search will answer this... i think dell even sells pcs with ubuntu preinstaled if you want.... system76 i think its called, whoever makes popos, they also sell PCs...

#4 Running linux on your existing PC will probably perform better than win7. You could try that now (dual boot) if you can carve out like 15GB+ partition just to play with; windows has built in tool for shrinking existing partition.... but still wouldn't really be good enough. If you've been satisified with it til now tho, it doesn't sound like you really need a high end new machine.. maybe consider used to get the most for your $. Other than budget netbooks, almost anything from past 5 years will crazy outperform a dual core with 4GB....

1 members found this post helpful.

A week ago I was shopping Newegg for putting together a new PC. Everything needed is available, maybe just not with all the choices you would like. I was contemplating a socket 1200 motherboard with dual M.2 sockets, 4 video outputs, plus a USB-C port, and this i3 CPU. I still might, if those 35W TDP CPUs don't sell out first. Also I was considering a 65W TDP $199 i5-11400, 6 cores instead of i3's 4, and 11th gen instead of 10th.

Note I don't shop for GPUs. I find AMD's and Intel's recent IGPs adequate to task, but it's been a while since I even thought about video editing. You might try building using a CPU providing IGP, and if editing isn't fast enough for you, adding a discrete GPU. Scuttlebutt is that it's the discrete GPUs that are in short supply and seriously overpriced. If you're building with IGP, then you can afford to wait for GPU prices to return to sanity.

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I see many used PCs with Linux installed in eBay. Just be careful; read all the details. If you do not have experience with eBay then among the first things to look at is the shipping. Sometimes they make the sale price very attractive but the shipping outrageous. There are also used PCs available in eBay that do not have a drive or at least no OS. A useful term to use when searching is barebones; a barebones PC has just the basics; sometimes it does not even have RAM, disk drive and memory. If it has a good processor then of course you can easily add the rest. If you do not care about reliability then you can get a SSD that was made in China for about $20-$30.

So search in eBay for (even if you are not serious):

- barebones PC
- linux PC

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Wow, thanks everyone for all the great responses and suggestions! Very helpful.

Something I mentioned briefly in my original post but will emphasize is that I need to be able to run Microsoft Word and Excel, mostly for the work that I do, which is drafting, reviewing and editing documents. I'm constantly using MS Word. My current desktop is fine for handling this. It's the RAM, CPU and GPU-hungry applications that start to bog it down.

I think with all the helpful advice everyone has given, the best route for me right now is to keep my current desktop and continue to use it for the MS Office applications I need to do. At the same time, I'll start looking for cheap, used, more recent PC's - either bare bones ones or ones with some version of Windows that I can uninstall and then install Linux on. Then I can start experimenting with and getting to know Linux. Once I'm comfortable with Linux I'll likely end up building another higher end Linux machine with newer components. I don't think it's worth it for me at the moment to keep the HP all-in-one that I bought. At least not right now.

The geek in me is excited about eventually building another system. I remember building my first PC, after putting all the components together and getting ready to push the power button on the case for the first time, wondering "Is this thing going to blow up??" Of course it didn't, and everything turned out to be fine. It was just such a gratifying and empowering experience knowing that I could do this kind of thing myself.

Again, thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. The Linux community appears to be a very helpful and supportive one. I'm sure I'll be back here asking regular follow up questions as they arise. But for now, I have some good direction for my next steps.

FYI, you don't have to "disable secure boot" in order to use Linux on a machine. Most boot loaders used by Linux distributions are signed.

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You should know that LibreOffice has IME almost 100% compatibility with Word & Excel.
It can import .doc and .docx files and export the same. AFAIK the only issues it may have is the fonts, in that some of the microsoft fonts are not available to open source, but I have found that I can copy those particular fonts over to my linux machine from windows and then use them with LO as well.

Your idea to keep the existing machine for your Word & Excel work sounds like a suitable option since it will not interrupt the normal flow. Trying out LO on the new machine with linux may surprise you with its capabilities in that area. You can easily (time permitting) do things on the windows machine then repeat the same tasks with LO and see the differences and capabilities of LO.

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Agree with previous poster. Give LibreOffice a try (you can run it under windows now to get general idea....) and if for some reason you really don't think it's good enough, there are ways to run your ms office under linux. One way would be windows 7 in virtualbox, even has seemless mode so appears to run in its own window, etc.... Another is wine or codeweavers, etc.

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Or you could hop over into the software lounge and ask for, and about, a Linux equal for these applications.

As for transfering data between the two operating systems, I suggest formatting a usb to NTFS (windoze doesn't usually acknowledge the existance of linux formated usb's) and saving "Word" work as Rich Text Format........ Some member in software should be able to tell you about saving Excel data, for transfer between the two OSs.

Have you considered giving the geek in you a humbug present? .......... and a project to achieve before the begining of the new year .......

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