Advice for migrating from Windows 11 to Linux

[jak_2456]

Hey everyone! I've been considering migrating my Dell XPS 15 7590 from Windows 11 to Linux (probably Mint but I'll look around to see if anything else looks appealing to me). What are some things I should consider while doing this? I have some decent experience with Linux in general since I've installed it on numerous devices in the past and I have two devices running it already. However, I have never migrated one of my main use devices to Linux before, so I was wondering what to expect.

What I use the laptop for:

• Web browsing
• 3D modeling and slicing (using FreeCAD and Creality Print)
• Gaming (although the games I want to play are verified to work under Linux

Some things I'm unsure about:

• NVIDIA drivers (my laptop has a GTX 1650)
• Docking station compatibility (I have a Dell WD15)
• Battery usage vs. Windows
• USB monitor support (I have a ViewSonic VA1655 portable monitor)

 

[silentbogo]

What I use the laptop for:

• Web browsing
• 3D modeling and slicing (using FreeCAD and Creality Print)
• Gaming (although the games I want to play are verified to work under Linux

Some things I'm unsure about:

• NVIDIA drivers (my laptop has a GTX 1650)
• Docking station compatibility (I have a Dell WD15)
• Battery usage vs. Windows
• USB monitor support (I have a ViewSonic VA1655 portable monitor)

I have an ASUS Strix laptop with similar spec running just Ubuntu since last year(11th gen Core i5, GTX 1650Ti).

Your primary uses are 100% fine:
* Web browsing is no different than windows, if not faster
* 3d modeling and slicing also works fine. I'm using Orca on all of my machines, and didn't notice any weirdness between Win11 and Ubuntu. Creality Slicer should work as well.
In my case everything worked as-is, but some people reported issues with prerequisites (you may need to check the errors in console output, and install them manually). Same applies to Creality Slicer.
* Gaming works better than ever. During last streak of power outages I spent several weeks playing the good-ole Dragon Age: Origins via Proton with no issues. Haven't tried many games, but I have at least a dozen Linux-native games in my library, and I've tried maybe another 10 or so games via Proton, and so far no issues.

The "Unsure section" also looks good:
* Nvidia drivers work fine. I installed mine via driver manager, and no issues as far as I'm concerned.
* Docking station is also going to work fine. Personally I've only tried it with Lenovo and HP docking stations on various machines, but I'm sure Dell DW15 is no different.
* Battery - about the same. Though, personally I had better experience on Linux for one very important reason: OS power limits actually work. During outages I run it via USB-C to barrel jack cable plugged into a small charging station (65W max). On windows just setting the power mode did not help, so I needed to adjust the max CPU state to around 90% from stock in order to be able to use my laptop at all, but in Ubuntu I set the power mode to something lower, and I can even play some older games without tripping OCP on my charge station (or at least charge the internal battery while watching youtube).
* USB monitors should also work. I only have a generic 14" FHD Chinese monitor with touch screen. After migrating to Ubuntu I was mentally prepared to roll back to HDMI+USB in order to have functioning touch screen, but at the end it did work fine via single Type-C cable.

 

[AusWolf]

I have an ASUS Strix laptop with similar spec running just Ubuntu since last year(11th gen Core i5, GTX 1650Ti).

Your primary uses are 100% fine:
* Web browsing is no different than windows, if not faster
* 3d modeling and slicing also works fine. I'm using Orca on all of my machines, and didn't notice any weirdness between Win11 and Ubuntu. Creality Slicer should work as well.
In my case everything worked as-is, but some people reported issues with prerequisites (you may need to check the errors in console output, and install them manually). Same applies to Creality Slicer.
* Gaming works better than ever. During last streak of power outages I spent several weeks playing the good-ole Dragon Age: Origins via Proton with no issues. Haven't tried many games, but I have at least a dozen Linux-native games in my library, and I've tried maybe another 10 or so games via Proton, and so far no issues.

The "Unsure section" also looks good:
* Nvidia drivers work fine. I installed mine via driver manager, and no issues as far as I'm concerned.
* Docking station is also going to work fine. Personally I've only tried it with Lenovo and HP docking stations on various machines, but I'm sure Dell DW15 is no different.
* Battery - about the same. Though, personally I had better experience on Linux for one very important reason: OS power limits actually work. During outages I run it via USB-C to barrel jack cable plugged into a small charging station (65W max). On windows just setting the power mode did not help, so I needed to adjust the max CPU state to around 90% from stock in order to be able to use my laptop at all, but in Ubuntu I set the power mode to something lower, and I can even play some older games without tripping OCP on my charge station (or at least charge the internal battery while watching youtube).
* USB monitors should also work. I only have a generic 14" FHD Chinese monitor with touch screen. After migrating to Ubuntu I was mentally prepared to roll back to HDMI+USB in order to have functioning touch screen, but at the end it did work fine via single Type-C cable.

Power works better on Linux, imo, because the OS uses way less CPU and RAM during idle, so the only things that need power are your background apps.