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Welly Wu
December 24th, 2017, 02:31 AM
I bought a mid-2016 Acer Predator 17X (GX-791) gaming notebook PC and a mid-2017 AVA Direct gaming desktop PC both of which are certified for Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 bit. Over the past few days, I installed Ubuntu 16.04.3 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux bare metal as my sole desktop operating system. I did so to save money from purchasing Microsoft Windows 10 64 bit software products that I would try for a period of time only to uninstall each title while making Windows 10 less reliable and stable. I got tired of reinstalling Windows 10 64 bit repeatedly and I am looking to save more of my own money with the new year coming soon. Ubuntu is a natural fit for me.

On my notebook PC, I am waiting for Ubuntu 16.04.4 64 bit with Linux kernel 4.13.x AMD64 or higher so that my Super Speed USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 Type-C port will be recognized and it will just work.

On my desktop PC, I have to wait for AMD and Canonical, Ltd. to continue working on the open source AMDGPU graphics software and drivers. It is still unknown if they will support AMD xDNA CrossfireX technology with the supported CrossfireX profiles for SteamOS + GNU/Linux PC game titles in the future and I own two AIB RX580s 8GB GPUs.

I can post my current setup here if anyone is curious as a frame of reference, but someone has to show interest before I do that. In any event, I monitor Phoronix, OMG! Ubuntu, Ubuntu Forums, Gaming on Linux, and Lutris and I have active accounts.

I do plan to do an in-place upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04.1 64 bit LTS GNU/Linux sometime in Summer 2018 on both PCs one at a time. If something breaks, then I have backups and I will do another clean installation which is usually recommended as the best practice. I am sticking with Ubuntu because of my financial goal to save my money, but I found that free, libre, and open source software to be more reliable and stable than commercial, proprietary, and closed source software products.

exploder
December 25th, 2017, 09:29 PM
You can save money with both Ubuntu or Windows. I have had to use Windows 10 recently on two of my machines, a newer HP laptop that has an AMD A10 processor and R6 graphics and a refurbished HP dc7800 small form factor desktop. The laptop just does not have full support yet and the desktop gets a screen full of errors booting and just runs awful with every distro I have tried to use...To make a long story short, I was able to get Windows 10 running perfect on both. (The desktop did require some tinkering.)

I am not a fan of buying applications, I am spoiled by all the great open source apps out there. What I do is simply install all my favorite apps on Windows, LibreOffice, Gimp, VLC, etc and I am pretty content. The trick to keeping Windows stable is to not duplicate Microsoft's stock apps!

I am waiting for future kernel development to catch up with my laptop. The desktop shocked me when it worked better with Windows but it is fine the way it is. Kernel development is not going to do the desktop any good because of its age.

At any rate, you can save money regardless of the OS in use.

Welly Wu
December 25th, 2017, 10:27 PM
You are right. When I bought my two PCs, I thought that I had a chance to buy a lot of software products and I did just that. I knew a former friend of mine who is a cheapskate and he rarely bought any software for his PC.

At any rate, I prefer a GNU/Linux environment. I do think that Ubuntu 18.04.1 64 bit will be a better match for my newer desktop PC though with updated software and the next 16.04.4 LTS will continue to improve things further for both PCs. I have found free and open source software applications as alternatives to closed source and proprietary software products today on both PCs so I don't have to spend more money on LastPass Premium, JRiver Media Center, and Codeweavers CrossOver next year. It's a savings by going with KeePass 2 Personal Safe, Clementine, Shotwell, and VLC, and WINE; however, I do not need to install Windows software on Ubuntu yet and I hope to avoid it altogether on both PCs. I am going to renew my Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Complete because I installed it on my three Google Android devices and it's not a bad software product after I did some careful research into the paid antivirus market.