Wow, bunch of people calling eachother fanboys, its like I went back to grade school or something.
@teedot.
Please don't talk like you know what computers I have used, simple thing is, you don't.
I've been using and even building and repairing computers since they hooked up to television sets. I'm talking early Commodore systems. Tapes are as old school as it gets. Hard drive? What hard drive?
Windows may not be the greatest, but for someone who wants to game, if they've been using windows for a long time, it will save them alot of trouble if they stick to the OS they know.
My experiance with Ubuntu was just a way of stating that going to Linux isn't going to be as trouble free as people make it sound, even if you know the OS decently well. There will always be problems with a computer that you are going to have to solve. Personaly, I haven't had a problem with Windows XP for nearly three years. NOT ONE.
However, I know how to optimize and bug proof Windows XP alot better than I do Linux. If it where the other way around I'm sure I would have found linux easier to use. The OP has one major dissadvantage, He hasn't used Linux before at all, so he is going to find it confusing and run into trouble. If he wants ease of use and easy gaming, at this point it would be better for him to stick with windows if that is what he has been using for a long time.
The exact same goes for Mac, I don't like Macs, but I won't say they are crap. I've used quite a fue Mac computers before, And I found that they can infact have just as many problems with inexperianced users. Every OS has one main potential problem, The Person using it.
If windows seems like it sucks, YOU are doing something wrong.
If linux seems like it sucks, YOU are doing something wrong.
If OSX seems like it sucks, YOU are doing something wrong.
It's realy that simple. An OS will only be as good as the person using it.