Considering the switch....(from windows)

I don't know much about linux, but I have read a bit.

As I see it, for a guy like me the two obvious choices are Zorin and/or Mint.
I'm kinda hoping for an unbiased opinion.

Which one would be best, for me.
Now, although I'm a complete linux noob, I do know my way around a pc, and indeed friends and family bring me their boxes when trouble strikes. So I do have that.(for whatever that's worth)

At this point in life, I use my computer for browsing the internet, some accounting, and it doubles as a htpc.

I'm just tired of devoting so much time trying to make windows work. I want something that just works. I get that there will be a learning curve, no matter what, just so long as none of my hardware is incompatible...

Thanks......

Here are my system specs:

Operating System
64-bit
CPU
AMD FX-8350 23 °C
Vishera 32nm Technology
RAM
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 937MHz (10-11-10-30)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 990FXA-UD3 (CPU 1) 34 °C
Graphics
LG TV (1920x1080@60Hz)
PX2710MW (1920x1080@60Hz)
2048MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 6570 (ATI AIB) 57 °C
Storage
1863GB Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 ATA Device (SATA) 32 °C
1863GB Western Digital WDC WD2003FZEX-00Z4SA0 (SATA) 44 °C
1863GB Seagate ST32000542AS (SATA) 30 °C
1863GB Seagate ST2000DL003-9VT166 (SATA) 28 °C
1863GB Seagate ST32000542AS (SATA) 31 °C
3726GB Seagate Backup+ Desk SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA)) 31 °C
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST BD-RE WH10LS30 ATA Device
Audio
Creative X-Fi Audio Processor (WDM)

Printer: Canon mx710 <- must work.
Galaxy S5 <- must be able to read.

OK - First off you need to consider the life-cycle of the distribution - I don't know what Linux Mint's life cycle's are but they appear to be frequent. If you want an unbiased view, my suggestion is you download Linux Mint current version and download Zorin core 9.1 from here

http://sourceforge.net/projects/zorin-os/files/9/

make sure you use firefox for a corrupt free image, then if using windows use winmd5sum free from winmd5.com - I made a tutorial video on how to use it on veoh,com:

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v28335038JpeNGXzP

then if using windows, download imgburn from https://ninite.com

Then assuming the md5 matches the isos you downloaded, burn at the slowest speed your burner will run at.
In respect of your printer, you should not have any issues as the latest kernel includes the printer driver for Canon MX710 in respect of Zorin - I cannot speak for Mint, but it should do,

As regards your samsung mobile, my suggestion is you boot both distros live, and once you have reached the desktop environment, connect your phone and see if it gets picked up.

The only piece of hardware I can see that MIGHT be an issue is the creative X-Fi but there may be workarounds:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2197556

Sometimes solutions cannot be applied until the OS has been installed. If you do decide to give Zorin a try then be sure to follow Wolfman's excellent post install guide especially the section on sound:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2054

Ok, thanks for the info mate, gonna check it out.

I went ahead and bought the ultimate version(9), gonna go and install a dual boot system, at least for the time being.

Well, got as far as the "welcome" screen, but neither my mouse or keyboard would function, so....

Is it a wireless mouse and keyboard? If so what brand?

From ->http://askubuntu.com/questions/281964/live-os-doesnt-see-usb-mouse-or-keyboard (as provided from BC Advisor)

The trick is to enable (at least on Gigabyte Motherboards like the 970a series) IOMMU in the peripherials tab. It is ab option with no description close to the bottom of the menu. Only 2 options, enable or disable. Enable the option save the setting and reboot. Surprise! All of you USB devices are now functional again.

So I did finally get it installed. Not very user friendly on the install, but I managed.(dual boot/win10)

Now, I'm gonna play around with it over a period of time, with a view to ending windows as my OS.

Very difficult slogging.
Can't install either of my browsers, Palemoon and Cyberfox.
My tb external Seagate hd is not showing up.

Discouraging. It's seriously hard to imagine an operating system LESS intuitive.

Ok, thanks for sharing your mobo solution. As for tricky dual-boot that is down to Windows 10. As for Seagate they are known not to be GNU/Linux friendly - my 2 Tb external Buffalo gets picked up every time!

Interesting, I found the installation process quite simple (though maybe my older hardware gave less issues) and about on a par with my experiences with Windows (up to and including XP).

What I did find daunting and delayed my jump, was knowing that it was different and what to do about it. Sites like this, ubuntuforums, askubuntu, etc. all make that so much easier. Even so as you have done, I made a dual-boot set-up first (was quite enlightening doing a task in XP, then trying it in Zorin). So I would say don't be afraid to hit that search engine and ask questions

The key things are not to assume it works the same way and to be prepared to ask!

Hope you get there.

Regards