I can find valid results with Kagi 90% of the time compared to about 40% with Google. There are some things I was been looking for using Google for several years without success that turn up as the top result on Kagi.

It just works.

Kagi (paid) advertises a huge list of bangs with the option to customise them yourself.

I second the Framework laptops. I’ve bought 4 Framework 13s so far, and no issues with any of them.

I recommend dual booting Windows and Linux until you’re comfortable switching entirely. Sometimes you need to go back for just one task.

Always back up your files before installing a new OS. Data loss is always possible during installation, and more likely if you don’t know what you’re doing.

The Grub boot manager (included and installed by default with Linux Mint and some other distros) makes it easy to pick which OS to boot each time when turning the computer on.

Check out Lutris for non-Steam Windows games. It uses Wine, but is a lot more user friendly to set up and use.

You can always try the live USB without/before installing. It’s a great way to start getting comfortable or try out several different distros with minimal effort and risk.