I'm totally new to linux, but I've basically had enough with using windows. A recent HDD failure has prompted me to take this as a good time to switch (my new setup will be a 250GB SSD and 1TB HDD for media).
Most of my tasks involve simply using browsers, checking emails, compiling LaTeX and so on. However, I do still occasionally play games on my PC (on steam) and this seems to be the only negative of switching to ubuntu.
So, my question is basically one of the best solution for installing ubuntu but still being able to play steam games (I am aware that they now support some games).
From what I gather, I have these options:
1) Just install ubuntu and use a program like wine to run games.
2) Partition my drive so that I have one for windows for when I want to play games and another for ubuntu, for everything else.
The only advantage of 1) is that I'll have more disk space without having to install windows (and potentially create too large of a partition for it. I assume that the games should be installed onto the same partition as the OS?). On the other hand, it feels natural to me that running games through a program like wine isn't going to be all that great - can it handle newer games well (civ V, CSGO?); does one see a general drop of frame rate?
Option 2) seems like the best option for me, but then I need to decide on how to partition the drive and risk losing unnecessary space.
I would be very grateful to hear opinions on the best solution. I am totally new to ubuntu and this forum, so apologies if the question isn't appropriate, is poorly phrased, or is too long!