check your hardware ahead of time too, linux does not support nearly as diverse of hardware as windows nor do many parts makers cater to linux---check for compatibilty BEFORE installing linux, not after, it will save you some headaches
nvidia does, ati does not for the most part
cutting edge brand new stuff often doesnt work for a few months to a year till someone reverse engineers drivers in many cases
some things actually work better, linux usually doesnt limit hardware functions like windows often does---like TV cards for example, they usually work better with linux if supported than they do in windows