Linux

You can always dual boot. That's how I started because, like you, I was too lazy to fully commit to wiping everything.

If you don't know what dual boot means. It means you can install Linux alongside Windows. So when you turn on your computer it asks which OS do you want to boot into (you can have a default if you turn it on and walk away too).

So essentially it's like having 2 computers in 1.

It's a good stepping stone into Linux without having to go to the full effort of starting from scratch with everything.

What I found amazing afterwards was how loud my fans run and how much my CPU is constantly working when booted into Windows. And then how quiet and fast everything was on Linux. It was nice being able to compare performance on the exact same hardware.

Generally speaking, as long as the game doesn't have kernel-level anticheat, it'll work on Linux. Basically, you miss out on some competitive multiplayer games, but not all. Everything else works fine, you might have to check protondb.com for some specific fixes, but usually Steam handles all that stuff in the background. For GOG/Epic/itch.io etc. Heroic Games Launcher is your best option, though sometimes I have to use Bottles for certain games. Some people like Lutris, I haven't had any luck with it. But, for the most part, games "just work" on Linux now.

The equivalent cppc driver is on Linux, along with a sysfs interface that lets you override cache (CCD) preference per-application, like you can via Registry on Windows.

AMD has very solid Linux drivers. I forgot which CPU it was recently, but AMD had to delay the release because the Windows drivers weren't ready, despite having Linux drivers already included in kernels.

Can't speak to that exact CPU - but Linux tends to have excellent support for AMD. It's why Linux users strongly recommend using an AMD graphics cards. I'd be surprised if windows offered a better experience