if some HW works with one distro it will work with everything else. Linux is just kernel and everything else is addon. As most drivers are in kernel you shouldn't have any problems.

You could use Gentoo. If you don't upgrade every time when programX_v2.3.4_beta1 gets a new version called programX_v2.3.4_beta2 then you rarely need to compile stuff. For installing Gentoo I would suggest downloading Kororaa livecd and install it from there. For basic KDE system you will not have to compile anything and since the kernel is set up exactly the same as on livecd it will most likely detect and activate all of your HW. Perhaps only you would need to install video card drivers but that should be relatively easy.

I did Kororaa install at work once when I accidentally removed my /bin directory. too about 1h from inserting CD and logging in to KDE.

[edit]
http://kororaa.org/
http://kororaa.org/static.php?page=static060318-181203

While you are at it you can check out XGL too. The livecd automagically sets up everything for you. When you install it on HDD you will have to install XGL separately but I wouldn't suggest that because KDE hasn't got very good support for it, or to be more precise KDE window manager (kwin) doesn't have and XGL one (compiz) doesn't support most of the nice features of kwin.

Yes it is but it doesn't install XGL on HDD. It will install regular Gentoo with livecd kernel and no XGL.

If you want to be clever you can combine Kororaa and stage3 install:
do kororaa install first and install other packages from stage3 binaries. It should work and get you up and running in no time.

amd64 is 64bit, x86 32bit. As you said you want to use 32bit version you should get the x86 version.

It certainly isn't easier, just you would skip compiling some stuff.

stage3 might give better end result (kernel with only neccesary stuff and wider selection of installable software) but it is a tiny bit harder to install. With kororaa you simply click next and choose some stuff but with stage3 you have to punch in some commands. Nothing too hard though and everything is written and explained in handbook: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/index.xml

If you have time to experient I would first try stage3. If that doesn't work well then Kororaa. With stage3 be sure to read the handbook. It should work if you do as it's written there.

Handbook is included on the cd and when printed out it takes roughly 125 pages

IIRC there is a text-based browser called links2 included on the livecd so if you have trouble you can use that to complain in a.cc. You can also use it to read the handbook.

[edit]

I checked and it seems they have done something with the manual. It's only 65 pages now. Perhaps the 125-pages is what I remember from printing out the non-pringer optimized version.

[edit2]

Actually, before you start installing you should read the handbook a bit. At least everything up to and including this page: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=2

I recommend you not to use the graphical installer on the LiveCD, as it is often described as buggy, and I think you don't learn that much about Gentoo using it.

If you use the links browser to view the manual, you could use the graphical version, which is invoked by executing "links2 -g". I always found this to be useful.

Okey! So I'll continue my download of "x86-livecd-2006.0". When it's finished I'll burn it to a CD and boot up. I will then be able to see the Gentoo handbook through links, and I will be able to use the non-graphical installation right from the Live CD. Correct?

There's probably some confusion here - I'll try to explain:

On the LiveCD you can start up a graphical environment (which is done by default): In this graphical environment, you could use the graphical installer I mentioned before (but you don't have to!). In the graphical environment, you could also use Firefox to view the manual and type the commands into a graphical terminal.

However, you can also switch to a REAL console, where you DON'T have a graphical environment, which means: no Firefox! Here you could use links.

Hope it helped!

Yes and yes.
Actually Gentoo has no non-graphical installer. You just type in some commands that do the same job as any graphical installer would, only you have better control over things.

"that key" is alt+ F1-F5 and yes, you can do that.

I would boot into graphical environment and use FF and graphical console. That way I don't have to retype the commands and I can simply copy-paste them.

It probably gets clearer once you boot the cd and start installing

And the ease of use!
</opinion>

Oh and to add on to HoHo's post, my favorite tactic is to boot to KNOPPIX and install gentoo from that. That was I get a working system straight from the get-go

I've thought about switching to Linux for a while, but to be honest, I'm not ready to give up my games.

Why not do as I did:
When I want to play games I go to windows, when I want to do something useful I go to Linux. In six months I almost never booted windows any more, two months after that I cleaned it out of my PC

I suppose I could do that... maybe I'll look into installing Linux on my new MacBook Pro (if it ever comes...). I'll have a triple boot! MacOS X, Windows XP, and Linux. You can do that, right?

Of course. And if you're feeling helpful, you can always try your Windows games in Wine, and if you have problems, provide as much detail in a bug report as you can (if not try to help fix the problem).