Fortunately, Linux distros usually have a demo version you can try; just chuck it on a USB, boot off of it, and you can give it a spin without any commitment. If you dislike it, you can delete it from ...

Over the decades, I've used or tested just about every Linux distribution available, and this one has stood above all else.

There are some other benefits to using an OS within a VM, like having a virtual drive that grows and shrinks based on what you need. If I need a bit more oomph, I can reconfigure my VM with more RAM ...