You are not “barely computer literate”. Most people have no idea how to put a OS installer on a flash drive and boot from it. If you know how to format your laptop and reinstall Windows, you know how to install Linux. Install any beginner distro (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc) and have fun. Google is your friend if you find any issues. There are a lot of resources online to help you.

If you want to play games or use any specific Windows-only software you may have to do some research, but if just for browsing the web you will most probably have a good time. Don’t be afraid to try and learn.

Have you tried updating the controller’s firmware?

If you want to remove bloat, you can use this software. It doesn’t require root. Just be careful to not disable important system apps otherwise you can make your tablet unusable and will have to find a way to go to recovery and factory reset.

https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation

I used it on a friend’s cheap Chinese phone and it removed a lot of stuff. The phone was much better after that, but of course, be extra careful to not remove important stuff.

Good luck!

I’d rather have better hand grip and ergonomics than small form factor. I used to play on my PSP and DS/3DS all the time, but yeah nowadays the Steam Deck is the best for my hands

Have you tried lowering the resolution and enabling FSR?

Use Luxtorpeda as a compatibility tool and OSRS will run using RuneLite and track time:

https://github.com/luxtorpeda-dev/luxtorpeda

If you don’t have a budget to upgrade to a better laptop anytime soon, I recommend using a low ram distro, like Lubuntu and search for the best driver compatible for your GT 730. I believe this GPU barely supports Vulkan so demanding 3D games will mostly not run properly. You’ll have to stick with old AAA or indie games. Also, if using a Ubuntu-based distro, make sure the package nvidia-prime is installed to use your nvidia GPU instead of the Intel HD Graphics which are even worse. Good luck!