With the newest 8th and 9th gen ryzen and the wifi-7 and BT 5.4, we need kernels of 6.14 or 6.15 to have a working system but zorin as with most distros are still use old kernels. Without it it gives black screen at boot and issues. I wish zorin has a pre-boot or pre install option that would allow to use the latest kernel to get it working. So unfortunately i am stuck on win 11, because linux distros are so slow to catch and update their kernels to the latest out there.
You should give PCLOS Debian a try. It uses the latest Liquorix kernels. It is my main use distro. You need to remember there are a lot more older machines out there which newer kernels will not run on, and unlike other OS's that require you to buy new hardware, GNU/Linux breathes life into what otherwise becomes e-waste landfill.
I am beginning to think Swarf is now a salesman for PCLOS
There is no reason why a later kernel cannot be applied to ZorinOS if that is the distro of choice. There are threads here on the forum that offer advice on that task.
Welcome to the Forum!
You should think about the Point that all these new Hardware isn't made with the Intention to run on Linux. It is made for Windows (and Mac).
And You should think about another Point: LTS Model vs. Rolling Release Model. Zorin is a LTS distro. SO, You don't have the newest Stuff on it - that is the Intention because on a LTS Distro all is about Stability. For up-to-date Software and Kernel, You should take a Rolling Release Distro like an Arch-based Distro or (a bit behind Rolling Release) Fedora. Or if You prefer a .deb based Distro, You could try Debian Unstable.
How can that be done at point of install?
@swarfendor437 Fair comment. I missed that bit of the OP. Zab
This is just a minor point, but:
I believe you mean the 8000 and 9000 series, respectively. The generation of chip they use is actually 4th gen for 8000 and 5th gen for 9000. Minor point, but I have a 4th gen Ryzen and it works fine with 6.8. Unsure about 9000.
Open source has typically and will most likely forever be slower to catch up. What I would say is that for most people, you don't need to have the latest and greatest to have a good system that does what you need it to do. Especially nowadays, where Nvidia gpus seem to have hit a plateau unless you start using their AI virtual frames, which (and I've tried it once) does make the framerate higher, BUT the latency is just as bad as though it weren't there. It almost makes it worse.
All this to say; if you want the latest and greatest, there's going to be a period of time before any open-source project can say they support it and make it function properly. In my eyes, this is the perfect excuse to get off the fomo train and think about what you really want or need, versus someone trying to sell you the latest and greatest because "x number will be bigger" even though as an end user, most people wouldn't notice.