"I’m using Zorin OS without any issues in general. However, whenever I open YouTube on any browser, my laptop completely freezes after about 5 minutes. I’ve tried disabling hardware acceleration in the browsers, but the problem persists. My system is an i7-12700H with an RTX 4060 8GB GPU, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Zorin OS 17.2 Core is installed as a dual boot. Any advice or solutions would be greatly appreciated."
PS: I’m new to Linux, by the way."
you on wayland or X11 ( Xorg) ?
you can check by running in terminal
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
if you're on wayland , which is the default for core , switch to Xorg and see if problem still there.
to switch to X11 , log out and before you log in again (at log in screen where you type username/password), click on the gear icon 1st and change it ,then log in.
also make sure system is up to date , run in terminal
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
also check driver issue ... open software&updates - additional drivers - and select the propriety NVIDIA driver .
reboot after that
Almost got the same system as you have. I have the same processor and a 3070 8GB card, 64GB RAM and 8TB nvme drives. I am running Pop! OS and i have zero issues. Please try a live pop environment for testing. I suspect your kernel and gpu drivers need some updates.
If this is the case you can still use zorin os, but you need their kernel and gpu drivers.
Welcome to the Forum!
Because You use an Nvidia Graphics, You should take a Look if Your System run with Wayland or Xorg like @14nd suggested. To offer an Alternative to the Terminal-Check, You can go to Settings>About and there look for the Line ''Window Manager'' if there stands Wayland or X11 (this is Xorg). And when there stands Wayland change it to Xorg.
To add something to the Description from @14nd: You go to the Login Screen and click on Your Profile so that the Password Field apppears. It has to be appeared! when it is appeared, You should see the Gear Icon in the bottom right Corner. Click on it and choose the Option ''Zorin Desktop on Xorg'' and then log in and test it.
Another Thing: Does this Issue only hapen with Youtube Videos or with others too?
Are the Browsers that you are using Flatpak's or APT-Versions?
Did You installed all the Audio- and Video-Codecs?
Because Your Intel Graphics is listed, open the Terminal and type:
sudo prime-select nvidia
If You should have any Problems when The Nvidia card is active, You can switch back to Intel with the Command:
sudo prime-select intel
Thanks to @Ponce-De-Leon @Michel @14nd
To resolve the issue, I focused on the NVIDIA drivers. First, I tried installing the more recent NVIDIA 545 driver. However, during the installation, I noticed that the kernel modules failed to compile properly, and the installation threw errors. After reviewing the logs, I realized that the 545 driver wasn’t fully compatible with my current kernel version.
Next, I decided to try the more stable NVIDIA 535 driver. This driver installed without any issues or errors. After rebooting the system, I tested YouTube again, and the problem was completely resolved. Since then, I haven’t experienced any freezing or crashing.
One thing I learned from this experience is that newer NVIDIA drivers are not always better. Sometimes, a slightly older but more stable version might work better with your specific setup. In my case, the NVIDIA 535 driver provided the stability I needed, and everything is now running smoothly.
If anyone else is facing similar issues, I recommend trying different driver versions and prioritizing stability over having the latest release.
Question:
What are the differences between NVIDIA drivers 550, 545, and 535? For instance, if I were to play games, would I notice any FPS or performance differences between these versions?
You may, especially on very new games. Nvidia works with developers quite a bit and driver updates often include optimizations for specific games. Additionally, features like DLSS 3 need to be supported by both the game and the driver, and support is added in updated drivers. If you don't play bleeding edge games however, you're likely going to be fine with 535. If you get a new, high end game, you may want to retry updating to whatever Nvidia driver is newest at that time, but be prepared to revert to 535 if it causes you problems again.
Lastly, though your card is a 40 series, 8 GB VRAM is VERY little for the newest games, so you may not actually have all the bells and whistles turned on anyway, which might let you stay on 535 comfortably for longer.
Thanks 
This has to do with GCC not being the latest. See my tutorial for manual driver installation 