Since you have experience on Linux, why not Arch Linux. It's not that hard-to-master-install from the past since "archinstall" exists.
And you get a system with all your wishes of combinations that exist in the linux world. And the best well documented Wiki from Arch stays at your side.
Alternative would be fedora, easiest installer of all. And their logic of "just all firmwares, can't fail" should help nvidia users out-of-the-box.
When I was 12 my dad gave me two defect PCs and says: find out how to compare the working parts and you can have this one for you. Also a copy of win95.
If I look back this was enough to learn about every hard- and software related issue ever. Hell, even the mainboards back then doesn't have any documentations about jumpers etc.
And win95 need a regularly reinstall. If I compare how many reinstalls I needed between win and Linux, windows wins.
Good job, welcome to the free world of tech. Installing is often the hardest part.
Next lesson: forget about downloading installer from the browser, check out the software center or learn package manager commands, that's the first new thing about Linux.
Kwin and mutter only run with desktopmanagers, he meant windowmanagers that come around without a desktopmanager, like sway or i3 etc.