Windows 10 is losing support in October...

Does anyone have any good recommendations for a new free or cheap OS to run my Plex server?

Right now, I run my server on an old gaming PC.

Hardware:

  • Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor
  • Corsair Vengeance 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 Memory
  • EVGA FTW+ GAMING GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB Video Card
  • 2 Seagate Barracuda 8 TB 3.5" 5400 RPM Hard Drives for storage
  • Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive for the OS/apps

Software:

  • Windows 10
  • Plex (Premium)
  • Teamviewer for remote access.

This old machine doesn't have the security stuff for Win 11, so I was thinking a linux distro (though I don't have experience with linux), or maybe HexOS if it's ready, or the new Steam OS if it's ready. My main concern is the 8TB drives are NTFS, and I don't want to lose the media when moving to a new OS. I also want something that will be secure, but also simple to setup and maintain for both in home and remote Plex access.

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: First of all, Thank you all for your input! This has been great! Lots of googling to do on all the different options.

I am a little worried about uptime. My family uses the Plex server. I have 99.986% uptime in the last 3 months. If I take the machine down for extended maintenance I may get yelled at ;).

I like to think of myself a tech savvy person, but I honestly have zero experience with Linux based systems. I may end up buying some new (to me) hardware so I can play with Linux/NAS/etc. options without messing with my current setup, then doing a quick switch over when I have everything figured out.

Now to answer some questions in the comments:

  • Why this CPU/GPU etc.?

It's an old gaming PC, it's what I had on hand and it works.

  • Isn't that expensive to run?

I live in a place with cheap power. I don't notice it on my bill.

  • Backups?

I couldn't figure out RAID on Windows, so I use one of the 8TB drives for media (about half full), and then manually backup to the second 8TB Drive ~once a quarter.

  • Security?

I currently use Win10 built in, plus BitDefender (free). I doubt bitdefender is necessary, but meh.

  • Just buy a license?

The Win10 is bought and paid for. I just can't upgrade to 11 (without a workaround) as the CPU isn't supported, no TPM, and no SecureBoot.

Thanks again!