If you're looking to finally test the waters of Linux, here's a distribution that has everything you need to get started, with everything you need and little complication.
If your devices only support up to 4K at 60Hz, a "premium high-speed" HDMI cable (18Gbps, HDMI 2.0) is perfectly fine. Again, just avoid really old or thin cables. Early HDMI cables (HDMI 1.4 or older ...