Yes, I like to try and have a copy of linux around but since i got an old shit laptop around figured id put Ubuntu or Lubuntu on it, (Pentium 4M 2.4GHz, 2GB DDR1, S3 Pro Savage DDR, 40GB IDE) to mess around with
whats your fav desktop type?
I got a thing for Linux mint KDE, ever try mint?
Its a good alternative to Ubuntu.
THE BEST METHOD to run PSX games (and everything else for that matter) is via Retroarch - http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/
If you have any questions on how to set it up on Windows please feel free to ask, its very easy.