Drivers for Linux?

I’m fairly knowledgeable about computers....as long as windows is running. I’m sick of paying hundreds of dollars to Microsoft for an OS that will never be secure. I’ve experimented with Linux in the past and got fed up with not finding drivers for all my hardware. I can find video drivers just fine; however all 3 sound cards I own don’t have a driver compatible with Linux. My next questions are: what else do I need drivers for and where do I find them? I.e. do I need drivers for N/S Bridge? Do I need drivers for my motherboard? Why do I need drivers for my hard drives? These are just a few of my questions. I Like the Mac OS X look, is there a distro that mimics the OS X feel with good driver support? I’m tired of Windows and need a good push to get rid of it; any help will be greatly appreciated -Hardware list- Nvidia-8600gt Turtle beach Montego DL 2xHDD 1pata 1sata Viewsonic Wi-Fi PCI