The choice of desktop is a highly individual one. I prefer Gnome also, while my coworker eloren swears by KDE.

I have also used xUbuntu on an old Dell laptop. it uses Xfce for its desktop, which is a bit lighter-weight than either of the other two, and theoretically will be friendlier to older, less powerful hardware.

But the differences between the two major desktops are largely cosmetic, so pick which ever one you like best.