An "old school" Linux user, the same user who will try to get you, a Windows user, to try to use the terminal for everything, comparable to trying to get you to use Microsoft PowerShell for everything, will tell you Gnome is this wonderful graphical user interface (GUI).
You want KDE Plasma. Trust me. Most of the basic settings and point and click functions, you're seeking, are not going to be in Gnome by default, out of the box. Can it be customized and included with some effort? Sure, anything can be changed with some effort. But as a newbie, I'm assuming the word "effortless" is something you may favor a little more.
