Issues with Pop_OS and legacy devices
Issues with Pop_OS and legacy devices
kaylaroe22
05-28-2016, 10:56 PM #1Hi everyone, I just acquired an old laptop (Gateway NV52L15u) that my parents planned to discard. Instead of adding more electronic waste, I decided to breathe new life into it while exploring Linux—plus, if I struggled with the setup, I could repurpose the hard drive as a game library. The machine isn’t ideal: it has a fast AMD A8-4500M processor at 1.9GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, and a 500GB mechanical hard drive. However, I had spare RAM sticks, so I boosted it to 6GB and focused on upgrading the operating system. Windows 10 is installed but feels sluggish, and I’m hesitant to spend money on a solid-state drive right now. I considered using a 128GB Samsung USB 3.1 flash drive with the laptop’s single USB 3.0 port to run PopOS, which I’d seen many tutorials about. I set up a Live Environment from a 4GB USB thumb drive and installed PopOS on the Samsung drive. Everything worked until I tried booting directly from the 128GB drive—my laptop didn’t recognize it in the USB 3.0 port, only the USB 2.0 slot. At that point, I thought using the hard drive as a boot device would be safer, but I wasn’t ready to wipe my Windows copy yet. When I booted into the Live Environment from USB 3.0, I confirmed the port was functional. Could there be a fix or something I missed? I’m new to Linux overall (I play with a Raspberry Pi now), but I’m eager to learn. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. TLDR – System specs highlighted – Thank you all!
Remigiusz1991
05-28-2016, 11:58 PM #2Based on what I've seen with Pop, it doesn't work well with dual-booting. It could also be demanding for your hardware. Consider alternatives like MX Linux, which is Debian-based and more lightweight.
Thanks for the feedback. Using Pop on the USB stick has proven much smoother than Windows, especially when running several apps at once. I discovered my issue might be due to the BIOS lacking built-in USB 3 support. Back in the day, driver support started when Windows booted up. Since this machine has a minimal BIOS and isn’t a costly laptop, that’s likely why the support wasn’t included. I’m planning to upgrade to a small SSD instead. Appreciate the advice!
TmineCraft34
06-06-2016, 04:29 AM #4I’d opt for a modest 128 GB SSD. Fortunately, I can purchase one—a Kingston A400—for $30 at my nearby shop. It gives the machine a fresh feel. It’s a reasonable investment for reviving an older setup. I already have a few machines from 15 years ago that perform well thanks to this upgrade. Switching to AMD is smart; it works seamlessly with Linux on both AMD and Intel systems. This also simplifies things for your parents, making it easier to introduce them to a user-friendly distro. My mom has two computers with AMD GPUs, each paired with an SSD—she runs Linux effortlessly. My nephew uses a 15-year-old AMD dual-core system with 4 GB RAM and Linux; it still functions perfectly.
I successfully bought a 240GB SSD from Amazon during Black Friday for around $20—it was a smart purchase. The system is operating normally now, though I’m mainly using the laptop to experiment with Linux and hardware. I plan to upgrade the CPU next, pairing it with an A10-5750M. I’ll have to deal with BIOS compatibility issues, but those CPUs are available on eBay for about $30, so I’m open to trying them just for learning purposes.
Catlover247
06-06-2016, 06:45 PM #6It works well with Linux and an A10 processor should be fine. My mom's laptop originally had an A9, which I got from a used one. It runs very smoothly, especially with KDE Plasma. I switched from a cheap Realtek WiFi card to an Intel model, but I avoided Nvidia unless absolutely necessary. After five years of using Nvidia, it’s hard to fix things when the company doesn’t support them well. AMD and Intel are usually straightforward, while Nvidia tends to be problematic. Also, steer clear of low-cost Realtek cards—they can cause frequent WiFi issues. Realtek is not reliable for long-term use, even on Windows. The company’s support record isn’t great either. Just keep these tips in mind unless you enjoy getting into troubleshooting. Have fun!
GoodNinja6
06-07-2016, 04:52 PM #8Nvidia focuses mainly on attracting cryptocurrency miners rather than the general public, and its impact on climate change is notable. Their priorities seem to align more with miners than with consumers. Thought-provoking point? Hope your Linux journey succeeds!
LuckyKill3rPT
06-07-2016, 07:09 PM #9What raises my doubts about new hardware is the fact that fresh gear often needs custom blobs, especially proprietary ones. From what I've seen, open source drivers—sometimes called libre drivers—tend to be more reliable and secure over time. I've noticed positive results with these alternatives. I steer clear of Intel products from the 4th generation onward because of security concerns and issues with Corebooting or disabling Intel features. It's possible to do this legally on platforms like Ivy Bridge, but proceed with caution. If you're a professional working on such projects, be warned: attempting these changes without proper expertise can lead to serious complications and potentially damage your system. There are vendors for these solutions, though. I lean toward AMD, but I think ARM64 or RISC-V may be the direction of the future. I'll wait for something that doesn't include hidden remote backdoors. Plus, the environment is already messed up, and ARM uses less power overall. In short, older hardware generally performs better on Linux, while newer models tend to cause more trouble.
Xwiner_PvP
06-07-2016, 08:21 PM #10I purchase all my hardware used because it's more affordable. I received my mom an AMD A9 APU laptop from a local electronics recycling center, and it operates smoothly with Linux installed.