Top Linux distribution for a potato laptop.
Top Linux distribution for a potato laptop.
I own a decent desktop for coding, gaming, and more. Recently power outages have been frequent. I discovered an old laptop that runs slowly but is enough for browsing and light coding during outages. Any Linux distro suggestions? It should work fine with just a browser and maybe some coding if I get bored.
Getting a budget SSD is what will truly count. It's very fast for any Linux or Windows setup.
I installed Linux Mint with Cinnamon on all my devices, spanning over 50 computers. The setup functions smoothly, is straightforward, and includes everything you need out of the box. Consider replacing the hard drive with an SSD to boost boot times (perhaps around 30 seconds) and keep costs reasonable. No specific brand or model was mentioned—generally, older models work best. Some laptops have a single screw covering the top, while others require removing several screws and a keyboard cover to access the disk. One example involved 20 screws at the base, five under the keyboard, and using a crowbar to extract the disk with an SSD installed.
Right, I managed to run Lubuntu on a single-core Intel Core Solo Still, saving some RAM and CPU time compared to Cinnamon may be nice and allow to open a couple more Chromium tabs
I still possess a genuine Eee PC netbook. It's an early Atom model (32-bit) capped at 1.6 GHz, equipped with about 2 GB of RAM—though that's a generous estimate. The Bodhi Linux legacy edition performs well on it. With i3 version 6 you wouldn't require the older edition.
For the quickest performance you’d need a reasonably affordable SSD. Any Linux distribution could work, and with the hardware you mentioned you could run more unusual options like OpenIndiana or OpenBSD. In the Linux community, I’d recommend choosing a distro that uses Cinnamon for a more familiar interface. Antix is also lightweight and has a decent UI, though you might not need one if your computer isn’t ultra-light. Ultimately, pick whatever fits your needs.
Even inexpensive SSDs aren't essential. Void Linux starts up in 43 seconds on my 12-year-old machine with one of the slowest HDDs available. Login takes about 4 seconds, runs smoothly with XFCE, and feels responsive when using lightweight tools like Thunar, ViewNior, Claws Mail, etc. That said, these are considered among the top 10 Unix-like systems today: Nobara Project, Void Linux, Mint, Artix Linux, MX Linux, NetBSD, Devuan, NixOS, FreeBSD, Clear Linux Mint. Nobara might be too heavy for your setup, but the other nine should work well on your hardware.