Recommend Lightweight Linux Distro for Old Laptop
Title says all , Need recommendation on a Lightweight Linux Distro for an Old Laptop.
I found one of my old laptop is still alive and I thought of using it for learning and practicing Linux on that.
My Laptop Specification:
Processor : Intel Celeron N 2940 @1.83 GHz(4 CPUs)
RAM : 2 GB DDR3
HDD : 500 GB
GPU : Intel HD Graphics
Display Resolution : HD (1366 x 768) 11 inch
By googling I found there are so many distros now days but still confused which will be best for me.
I am looking for something which is from Debian family and have GUI .
Will be interested to know anyone still uses old system like mine and which OS they prefer.
Currently Using Hetzner , OVH , Buyvm , Webhorizon , Hyonix , ConnectIndo
Comments
Clean Debian 11 + Xfce
Work well on my 5 years old shitty DELL laptop
Yo, join our premium masochist club
I like MX21 + XFCE
@webz said:
Can you upgrade the RAM or change the HDD to SSD? That opens up many more options.
But if you plan to use as-is, here is my (tried, tested, preferred) list
Ubuntu Based:
Bodhi
Lubuntu
Linux Lite
Debian Based:
Sprialinux (from the same dev as Gecko Linux)
Siduction
Antix or MX
All work well even on my Dell D520 with Core 2 Duo 1.7 Mhz/ 2 GB DDR2. I did upgrade to SSD before settling down on ZorinOs :-)
VPS reviews and benchmarks |
Bah just run Slax on it and be done with it.
"I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that meddling Frankz and Mason!!"
Not know too many folks who use it!!
Lovely distro when it was Slack based
Havent used the debian version
VPS reviews and benchmarks |
In 2012, I installed Lubuntu on an INSPIRON 600m laptop from 2005.
My main use case was writing dissertation in a text editor, compiling with
pdflatex, and reading with PDF viewer.I rarely used the browser, which was the slowest component of the system.
I considered it as a benefit, because I could focus on my dissertation without distraction from Facebook and email.
I used this laptop until 2017, when the hardware started failing.
Webhosting24 aff best VPS; ServerFactory aff best VDS; Cloudie best ASN; Huel aff best brotein.
Thanks, this one looks lovely will try it for sure.
Thanks will give this one a try too.
Currently Using Hetzner , OVH , Buyvm , Webhorizon , Hyonix , ConnectIndo
Just looked it can be either still. At least that is what the website said.
Iliked it because it had everything that is needed. Could be run off a thumb drive or hard drive. It was fast and made older systems useful again. All that and it just worked like it should.
"I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that meddling Frankz and Mason!!"
Need parts got one in closet and it still boots to prompt.
"I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that meddling Frankz and Mason!!"
Antix-sid 22 386 is still keeping my IBM (not Lenovo) R51 going.
I have a feeling that there are so many "lite" distros around, you are likely to get tired of choosing.
Debian:
Ubuntu:
Arch:
Hardcore:
I'd go with something Debian-based.
For learning probably look at notes like "for power users", "modular", "highly customizable". Although they may be rather subjective.
I use a laptop with older, but faster processor - Core i3-370M.
For administrative (office) tasks it still works so well that I can't get myself to replace its CPU to Core i5-560M.
Have the latter lying around and collecting dust for a couple of years already :-|
I have a Chromebook with N2840 running NixOS just fine, qtile desktop.
I know this is not debian but any distro with a lightweight desktop environment (LXQT, XFCE, etc) will do. Or, just ditch the desktop environment altogether and use a window manager like Openbox, i3, etc.
The all seeing eye sees everything...
Lubuntu
Why?
Adding some ram would be great, but you don't have to.
It's not about which distributions to choose but which desktop environment to choose:
if you launch a latest Gnome in Arch Linux, that will cost about 1G ram;
if you launch an openbox in Ubuntu, that will cost less than 200M ram;
I would recommend lightweight window managers like openbox or i3-wm.
BTW
I was still using a 2013 laptop (Intel Celeron 1005M, 16G DDR3, 500G Toshiba HDD) until last Black Friday. Cold start (first start from boot) is slow, but after that most common tasks run fast (thanks to large ram cache).
MicroLXC is lovable.
Not sure if this has the base from Debian but puppy Linux
https://puppylinux-woof-ce.github.io/
Installed Puppy Linux on an Pentium 4 desktop this AM. 3ghz, 1GB ram. I tried Slax and Linux Lite but Puppy - actually the UPup Ubuntu version - was the only one that was hassle free, so far anyway. Needed a 32bit version for my antique computer. There might be better options for your 64 bit Celeron
The included browser worked right out of the box and one click downloads for Chromium and Firefox also made things go smooth, no certificate or SSL issues. The OS seems to be stable, surprisingly fast, and very usable.
Antix runs OK on just about anything.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17865179405683715/
Detailed info about providers whose services I've used:
BikeGremlin web-hosting reviews
This.
I think Puppy is a good choice for older machines.
Official download site. https://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/
Filen.io - use this link to signup and we both get extra 10GB free.
https://filen.io/r/4d472d5cdb57f6663621a251065e0b51
+1 for Debian with XFCE. If you need something even lighter (less than 1GB RAM) Puppy Linux is the way to go.
Cheap dedis are my drug, and I'm too far gone to turn back.
My prevoius laptop cpu was Intel Celeron B810 @ 1.60GHz and was working best on MATE DE, as that one is based on de from that cpu era and its best optimized for older hw. I had tried every DE there is and i got best results with MATE which was freeze free, while others tend to freeze too much. Then i got fond of Manajro and Ubuntu MATE so thats what i was using. After upgrading to Intel Core i5-2540M for too cheap (20$ at that time.. now its 13$) every DE works good now. Also if you can throw cheapest SSD you can find, it will make your laptop more usable.
ServerStatus , slackvpn <-- openVPN auto install script for Slackware 15
upgrading processor on a laptop is not something everyone can do...
The all seeing eye sees everything...
Actually its quite simple.. its only 20ish screws. Also laptops are like those puzzles where parts dont fit in other places. There are tons of videos also. Everyone can do it if they want.
ServerStatus , slackvpn <-- openVPN auto install script for Slackware 15
Laptop Processors are soldered to the motherboard. Unless you are changing the motherboard I don't think it is easy.
The all seeing eye sees everything...
Not all of them I have an HP laptop that uses a desktop proc. Can be switched from a single core to a dual core.
My x220 daily driver is soldered to the board though.
"I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that meddling Frankz and Mason!!"
Hmm ok. I have never seen one IRL.
The all seeing eye sees everything...
It is a zv6000 series with an AMD socket 939 Athlon 3200+ as a base. Came with an ATI 128 gb video card dedicated ram no sharing.
That thing is a beast and a tank. Dropped it down the basement stairs once, thought well shit that is the end of that, broke a little piece of plastic that is all. Booted right up like it was laughing at me or something.
"I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for that meddling Frankz and Mason!!"
I recently installed https://elementary.io/ on an old laptop. Haven't had time to really test it, but first impression is very good.
Raspberry pi OS for PC for PC is the best for true beginner, since it has a great tutorials and community forum.
RPi PC has very clear installation tutorial and great many other tutorials (though it can be used for other debian/ubuntu based OS)
Lubuntu similar to RPi PC OS
Xubuntu & linux mint (XFCE desktop), but in my experience on celeron N3150, there will be a slight performance hit, minimal but noticeable.
Puppy linux is based on ubuntu, but the different UI design language might be a turn off to some newbie
For easy comparison, here is a Light-weight Linux distro wikipedia page
The usual suspects are already here.
antiX, Lubuntu, Bodhi and Puppy are genuine lightweight distros.
MX Linux Xfce, Linux Mint Xfce, Manjaro Xfce, Xubuntu, Zorin Lite and Linux Lite are midweight, in my opinion.
One that has not been mentioned is Q4OS. Check out their Trinity variant as well if you're looking for a lightweight distro that also looks nice.
There's one more called Artix Linux. Based on Arch, Systemd-free.
Now, many people don't like Chromebooks, but I've come to enjoy mine. You could flash ChromeOS Flex which comes with the possibility of built-in Linux Container (Debian) iirc.
https://shakeuptech.com/linux-on-chrome-os-flex/#Why_Install_Linux_on_Chrome_OS_Flex
Ympker's VPN LTD Comparison, Uptime.is, Ympker's GitHub.