I have an older HP laptop with the following specs: i3-5050U CPU @ 2.00GHz, 4GB RAM, and a 1TB HDD. I'm looking for a lightweight Linux distribution or window manager that's stable and beginner-friendly. I'm considering Linux Mint, but I'm a bit confused about the desktop environment and window manager options. Any help would be appreciated!
1 Answer
If you're new to Linux and leaning towards Mint, that's a great choice! I suggest going with either the XFCE or MATE desktop environments since they’re lighter on resources, which is ideal for your 4GB of RAM. You can actually test drive them using a live USB before making a solid choice. Check out the Linux Mint website for downloads and consider trying out Ventoy if you want to experiment with different distros and desktop environments without too much hassle!
I totally agree with you! I used XFCE for a long time too, and it works perfectly. I have an old laptop running Manjaro with KDE, and honestly, any Linux DE feels lighter compared to Windows 10! Go for Mint XFCE, and you'll have a smooth experience. Plus, you can easily switch to Cinnamon later if you want something different without too much trouble.