I'm considering building a small form factor PC using an Intel i7 4790, with 8GB DDR3 RAM and a 256GB SATA SSD. My plan is to run Linux Mint on it. How effective do you think this setup will be for general use in 2025 or 2026?
4 Answers
If you can snag the hardware for a great price, the 4790 will definitely hold up fine. I still rely on some Haswell systems for testing, and they perform surprisingly well even today. Just define what 'normal usage' means for you!
I've been using an i7 4770k for my home setup, and it runs Linux Mint without a hitch. I've even played some games like ArcRaiders at 1080p! So, the i7 4790 should work just as well for everyday tasks.
Go for the 4790k if you can, tweak those overclocking settings, and you'll have a solid Linux machine. The 4000 series chips are pretty powerful, and most Linux distros are lightweight. You could even run multiple virtual machines on it if you wish!
What are your main uses? For casual things like browsing, watching movies, or light photo editing on sites like Canva, it should work just fine. Don't expect much from heavy gaming or intense productivity, but it's a solid starter for light tasks.
Older games could still work for you, especially ones that don't require heavy resources.
I'm definitely not gaming or doing heavy work, just casual browsing and watching movies, maybe some online photo editing!