I'm looking for advice on which Linux distribution is most suitable for an older laptop I have. It's an HP Pavilion with a GTX 1650 and Ryzen 7 3750H, plus 16GB of DDR4 RAM at 2666MHz. I just got a new PC, and I'd like to set up Linux on this older machine since I enjoy using it. I've been switching between Arch (which I really like) and Mint (which seems practical). My main concern is performance on games, especially Paradox titles like CK3. I need a setup that can handle a text editor and LibreWolf without lag, as I'm planning to use it for some hobbies. Thanks for any help!
2 Answers
Honestly, your hardware isn't too shabby at all! Since you mentioned Arch and Mint, either one should work fine. Arch is great for performance if you know how to tweak it, but Mint is more user-friendly and could be easier for casual use. If you're leaning towards gaming performance, make sure to keep your graphics drivers updated, regardless of the distro you choose.
I’d say a lightweight desktop environment could really help speed things up. Have you thought about using Xfce? It runs smoothly on older hardware, and both Mint and Debian offer good support for it. You could also try Xubuntu—it gives a similar experience but might feel a bit more robust. With your specs, you definitely can run these distros without much hassle!
Sounds like a plan! But what’s the trade-off with Xfce compared to KDE Plasma or Cinnamon? Is it going to feel like a major downgrade?