Is It Worth Installing Linux on My Old Laptop for Streaming?

Your friend might be onto something; the specs do suggest it won't handle video streaming well. Running OBS on that hardware might lead to more frustration than fun, especially with video quality. If you're just looking to watch DVDs or use it casually, it could work, but for anything ambitious like streaming, consider a more capable machine.

From my experience, yes, it will run, but don't expect it to handle much more than basic tasks like web browsing or watching videos. With just 4GB of RAM, it might struggle with OBS. You might find it better for lighter tasks instead of streaming.

Install it anyway! Since you're interested in Linux, this could be a great way to learn. Just be prepared that it might not perform well for streaming. You could use it for other simple tasks, either way.

You should definitely give it a try with a lightweight distro like Debian XFCE, Xubuntu, or Lubuntu. Worst case, it may run a bit slow, but it's worth exploring what's possible with your setup. If you can, consider upgrading the RAM too; it's pretty cheap if you can find DDR3 somewhere. That'll help a lot!

Honestly, it might be a stretch. OBS can be pretty demanding, and with only 4GB of RAM, you're likely to run into performance issues. But you could always install a distro and experiment. At the very least, it'll be a good learning experience!