I have a low-end laptop with these specs: an Intel Core i3-4010U processor, 8GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon R5 M230 GPU with 2GB of VRAM. I tried running Ubuntu in a virtual machine, but it was way too slow. I'm curious if switching to WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) would offer better performance. I'm not keen on dual-boot setups, and I'm mainly interested in using Linux for learning data engineering and DevOps.
4 Answers
WSL is technically a type of VM, but if you're running a full graphical version of Ubuntu, it could be lagging. I'd recommend sticking to the terminal; it might be noticeably faster. Also, keep in mind that WSL1 isn’t a full VM, so that could be an option if you're facing issues with hypervisors.
Yes, WSL is definitely better integrated with Windows than running a full VM. As long as you avoid running heavy applications, you should have a way better experience.
Absolutely! Just ensure that you're working within the Linux filesystem (like /home) instead of using Windows paths for optimal performance.
What kind of storage do you have? An SSD makes a huge difference in performance, even on lower-spec machines. If you can upgrade from a hard drive to an SSD, you’ll see a vast improvement.
In my experience, WSL will run pretty smoothly on your laptop. However, I'd still recommend upgrading to at least 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage if possible. It'll just make everything better!
I've got a 250GB SSD and a 500GB HDD. Should I install WSL on the SSD to save space?
That’s true! WSL1 isn’t as heavy as WSL2, but it might limit some compatibility with certain networking tools.