Looking for a Lightweight Linux Distro for My Old Laptop

Most distros can run well on your laptop specs! I've been using Ubuntu on a 12-year-old i5 with 4GB RAM, and it runs smoothly. I've had the same experience with Fedora and openSUSE too. The key is to test a few distros and find the one that feels right for you. For PDFs, I recommend using Okular; it’s reliable and remembers your preferred layout. Plus, I swapped my DVD drive for an extra SSD, and it’s totally worth it!

You could go for a Debian install with a non-graphical installer, which would allow you to choose your GUI later on. After logging in, just run 'sudo apt install nvidia-driver' and then you can use tasksel to pick your favorite desktop environment when it's ready.

I’d suggest trying out Ubuntu MATE or Lubuntu. Both are lighter on resources compared to standard Ubuntu, with Lubuntu being the lightest option. Also, MX Linux is tailored for older hardware, so it could be a great fit. If you're not planning to upgrade your RAM, AntiX might work best since it's designed to run well with 4GB of RAM even when you open multiple tabs.

MX Linux is amazing for light gaming and general use. It comes ready to go, but you might want to install MESA, nVidia drivers, and Steam with Proton for gaming. Just keep an eye on MESA logs in the terminal to make sure your GPU is being recognized because some laptops use hybrid GPU settings. You'll need to help your games recognize the nVidia GPU using the command 'DRI_PRIME=2'.

MX Linux is super user-friendly and light on resources, making it a solid choice for newcomers. Definitely give it a try if you're looking for something simple to start with!