I'm looking for a lightweight Linux distribution for an older Acer laptop with an i3 processor, 12 GB of DDR3 memory, legacy bootloader support, and a GeForce 920M. It would be nice if proprietary NVIDIA drivers were easy to install, since Fedora gave me trouble recognizing the GPU and its driver setup repeatedly failed. I'm mainly using the laptop for everyday tasks, but I might occasionally try an indie game or emulators such as Dolphin or PPSSPP. I'd also prefer a distribution that lets me choose from several desktop environments.
4 Answers
You could look at MX Linux with Xfce, Lubuntu, or Linux Mint with Xfce. All three are relatively lightweight and should be comfortable on that laptop. Mint is probably the most beginner-friendly, while MX gives you a lot of configuration options.
Debian would be a solid choice. It runs well on older hardware, has a large software repository, and provides access to proprietary firmware and NVIDIA packages. It also worked smoothly for me on hardware with several components that needed non-free drivers.
Fedora itself should be capable of running on a machine with 12 GB of memory, but the 920M and an old bootloader can make the NVIDIA setup awkward. The exact GPU variant and boot configuration matter, so Debian-based options may be less frustrating for this particular laptop.
For occasional games or emulator use, it may be worth testing both nouveau and the proprietary driver. If the difference is small, sticking with the simpler setup could save a lot of maintenance.
Before changing distributions, consider whether you actually need the proprietary driver. The GeForce 920M can often run with nouveau for basic desktop use, and you could disable the NVIDIA chip in firmware if the integrated graphics are sufficient. If you do want the NVIDIA driver, check the distribution's official package instructions rather than relying on random installation guides.
The GPU is a GeForce 920M in an older Acer laptop. Fedora runs, but it never properly recognized the NVIDIA card. I tried the recommended driver steps several times, though the old bootloader seemed to cause problems.