I'm planning to upgrade my older laptop (specs available here) by swapping out the HDD for an SSD. I'm looking for recommendations on lightweight Linux distributions with desktop environments. Ideally, I would prefer an Arch-based option, but I'm open to others if necessary. My typical use case includes playing lighter games like Minecraft and using Wine, so the distro should handle basic tasks while I'm away from home.
5 Answers
Definitely go with Arch and install a minimal desktop environment. For performance on older hardware, XFCE is solid, hovering around 400-500MB RAM usage. If you need something even lighter, check out Artix Linux with LXQT or LXDE; you could get that down to about 300MB!
If you're just looking for something super lightweight for occasional use, Puppy Linux is an excellent option. It runs around 150-250MB of RAM, so it's perfect for basic tasks like browsing. Just make sure you have a decent swap file!
If you're leaning towards Arch, just go for a clean Arch installation on your laptop. But if you want to test the waters first, consider making a Ventoy Live USB. This will let you try out various lightweight distros, like Xubuntu or anything using XFCE, which is quite user-friendly and light on resources. Just keep in mind that your main concern might be the browser consuming a lot of memory, which is common these days.
Consider CachyOS with XFCE for a sleek, minimal experience, or take a look at EndeavourOS if you’re craving something Arch-like with an easier installation process. I find it gives you the Arch feel without all the usual hassle.
I hear you on wanting to keep things light, but think about your hardware needs and what you'll actually be doing with the laptop. If you don't plan on frequent updates, going Arch might not make sense for you. What are your main tasks for using this laptop? That could really guide your distro choice.
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