I'm considering installing Linux on my old notebook, which has an Intel Celeron and only 2 GB of RAM. I've previously used Linux Mint and liked it, but I ended up switching back to Windows. Now I'm looking to return to Linux, but I'd like some recommendations on which distro to choose. I've thought about Lubuntu and would appreciate expert opinions on the best lightweight options that would work well with my hardware.
5 Answers
I would recommend AntiX because it's less demanding than Lubuntu. Just a heads-up though, Alpine is really lightweight too but doesn't have a GUI installer and lacks a desktop environment. What version did you try?
Given that you have only 2GB of RAM, you really need to go for a lightweight Linux distro. Lubuntu is a solid choice, but you could also consider PeppermintOS or AntiX. If there's any chance, bumping your RAM up to 4GB would significantly improve performance!
You might want to give MX Linux or Debian a shot. They're pretty good for older hardware and tend to be more resource-efficient than some other options.
Linux Mint with the XFCE desktop environment works well on 2GB RAM. I had a decent experience on my old machine with it.
Try Lubuntu! Just keep your expectations realistic because of the limited RAM. MX Linux might be another option as well.
I second AntiX—it's really good and very lightweight.