I'm about to buy a used Chromebook, and while I don't know the processor details yet, I do know it has 4GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD. I'm curious about my options for installing a Linux distro on it. I used to use Mint and Ubuntu a while back, so I'm not completely in the dark, but I want to understand how limited my choices might be with this hardware.
5 Answers
The challenge with Chromebooks is that there’s no standard model. Some can handle Linux installations with ease, while others can be a pain. Make sure to find a tutorial that's specific to your Chromebook model for the best chances of success.
Honestly, I'd suggest steering clear of heavy distros. Just my two cents!
That sounds like a decent deal, especially if you got it for around $40 CAD! Make sure to check the model since that can really affect your Linux options. If the Chromebook handles it well, I'd suggest trying out Mint with the Xfce environment first. If that feels sluggish, consider switching to a lighter window manager like i3 instead of changing the entire distro. If it's less powerful than anticipated, maybe BunsenLabs Linux or CrunchBang ++ would suit you better. They're both built on Debian with streamlined setups.
With only 4GB of RAM and 32GB of SSD, you're going to have some limitations. Consider using an SD card for extra storage. Lightweight desktop environments like Lxqt are recommended since browsing can quickly use up the memory. From my experience, Chromium tends to run better on low-memory systems compared to Firefox. Just keep in mind that the processors in Chromebooks are usually not very powerful, so don’t expect blazing speeds.
If you're looking for alternatives, Puppy Linux, Arch, Gentoo, and Void are worth considering. They could be good fits depending on your Chromebook's specs!
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