Hey everyone! I need to set up a lightweight Linux distro on an old laptop for browsing, Discord, and running Docker for some work tasks. It's currently struggling with Windows 10, so I want something that's easy on resources. Here's what I'm looking to install: - A lightweight web browser (any suggestions?) - Discord for communication - Docker using a specific Ubuntu distro for testing code and learning Linux commands without overloading the laptop.
The laptop specs are: Intel Core i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz, 8GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4000, and a 698GB HDD. Any advice on the best distro to use or tips for performance would be greatly appreciated!
1 Answer
Honestly, any Linux distro should work well for your setup. Arch-based distros like EndeavourOS are really lightweight and great for older hardware. You can also consider using a minimal window manager or a lightweight desktop environment like XFCE or LXDE. Given you have 8GB of RAM, even something like GNOME might run decently. Just don’t forget to set up hybrid sleep since HDDs can be a bit slower!
Thanks for the tips! I really want to keep my main rig for gaming, so this old laptop is just temporary while I work on a better build. I’ll definitely check out hybrid sleep; sounds smart!