Hey everyone! I'm new to Linux and I'm trying to find a good distro for my Dell Latitude E5410. Here are the specs: it has 8GB of RAM, a 240GB SSD, and an Intel Core i5 CPU M 560 running at 2.67GHz. It supports both Legacy BIOS and UEFI, and it's 64-bit.
I used to run Windows 10 on it and it worked well for basic tasks like browsing the web, watching YouTube videos in 720p, and using office applications. Now I want to switch to Linux for similar uses, specifically for surfing the internet, watching videos, and using programs like LMMS and Audacity for light audio production.
It's important for me that the distro runs smoothly and has a modern look without needing too much technical knowledge to use. However, I've been experiencing some slowness with pure Debian and some Debian-based distros with XFCE or MATE, while heavier distros like Linux Mint Cinnamon felt faster. What would you recommend?
3 Answers
You could use pretty much any Linux distro with those specs, especially with an SSD. I suggest you switch your BIOS to UEFI only if possible. For everyday tasks, Debian should technically be quicker than Ubuntu-based ones. If you're having issues, give MX Linux or SparkyLinux a shot. They work well on older machines, too.
I'd recommend trying openSUSE Tumbleweed with KDE. It might be a bit heavy, but it would be worth testing out on your hardware. Just make sure to check the performance during your trial!
KDE can be resource-heavy, but it offers a lot of features. If it doesn't work well, you could switch to a lighter desktop environment later.
Honestly, Linux Mint should run great on your specs. I'd say go for either the Cinnamon or XFCE versions, but Cinnamon feels more modern while XFCE is lighter on resources.
Which one do you think is better overall for performance? I've heard mixed things about Cinnamon.
I actually had decent performance with MX Linux XFCE, but updating felt super slow. Any tips on speeding that up?