I have a Lenovo Legion 5 laptop from either 2021 or 2022, configured with a GTX 1650, an i5-10300H processor, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. I'm looking to keep using this laptop for the foreseeable future and prefer not to install Windows 11 on it, so I've decided to go with Linux instead. I'm not using it for gaming anymore since I built a gaming PC, but I do need it for university work and for saving photos from my camera. My key priorities are privacy, performance, ease of use, and longevity. I'm not concerned about gaming compatibility. Any recommendations for a suitable Linux distribution? Thanks!
5 Answers
I'd recommend trying out Kubuntu! It's user-friendly and works perfectly out of the box, so you won’t have to tinker much. Plus, the KDE desktop environment is pretty great in terms of aesthetics and functionality. I use it on my own ThinkPad and it runs like a dream!
Have you thought about feren OS or Zorin OS? They’re both great choices for beginners and should serve your needs well without much hassle. They're designed to be user-friendly, which seems to match your goals!
By the way, what camera do you use for taking photos?
Pop!_OS is an excellent choice too! It's based on Ubuntu, which means extensive documentation and community support. It's super beginner-friendly with a clean GNOME desktop, and the NVIDIA support is solid. If you're up for something a bit more cutting-edge, consider openSUSE Tumbleweed for its rolling updates—it’s stable yet provides the newest software around.
For your setup, you might want to check out Debian for stability, Mint or LMDE for simplicity, or OpenSUSE as well. Your hardware plays nicely with various distros so you shouldn't hit many issues. You can look up your specific model online to see what others have experienced with different distros.
I have a Canon R50 with an RF-S 18-45 STM lens and an RF-S 55-210 IS STM lens that came in a twin lens kit.