I'm considering dual-booting Linux Mint alongside Windows 11 on my laptop rather than fully switching. My main concern is whether my laptop will be noticeably faster with Linux Mint compared to Windows. Here are my specs: Intel i5-8265U, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD, currently running Windows 11. I've noticed that Windows 11 is using roughly 80% of my RAM right after booting, which makes everything feel sluggish. Will I see an improvement in everyday tasks like browsing, boot times, and overall responsiveness with Linux?
3 Answers
You'll likely notice a significant improvement switching to Linux Mint! Most users report that Mint runs faster and uses less RAM, often under 1GB after booting. While boot times may feel a bit longer due to the way Linux handles start-ups differently compared to Windows' "Fast Startup," you’ll find that once booted up, the system response for daily tasks like browsing and switching apps is much quicker. Overall, the difference in performance is usually pretty striking!
For sure! Linux Mint is less resource-heavy compared to Windows 11. Windows runs a ton of background services that can hog up RAM and CPU. With Mint, you have significantly fewer processes running, which gives you more resources for your tasks. If you set up the dual boot right, you’ll have a chance to find out which OS suits you better without completely abandoning your Windows setup right away. Just remember, transitioning to Linux might come with a bit of a learning curve, but it's definitely worth it!
Absolutely, Linux Mint can feel much faster than Windows 11. My experience matches what others have said: I noticed improved boot times and responsiveness. My laptop went from using almost 9GB of RAM on Windows idle to about 3.4GB on Mint. Sure, some specific apps might run slower when pitted against their Windows counterparts, but the overall system experience is way smoother with less bloat. Dual booting is a good way to see how it runs on your hardware without giving up Windows just yet!
That’s a huge difference! I’m excited to see how my laptop performs with Mint.
Got it, I’ll be ready to adapt! Thanks for the heads-up!