I have a Dell Inspiron 5567 with an i5-7200U and 8 GB of RAM. I'm planning to replace the hard drive with a 240 GB Crucial BX500 SATA SSD and install Linux as the only OS.
I'll use it for learning Linux, coding, browsing and streaming. Would Ubuntu 24.04 LTS be a good fit, or should I try Mint or another lighter option? I'd like it to stay responsive without getting too hot.
Ubuntu is a reasonable place to start, especially since you've already used it a little. That processor and 8 GB of RAM should be usable for the tasks you listed, and moving from a hard drive to an SSD should make the system feel more responsive.
Heat can depend on what the laptop is doing and its physical condition, so a different distribution alone isn't a guarantee of cooler operation.
I'd give Linux Mint Cinnamon a look. It should be a reasonable fit for that hardware, and it gives you another desktop to compare with Ubuntu. If you want a lighter desktop, try the XFCE edition too.
Try a live USB before committing. You can boot Ubuntu and Mint from USB without installing them, get a feel for each desktop, and check basics like Wi-Fi, sound and the display.
Ventoy is one way to put multiple installer images on a USB drive for testing. Once you've picked one, install it on the new SSD. Your first choice doesn't have to be permanent.
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vowel_hopper:
Live USB performance can be slower than an installed system, so use it mainly to compare the interface and check hardware support.