I have a Huawei laptop with 8GB of RAM and an Intel processor. It's a little over two years old and is used almost entirely for a simple browser game. I run four separate browsers, each with an extension that repeatedly clicks or runs a script for the game. The computer only shows around 2GB of RAM being used, but Windows 11 still becomes sluggish, freezes, sometimes fails to load the extension, and usually needs a restart.
Would switching to Linux noticeably improve performance for this kind of browser-only setup, or would the difference probably not be worth the hassle? I'm also wondering whether the browser extension and script would work properly on Linux.
4 Answers
The browser profile can sometimes be a source of slowdowns because browsers constantly read and write data. Keeping the profile or cache in memory with a suitable profile-sync setup may reduce disk activity, but I’d first investigate the extension, browser processes, and Windows startup software before adding that complexity.
Linux could be a good fit for this. Since you’re mainly running browsers and a lightweight game, a reasonably lightweight distribution should use fewer background resources and may feel more responsive than your current Windows installation. The biggest question is whether your clicking extension and script support Linux-compatible browsers, so check with the developer first.
Linux generally works well for ordinary web browsing, even on much older hardware. Just keep in mind that streaming services and DRM can have browser- or resolution-specific limitations, and hardware acceleration may need some setup. For your simple browser game, those issues are less likely to matter than extension compatibility.
Almost any mainstream Linux distribution should handle four browsers comfortably on an 8GB Intel laptop, though a lighter desktop environment may help keep things snappy. Fedora is one option, but there are plenty of suitable choices. You could also test one from a live USB before installing it.
The laptop has an Intel processor. I hadn’t considered extension compatibility, so I’ll check whether the script works outside Windows before switching.