I have an old laptop with Win10 that runs slow, would Linux be better?

[jnelsoninjax]

On 27/08/2022 at 17:58, ThaCrip said:

 

Linux Mint v21.0-Xfce (which I prefer over Cinnamon, slow hardware or not) will almost certainly be better than that as that's too long and you got a respectable CPU to.

 

even my old AMD Athlon X2 3600+ CPU (dual core from basically late 2000's) with a 250GB HDD and 4GB of RAM (the RAM cannot be upgraded any further as the ASUS board is at it's limit) boots up and is usable well faster than 3-5 minutes on Mint 21.0-Xfce. I did not time it, but starting from when the OS loads I can't imagine it's more than roughly 2 minutes tops off the top of my head to get the computer in a usable state.

 

but honestly, if you use that fairly often a SSD would be worth getting since the boot up times will drop significantly (and load times of programs will drop significantly, especially when you are trying to load multiple programs at the same time). still, even a regular hard drive should not take 3-5min to finish booting and getting to a usable state.

 

even on a laptop I got with a CLEARLY underpowered CPU (and 8GB of RAM and currently has a 128GB SSD in it)... Linux Mint clearly runs better than Windows 10 does overall. sure, the CPU is still slow either way, but since it does not have many CPU cycles to spare in general, you don't have all of that background junk on Mint that Windows 10 does using up a already low amount of CPU resources which I think is ultimately why Mint runs better than Win10 on that laptop. so Mint runs smoother and becomes usable quicker when booting up. plus, it seems with updates in general they install faster on Mint than Windows which is probably a much bigger deal when you already got a well underpowered CPU.

 

granted, the OP's CPU is still plenty good enough either way with Mint or Win10. but assuming the OP is staying on Win10, a SSD is the bottom line answer to give his overall system a solid performance boost.

 

 

 

That's typical behavior on a regular HDD. because if you are only loading one thing at a time, it's not too bad, but if you try to load more than one thing at a time, and each of those things require decent hard drive activity, the system will slow to a crawl temporarily.

 

even on Mint on my old 250GB HDD etc. after boot up if I load the browser, it take a bit for the browser to initially load which is not bad and expected. but say after a fresh boot up I ran system updates to Mint and there is decent hard drive activity of installing those updates and then I try loading the browser from scratch, while the updates are using the hard drive decently, it will slow to a crawl temporarily.

 

but the obvious fix in these cases, which I am sure everyone already mentioned, is to get a SSD as that will make a significant difference in these cases.

So I ran a boot timer at it said 180 seconds. I disabled the 10 second delay before explorer loads everything, so that should lower the time slightly, and I defragged the HDD, which appears to have never been done. I am also very much aware that the HDD is on it's way to the graveyard, but I only need it to work for another 2 weeks or so until I can buy a new CPU for my desktop

[Nick H. Supervisor]

On 28/08/2022 at 00:58, jnelsoninjax said:

So I ran a boot timer at it said 180 seconds. I disabled the 10 second delay before explorer loads everything, so that should lower the time slightly, and I defragged the HDD, which appears to have never been done. I am also very much aware that the HDD is on it's way to the graveyard, but I only need it to work for another 2 weeks or so until I can buy a new CPU for my desktop

Ah, so this is a backup machine for when your desktop is not working correctly? It's not a primary machine?

 

In that case I wouldn't bother touching it. It will be slow and clunky, but you only need it for a short period of time every so often.

 

If you are looking to upgrade it though, I agree with upgrading the RAM to 8GB (you should have 2 slots for 4GB each?) but the main idea should be replacing the HDD for an SSD.

[+Warwagon MVC]

On 27/08/2022 at 18:49, Nick H. said:

If you are looking to upgrade it though, I agree with upgrading the RAM to 8GB (you should have 2 slots for 4GB each?) but the main idea should be replacing the HDD for an SSD.

ya doing that, I think it would run very respectable. Friends don't let friends use "Sh** Spinners"

[Michael Scrip]

I'll echo the other comments here:  an SSD is a great way to extend the life of an old laptop.  It'll run like a dream!

[jnelsoninjax]

On 27/08/2022 at 20:38, warwagon said:

ya doing that, I think it would run very respectable. Friends don't let friends use "Sh** Spinners"

It has 8GB already

[+Warwagon MVC]

On 27/08/2022 at 20:18, jnelsoninjax said:

It has 8GB already

Perfect. Then add an SSD.. it's a no brainer. Haven't used an HDD as a boot drive for the last 10 years.

[jnelsoninjax]

On 27/08/2022 at 21:31, warwagon said:

Perfect. Then add an SSD.. it's a no brainer. Haven't used an HDD as a boot drive for the last 10 years.

I will, for $50 to boost the speed is a no brainer as you said

[inactive]

I think Nick H summed it up.

 

unless a laptop's 2nd gen i5 is a lot worse than a desktops, that should be far from slow (like closer to fast than slow in the big scheme of things for general day-to-day use) as on my primary desktop I got a i5-3550 (I used to have a i3-2120 not long ago (as I upgraded in 2020) before I swapped out CPU for the i5-3550) and it's still plenty fast enough for many uses, as while I know you said your setup is only got 4GB of RAM, I suspect just adding a SSD will help off-set the lack of RAM to some degree.

 

but I see you mentioned 8GB of RAM (which I am assuming this is your primary setup(?)) as I figure as long as someone has at least 8GB of RAM it should still be easily good enough for many uses, even moderate to somewhat heavy use, especially if paired with a SSD. hell, even before I upgraded from 8GB of RAM to 16GB of RAM on my primary PC 2 years ago, 8GB of RAM was still easily good enough for general usage on my SSD setup. even when I upgraded, I can't say I notice any obvious differences in general day-to-day usage, even though there are some tasks I occasionally do that can push RAM use a bit higher to where I probably get some level of benefit with the RAM upgrade (still, I figure at the very least by the time 16GB of RAM becomes a real problem, my system will probably be quite ancient by that point).

 

so I think I can confidently say that unless a person is a fairly heavy user (with fairly major RAM hog programs), the biggest all-around boost in terms of RAM upgrade will come from 4GB to 8GB more than 8GB to 16GB etc, especially if they got a SSD.

 

hell, I am sure even my i3-2120 (dual core), if I was still using it, is still good enough for general use to this day, especially if you got sufficient RAM (say 8GB) and a SSD. but I had a theory that even 4GB of RAM might not be too bad if paired with a SSD as it might help off-set the lack of RAM. but I never got around to testing this yet (but if my main PC dies, ill know soon enough since ill be immediately putting in a SSD into my old desktop computer which has a dual core CPU from the late 2000's and is limited to only 4GB of RAM).

 

p.s. but come to think of it... has anyone around here tried what I suspect might be true above? (i.e. running a decent CPU paired with only 4GB of RAM on a decent SATA SSD in that does it largely offset the performance hit from lack of RAM or not for general day-to-day use?)

[pololy07]

Linux is faster indeed, although it all depends on the filling details. I have a problem when rebooting Linux, the black screen is on and does not turn on, only when the power is turned off can it be turned on again. How to deal with this problem?

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 30/09/2022 at 12:11, pololy07 said:

Linux is faster indeed, although it all depends on the filling details. I have a problem when rebooting Linux, the black screen is on and does not turn on, only when the power is turned off can it be turned on again. How to deal with this problem?

This might help.

 

https://askubuntu.com/questions/162075/my-computer-boots-to-a-black-screen-what-options-do-i-have-to-fix-it

[FateTrap]

You can try (all) the easy Unix-like systems.

Easy difficulty
PCLinuxOS -- https://pclosusers.com/communityiso/LXQt/community-pclinuxos64-lxqt-2023.11.iso
ROSA Fresh Desktop -- https://mirror.rosalinux.ru/rosa/rosa2021.1/iso/ROSA.FRESH.12/lxqt/ROSA.FRESH.LXQT.12.4.x86_64.uefi.iso
mageia -- https://www.mageia.org/fr/downloads/
OpenMandriva -- https://www.openmandriva.org
GhostBSD -- https://www.ghostbsd.org
Clear Linux -- https://www.clearlinux.org/downloads.html
Mint -- https://linuxmint.com/download.php
EndeavourOS -- https://endeavouros.com
ALT Linux -- http://nightly.altlinux.org/sisyphus/tested/regular-lxqt-latest-x86_64.iso
nobara -- https://nobaraproject.org

When you have more experience or more skills you will be able to use more dificult systems as well.

Intermediate difficulty
DragonFly BSD -- https://www.dragonflybsd.org/
Void Linux -- https://repo-default.voidlinux.org/live/current/void-live-x86_64-20230628-xfce.iso
Alpine Linux -- https://www.alpinelinux.org/
OpenBSD -- https://www.openbsd.org
Artix Linux -- https://artixlinux.org/download.php
Devuan -- https://devuan.org

In terms of memory management (RAM usage), Alpine Linux and DragonFly BSD tend to be 'stronger' than most operating systems, but they also have a slightly more difficult learning curve at the beginning.

[aioraito]

As others said, if possible, switch from HDD to SSD and upgrade to 8GB or 16GB RAM...

If you are okay with the current amount of RAM, you will be limited to 32bit versions since 64bit versions consume more memory...

Since it's already more than a year since then, I wonder what the OP did with the machine...

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 14/12/2023 at 09:58, aioraito said:

As others said, if possible, switch from HDD to SSD and upgrade to 8GB or 16GB RAM...

If you are okay with the current amount of RAM, you will be limited to 32bit versions since 64bit versions consume more memory...

Since it's already more than a year since then, I wonder what the OP did with the machine...

As everyone has said the SSD upgrade should be done and according to the OP it was done.  Upgrading to 16GB of RAM for a machine with a 2 core (4 thread) CPU doesn't make much sense to me. You are not limited to a 32-bit OS with 8GB of RAM in anyway. What are you talking about?  16GB of RAM has only become standard on NEW non-entry level computers in like the last year.

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 14/12/2023 at 08:38, FateTrap said:

You can try (all) the easy Unix-like systems.

Easy difficulty
PCLinuxOS -- https://pclosusers.com/communityiso/LXQt/community-pclinuxos64-lxqt-2023.11.iso
ROSA Fresh Desktop -- https://mirror.rosalinux.ru/rosa/rosa2021.1/iso/ROSA.FRESH.12/lxqt/ROSA.FRESH.LXQT.12.4.x86_64.uefi.iso
mageia -- https://www.mageia.org/fr/downloads/
OpenMandriva -- https://www.openmandriva.org
GhostBSD -- https://www.ghostbsd.org
Clear Linux -- https://www.clearlinux.org/downloads.html
Mint -- https://linuxmint.com/download.php
EndeavourOS -- https://endeavouros.com
ALT Linux -- http://nightly.altlinux.org/sisyphus/tested/regular-lxqt-latest-x86_64.iso
nobara -- https://nobaraproject.org

When you have more experience or more skills you will be able to use more dificult systems as well.

Intermediate difficulty
DragonFly BSD -- https://www.dragonflybsd.org/
Void Linux -- https://repo-default.voidlinux.org/live/current/void-live-x86_64-20230628-xfce.iso
Alpine Linux -- https://www.alpinelinux.org/
OpenBSD -- https://www.openbsd.org
Artix Linux -- https://artixlinux.org/download.php
Devuan -- https://devuan.org

In terms of memory management (RAM usage), Alpine Linux and DragonFly BSD tend to be 'stronger' than most operating systems, but they also have a slightly more difficult learning curve at the beginning.

Those are easy? Man, you must have a wild imagination.

I had so many issues with EndeavourOS. Just one thing popping after another. And being on Arch, it isn't easy peasy.

Nobara? That's on a whole new level. Not for a beginner.

Edit: ANY distro can be light weight depending on what DE they use/allow, as well as all the software they install OOTB.

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 14/12/2023 at 13:18, Mindovermaster said:

Those are easy? Man, you must have a wild imagination.

I had so many issues with EndeavourOS. Just one thing popping after another. And being on Arch, it isn't easy peasy.

Nobara? That's on a whole new level. Not for a beginner.

Edit: ANY distro can be light weight depending on what DE they use/allow, as well as all the software they install OOTB.

You see suggestions like this all the time on the Linux subreddits when someone posts they have never used Linux before and ask for suggestions. A lot people won't even suggest a DE that is similar to Windows (like KDE or Cinnamon) and instead go to GNOME or even just a Window Manager. I think a lot of people just recommend things they prefer and for their use cases while ignoring the person asking experience and use case. It's kinda a form of gatekeeping IMO. The best were the BSD distros mentioned when the OP wanted to use Linux.

The other guy saying the OP would be limited to a 32-bit OS with 8GB of RAM was also bizarre. Both comments were very weird especially on a post that was from over two years ago. Like why?

Edited December 14, 2023 by Good Bot, Bad Bot

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 14/12/2023 at 13:29, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

You see suggestions like this all the time on the Linux subreddits when someone posts they have never used Linux before and ask for suggestions. A lot people won't even suggest a DE that is similar to Windows (like KDE or Cinnamon) and instead go to GNOME or even just a Window Manager. I think a lot of people just recommend things they prefer and for their use cases while ignoring the person asking experience and use case. It's kinda a form of gatekeeping IMO. The best were the BSD distros mentioned when the OP wanted to use Linux.

The other guy saying the OP would be limited to a 32-bit OS with 8GB of RAM was also bizarre. Both comments were very weird especially on a post that was from over two years ago. Like why?

Cinnamon is based on GNOME, so don't wash it out.

I was not telling the OP that, see who I quoted? He probably picked those distros from DistroWatch..

And BSD is good, but not somewhere you want to start at..

Everyone has an opinion and I gave mine. If you can't accept that, leave.

 

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 14/12/2023 at 14:56, Mindovermaster said:

Cinnamon is based on GNOME, so don't wash it out.

I was not telling the OP that, see who I quoted? He probably picked those distros from DistroWatch..

And BSD is good, but not somewhere you want to start at..

Everyone has an opinion and I gave mine. If you can't accept that, leave.

 

Cinnamon is based on GNOME but unlike GNOME it is a very similar to the Windows desktop layout and workflow so it would be familiar for a new Linux user.

Ummmm I didn't say you told the OP anything. It wasn't obvious I was referring to FateTrap (and others like them on Reddit) who you quoted?

I was actually agreeing with you and even if didn't I wouldn't need to or would leave. Chill man...

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 14/12/2023 at 14:46, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

I was actually agreeing with you and even if didn't I wouldn't need to or would leave. Chill man...

Didn't sound like an agreement, but.. O well.

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 14/12/2023 at 20:18, Mindovermaster said:

Didn't sound like an agreement, but.. O well.

You made a remark about those distros not being "easy" to the person in question and I replied to you that a lot of people make poor suggestions to Linux beginners. What other agreement were you looking for? LOL

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 14/12/2023 at 19:30, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

You made a remark about those distros not being "easy" to the person in question and I replied to you that a lot of people make poor suggestions to Linux beginners. What other agreement were you looking for? LOL

[aioraito]

On 15/12/2023 at 01:39, Good Bot, Bad Bot said:

As everyone has said the SSD upgrade should be done and according to the OP it was done.  Upgrading to 16GB of RAM for a machine with a 2 core (4 thread) CPU doesn't make much sense to me. You are not limited to a 32-bit OS with 8GB of RAM in anyway. What are you talking about?  16GB of RAM has only become standard on NEW non-entry level computers in like the last year.

I may not have conveyed it the way I intended, or it was misunderstood...

What I'm trying to say is 32bit OS can only use up to 4GB RAM [as what I have seen using Windows XP 32bit on a computer with 8GB RAM] while a 64bit OS can easily eat up all the 4GB RAM which is why I also recommended to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB RAM... I also have 2core 4thread computer and it is fine running 64bit LMDE with 16GB RAM and a SSD...

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

On 14/12/2023 at 21:24, aioraito said:

What I'm trying to say is 32bit OS can only use up to 4GB RAM [as what I have seen using Windows XP 32bit on a computer with 8GB RAM] while a 64bit OS can easily eat up all the 4GB RAM which is why I also recommended to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB RAM... I also have 2core 4thread computer and it is fine running 64bit LMDE with 16GB RAM and a SSD...

Good point..

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 14/12/2023 at 20:36, Mindovermaster said:

We can only all guess why the eyeroll... is it really that hard to just say you misunderstood what I said?

Edited December 15, 2023 by Good Bot, Bad Bot

[+Good Bot, Bad Bot Subscriber¹]

On 14/12/2023 at 22:24, aioraito said:

I may not have conveyed it the way I intended, or it was misunderstood...

What I'm trying to say is 32bit OS can only use up to 4GB RAM [as what I have seen using Windows XP 32bit on a computer with 8GB RAM] while a 64bit OS can easily eat up all the 4GB RAM which is why I also recommended to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB RAM... I also have 2core 4thread computer and it is fine running 64bit LMDE with 16GB RAM and a SSD...

That's why it's always a good idea to read the previous comments as the OP had said he upgraded to 8GB.  I didn't say the laptop wouldn't run with 16GB of RAM but there is a diminishing returns with a CPU that old. The laptop will run great with 8GB of RAM and a SSD with Linux for a secondary system.  He would be better off putting that money toward a newer laptop.