Best Lightweight and Usable OS for 5 Year Old Laptop?

[Cringelix]

Looking for a lightweight and usable OS for my old laptop. I had upgraded it to an SSD not long ago and upgraded it into Windows 10 from windows 8 but it does not seem to like Windows 10 much as it just bogs down on the CPU a lot even when im not doing anything. I am looking for an OS that runs fine on a 5 year old AMD laptop with 4 core 2ghz AMD cpu and with 4gb of RAM. I only plan to use Discord and for light video and media browsing. Is there some kind of OS out there that does not take much tinkering with and I can get it up and running easily?

[WhitetailAni]

Linux is probably your best bet.

I recommend Linux Mint, as it's the most similar to Windows GUI-wise.

It made my Core i3-2365M and 4GB single-channel RAM work well and play Minecraft 1.11.2 at ~50FPS solid.

[Slottr]

Just plain old ubuntu would be fine for this

[Cringelix]

Just now, Slottr said:

Just plain old ubuntu would be fine for this

how do I go onto installing Ubuntu on it? Is there an article or something online you can link me with that has a straightforward no nonsense guide on how to get it up and running on my laptop?

[Cringelix]

2 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

Linux is probably your best bet.

I recommend Linux Mint, as it's the most similar to Windows GUI-wise.

It made my Core i3-2365M and 4GB single-channel RAM work well and play Minecraft 1.11.2 at ~50FPS solid.

Hmm I see, can you link me with something on how to install it?

[SupaKomputa]

5 Years is not that old.

Upgrade the memory and SSD and will feel like a new laptop.

[Cringelix]

1 minute ago, SupaKomputa said:

5 Years is not that old.

Upgrade the memory and SSD and will feel like a new laptop.

I have upgraded it into an 120GB SSD from an old 500GB hard drive it had, it did improve startup times and programs starting but it is ultimately pinned down by extra services running in the background and extra nonsense.

[YellowJersey]

5 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

Linux is probably your best bet.

I recommend Linux Mint, as it's the most similar to Windows GUI-wise.

It made my Core i3-2365M and 4GB single-channel RAM work well and play Minecraft 1.11.2 at ~50FPS solid.

I second that. I have a 9 year old laptop running Mint and it works great.

[Cringelix]

6 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

Linux is probably your best bet.

I recommend Linux Mint, as it's the most similar to Windows GUI-wise.

It made my Core i3-2365M and 4GB single-channel RAM work well and play Minecraft 1.11.2 at ~50FPS solid.

I just looked into Linux Mint, which version should I install on my laptop? I prefer something very lightweight but that still allows me to access everything I need like Discord and what you would usually do inside a browser.

[WhitetailAni]

Just now, Cringelix said:

I just looked into Linux Mint, which version should I install on my laptop? I prefer something very lightweight but that still allows me to access everything I need like Discord and what you would usually do inside a browser.

I'm biased towards 17.3, but 19.3 or 20 will work fine.

Also, you use browser-based Discord?

[Cringelix]

1 minute ago, FakeKGB said:

I'm biased towards 17.3, but 19.3 or 20 will work fine.

Also, you use browser-based Discord?

uh I use the desktop program as it somehow runs better than me using the web version on my laptop.

[YellowJersey]

Just now, Cringelix said:

I just looked into Linux Mint, which version should I install on my laptop? I prefer something very lightweight but that still allows me to access everything I need like Discord and what you would usually do inside a browser.

I'd go for 20.0. It'll be supported until 2025. (I'm running 19.3). Cinnamon is the most popular, but I'm one of the weirdos that prefers the MATE desktop. There's also a discord desktop app, so no worries.

 

Just now, FakeKGB said:

I'm biased towards 17.3, but 19.3 or 20 will work fine.

Also, you use browser-based Discord?

17.3 was the best there ever was, but it's no longer supported.

[WhitetailAni]

Just now, Cringelix said:

uh I use the desktop program as it somehow runs better than me using the web version on my laptop.

Good
You mentioned Discord under "web-based things", so I was worried.

Linux Mint will run fine, Chrome is great, and you can use WINE to notemulate Windows programs, such as Discord.

WINE saved my butt so many times.

[WhitetailAni]

1 minute ago, YellowJersey said:

17.3 was the best there ever was, but it's no longer supported.

I don't care; I'm using it (unless it vanishes again).

[G0dSpeed]

The mint discord app works great using it on Mint 20 (cinnamon) right now. Just use software manager.

[WhitetailAni]

Just now, G0dSpeed said:

You can get the discord app on Mint (20, cinnamon) i'm using it right now. Just type it into software manager.

I'm not going to use Mint as my main OS, just for burning CDs and DVDs because Brasero is amazing.

But thanks!

[Cringelix]

1 minute ago, G0dSpeed said:

You can get the discord app on Mint (20, cinnamon) i'm using it right now. Just type it into software manager.

 

Just now, FakeKGB said:

I'm not going to use Mint as my main OS, just for burning CDs and DVDs because Brasero is amazing.

But thanks!

ohhh okay, Ill got with Mint Cinnamon then, if need I will try out the other lightweight versions, thanks a lot for the help though. Is there somewhere with a guide to install Mint Cinnamon?

[WhitetailAni]

Just now, Cringelix said:

 

ohhh okay, Ill got with Mint Cinnamon then, if need I will try out the other lightweight versions, thanks a lot for the help though. Is there somewhere with a guide to install Mint Cinnamon?

Here's one:

https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

7 hours ago, Slottr said:

Just plain old ubuntu would be fine for this

eeeeeh, stock Ubuntu uses gnome which is a stretch on 4gb of ram. something lighter weight would be better, like Xubuntu.

[TorC]

12 hours ago, Cringelix said:

 . . .  I prefer something very lightweight but that still allows me to access everything I need like Discord and what you would usually do inside a browser.

"Very lightweight" does not include Mint or most of the 'buntus, I am afraid.  Even lubuntu is not very light in the regard you're speaking.  Most everyone here looks at "lightweight" as relative to the one they are now using.  Not necessarily true.  Here are my objective recommendations, based on over 11 years experience using Linux only:

 

LinuxLite if you want an ubuntu-based distro; 

antiX if Debian is preferred (ubuntu is NOT Debian, despite popular opinion); 

PCLOS has a variety of editions, including Trinity which is middleweight, openbox being the lightest; 

 

The above are what I would recommend to a first-time Linux user.

 

The lightest Mint is MATE (or lxqt, if available), another middleweight, FYI.

 

Best wishes and hope this helps. 

[TorC]

Forgot to mention PuppyLinux.  the new Fossapup (based on ubuntu 20.04) WILL make your machine fly!

 

Am using a modded even older Puppy now. to write this post.  My laptop is maxed out at 4GB with a Core2Duo P8600 CPU at 2.6GHz -- an old Dell E5500 still running strong.

[ClipperSpectreman]

On 2/12/2021 at 9:03 AM, Cringelix said:

Looking for a lightweight and usable OS for my old laptop. I had upgraded it to an SSD not long ago and upgraded it into Windows 10 from windows 8 but it does not seem to like Windows 10 much as it just bogs down on the CPU a lot even when im not doing anything. I am looking for an OS that runs fine on a 5 year old AMD laptop with 4 core 2ghz AMD cpu and with 4gb of RAM. I only plan to use Discord and for light video and media browsing. Is there some kind of OS out there that does not take much tinkering with and I can get it up and running easily?

try lubuntu or ubuntu 18... they might consume less then expected memory...
I've tried it on an really old random amd cpu with 2 cores and 2 gb of usable memory (ddr3)

 

[da na]

Go with Linux - Mint is lightest weight, Ubuntu is my personal favourite.

[Giganthrax]

Linux for sure. I would recommend Lubuntu. Easy to use and set up (compared to other Linuxes), runs great, looks okay. 

 

That being said, you'll still be using modern web browsers that chug memory like nobody's business, so you'll still be limited by those 4 gigs of RAM. Trust me, I know. 

[RogueSoldier777]

Zorin OS Lite is great for reviving old laptops and PCs. Found some random laptop with a core 2 duo and 3gb of ram in the house, upgraded to the cheapest 120gb SSD i could get and switched to Zorin, works like new now