It’s been about 8 years since I gave Linux a real chance. I have an Sony VAIO PCG-3D3l Laptop which was abandoned by it’s previous owner.

I have no real plans for it, except to install Linux, and if I get comfortable with it, it’s probably what I will end up doing my banking on, because as much as I love Windows, I can’t say I ever feel secure using Windows.

What are your recommendations? I consider myself an advanced user with most forms of technology (Have an A+ certification that’s older than this laptop), but not on the level most of the people reading this are probably on.

  • gregorum@lemm.eeEnglish
    9·
    2 years ago

    Most would do, especially if it has a dGPU. Almost any distro you pick will have very low minimum requirements. Linux is good like that!

    Depending on your configuration, you may want to tweak some settings.

    Pop_OS! and Linux Mint are very popular for beginners. Pop_OS! especially if you have an Nvidia GPU because they have a specific install just for that. Both are based on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian.

    Others might recommend Fedora, which is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux or OpenSUSE. They’re also simple, stable, and reliable like the others, but a bit different under the hood.

      • gregorum@lemm.eeEnglish
        21·
        2 years ago

        i use it on a 18 year old i7 PC of mine with no issues. it’s fine for me. I use the Nvidia install, as i have a 960 GTX, which may affect the performance.

        as i said, it really depends on the config. Mint may be the better option.

        • Eldritch@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          2 years ago

          Yes an 18-year-old high-end system is going to run all right compared to an i3 or an i5 of similar vintage. Hyper threading makes a massive difference.

  • systemglitch@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    6·
    2 years ago

    Well tried for Mint Xfce, but it wouldn’t take. Two installs and the same repeating error over 10,000 times and counting when I last shut it off. So decided to give Debian a try and I’m pretty sure I went with Xfce as well. And no issues as it booted successfully. Good times!

    Maybe I’ll do the newbie thing and keep trying out different distros, I’m not sure at this point, but I will say it is nice to have a computer that doesn’t matter to me to mess with.

    • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      3·
      2 years ago

      Maybe I’ll do the newbie thing and keep trying out different distros,

      My dude some people never stop distrohopping, it’s not necessarily a “newbie thing.” Do whatever you want, that’s the beauty of it!

      • systemglitch@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        3·
        2 years ago

        I guess im diving right in. I also have a laptop of my own, with better specs I’m installing linux on now as i type. This one im going to experiement with more, and leave the other one as my banking PC.

    • GravelPieceOfSword@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      Spiral Linux. It’s Debian with customizations on top. You probably have a HDD. Flatpak/snap won’t play well with that.

      You could try Opensuse tumbleweed for newer stuff, not sure how well your machine would hold up.

      Puppy Linux might be an even safer choice than spiral Linux if you really want to stay lightweight.

  • pelya@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    2 years ago

    Choose the distro that can auto-install all the drivers for you, like Mint. It sounds like you will only run Chrome on it anyway.

  • SolidGrue@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 years ago

    VAIO? Yikes. Something that old can probably handle Debian Buster with XFCE. Work up from there, and try to stay on kernel 4.x