LINUX DISTROS FOR OLDER COMPUTERS SOFTWARE
LINUX DISTROS FOR OLDER COMPUTERS PC

Now unlike the previous options, this is not a distro I would call “user friendly” as it’s based on speed, not ease of use.

LINUX DISTROS FOR OLDER COMPUTERS SOFTWARE

But that would be if you wanted to use software going beyond what the minimal configuration will support.

LINUX DISTROS FOR OLDER COMPUTERS PC

To be ultimately fair, Tiny Core will be happier on a Pentium 2-based PC with a whopping 128 MB of RAM. The minimal configuration requirements for Tiny Core is 46 MB of RAM and an i486 CPU. But lets say this – Tiny Core can run on the oldest hardware still working today….well, usually. Perhaps a slight exaggeration, due to compatibility.

I’ve often argued with friends that you could run Tiny Core Linux on anything with a chip in it. Next to Lubuntu, Bodhi really should be on your shortlist for those looking for an Ubuntu environment without the bloat. Even better, Bodhi supports 32bit-based laptops even without PAE capability. You can run Bodhi on 128 MB of RAM and a 300 Mhz CPU. Software installation and availability is as expected with any Ubuntu based distro, however the one difference is that Bodhi will support computers with limited resources. The Moksha desktop provides Ubuntu fans with older laptops a low resource friendly distro that will run practically anything. Bodhiīased on Ubuntu, Bodhi uses an Enlightenment 17 inspired desktop called Moksha. This means running heavy stuff like video or script heavy web pages are no issue as 99% of my resources can go to running applications instead of the mere act of supporting the operating system. On a laptop like mine that has an Intel Atom CPU and 2 GB of RAM, Lubuntu performance screams in terms of speed. To run Lubuntu, your PC needs to provide at least an Intel Pentium 2 (or AMD similar) CPU and 128 Mb of RAM. With the netbook’s limited RAM and Atom CPU, Lubuntu fits it like a glove. This is the distro I run on my ancient ASUS Eee 1005HAB netbook. Similar in many aspects to Xubuntu, Lubuntu is even lighter on resources and will provide the oldest laptop with a brand new lease on life.

This leaves any extra resources for running common applications like web browsers and office applications. This is due to the basic requirements of the Xubuntu desktop. The minimum requirements for Xubuntu are quite reasonable at 512 MB of RAM running with a 700 Mhz CPU. This is a desktop popular with Linux gamers as it strikes a balance by avoiding unnecessary compositing while allowing a tremendous amount of control over the theming of the XFCE desktop. Using Ubuntu as its base, Xubuntu is a fantastic release for those looking to stick with a traditional desktop, but forgoing the need to burn through precious PC resources. This article will share some of the best Linux distros for old laptop hardware and also touch on what the minimum requirements are for each distro. Linux is known for offering tremendous overall hardware compatibility, but Linux is most famous for its compatibility with older laptop hardware.

Linux distros for older computers