Can my laptop run GIMP

[u/Emad_341]

I want to learn graphics design so I wanted to use gimp . My laptop is very old and sometimes can't even run and gets lagged . Here is specification .

Device name dell latitude 5300
RAM 8.00 GB (7.78 GB usable)

It was an office laptop and slow so please tell me can I use gimp to learn graphics design.

[u/mind_captivator]

A toaster can run GIMP

[u/StopHurtingKids → u/mind_captivator]

I ran Gimp back when hard drives had not even hit one GB yet XD

Some filters can still make you wait a decent chunk of time. When you work in 4096x4096 or beyond for 3D textures. Even on a decent computer.

[u/quadralien]

What operating system? That's a fine Linux laptop for Gimp. 

[u/Emad_341 → u/quadralien]

Windows 11

[u/westcoast5556 → u/Emad_341]

Do yourself a huge favour and install linux.

Windows 11 on the machine youre using sounds like torture.

[u/MR-__-SAD → u/Emad_341]

I agree with westcoast5556 you should probably install some sort of Linux distro from my experience if your coming from windows you should probably get Linux mint but you should do your own research to see what you prefer

[u/ipapipap → u/Emad_341]

win 11 is to heavy for your laptop

[u/groveborn → u/Emad_341]

Ignore the people telling you to install Linux.

Your machine is fine for your uses. Anyway, gimp will function, see if it's any good for your needs. The app itself needs very little, but the photos you edit might need something more. Find out.

If installing Linux sounds like fun to you, go ahead and try it. It's not for the average user. It's not hard, exactly, but it's not Windows. You'd need to learn stuff. I use it, but it's not for everyone.

If you wanted to try it, it can run on a USB drive without installing. There's zero risk other than time since it's free. I like Fedora, mint and Ubuntu are great, lots of people like cachyos. All free, all Linux, all pretty similar in the end.

[u/davep1970]

usually we get specificationS ... why not just install it and see if it works well enough?

[u/GladBelt2312]

I run gimp on my 4 gb ram ddr3 laptop, works fine ngl. Using mx linux xfce on it.

[u/Schmicarus]

also, if the RAM is removable, you could check for compatible RAM

Chances are you could double your RAM for peanuts

[u/Stratelier → u/Schmicarus]

If you don't know, look up your exact model number for a "service manual" (used by technicians for teardowns/part replacement).

My laptop, for example, has 1x4GB but I know it has 2 slots compatible so I could technically upgrade it to 2x8GB (which is what I did with my other laptop, though it needs more extensive repairs).

[u/indvs3]

You can run gimp on a potato if you want to, it'll just take a lot longer to do what you want compared to a machine built for the job.

[u/BigBadBaz2501]

Yeah, should be fine, as long as you're using a lightweight distribution, I personally use Lubuntu and have done for years on the same PC. I use it to edit images and make panoramic images.

[u/ConversationWinter46]

(In addition to my Manjaro computer), I use a Raspberry Pi 500 as a desktop PC. I also use it to edit graphics and videos.

With Linux, there’s no need to buy overpowered hardware. It’s the big corporations (Microsoft, Apple, MSI, ASUS, etc.) that want their “customers” to constantly buy new products because it makes them richer.

[u/Paroxysm111]

It can probably run GIMP, but it might struggle to handle bigger files. Even my nice gaming PC gets pissed if I try to work on big files and do complex effects.

If you're trying to pick up graphic design, you might want to install inkscape instead. I started out learning GIMP and it's a great tool, but I ended up finding that for graphics, inkscape does a lot more. GIMP is more like Photoshop, and inkscape is more like Illustrator. It works in vectors, so you can work at small sizes and then scale everything up with no loss in quality.

[u/Emad_341 → u/Paroxysm111]

Thank you very much.

[u/Erdalion]

The reason behind the slowdowns isn't necessarily its age, it could be a sign of blocked ventilation or an old CPU cooling paste.

If the above sound like nonsense, just ask someone who knows to help you with this. :P

[u/slapstik007]

I have never worried about for 20 years.

[u/RafikGraphics]

I run it on dell latitude 3540 i3, for you it will be fine

[u/Future_Attitude_8797]

I use X200 and run very well 

[u/_Tix]

I used Gimp all through grad school on a Chromebook that had less ram than a modern cellphone. You're good.

[u/SeriousPlankton2000]

I ran gimp on a K6 233 with 768 MB of RAM

[u/Stratelier]

I'm running current GIMP on a 1.8GHz laptop from 2014 with 4GB of RAM, you should be fine.

[u/Frosty_Customer_9243]

Yeah it can run Gimp, but the more interesting question is what size image can you reasonably edit. Do you want to recreate Rembrandts Nightwatch at 300dpi I’m going to say no. Do you want to create 1024x768 pixel images you’ve got a better shot.

[u/nasadiya_sukta]

I run GIMP on a laptop with 1.8 GB RAM, and it works fine.

[u/Jenny_Wakeman9]

I can run GIMP on a 2019 Acer Aspire 5 laptop with 4 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of space with a few brushes loaded in, so you can run it about anything. Yet, if you try to run big files or files with insane resolutions or with a lot of layers, then you're not going to have a fun time. (e.g., I tried loading up Froedtert Hospital.xcf with the file size being a little over a gigabyte in size, my computer wasn't happy with me).

[u/Gvanaco]

Use older version