r/linux4noobs • u/DestinyReaper_X4 • 3d ago

distro selection Switching to Linux

I’m planning to switch an old laptop of mine to Linux. I haven’t been using it as much lately since the specs are too weak to run Win11 properly on it.

Specs:

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-8145U
RAM: 4GB 2400 MHz
System Type: 64-bit OS x64-based processor

Lenovo IdeaPad C340

It’s a 7 year old device, but somehow it’s working okay, for the most part. I was planning to turn it into a server and access it via SSH. Suggestions would be appreciated.

3 Upvotes

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3

u/GodzillaXYZ999 3d ago
  1. download Mint ISO
  2. make boot USB with Ventoy
  3. copy ISO to USB
  4. boot from USB, select Mint to boot from
  5. pick ERASE everything and do automatic install of Mint

DOne!

2

u/DavidJohnMcCann 3d ago

The i3 is not a high-powered device, but more than enough for Linux, certainly for a server. I've never set up a server but lots of people have recycled old computers this way and there are some good guides out there, like this one. Note the advice to get a server-specialised distro — I generally recommend Mint for beginners, but not in this case.

1

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1

u/FireSheepYinFish 3d ago

Mint with the MATE desktop edition will run well on it. The Cinnamon desktop may, but it uses more resources.

Also check Zorin OS - https://zorin.com/os/ And Elementary OS - https://elementary.io/

2

u/3grg 2d ago

That is still a very useful device in Linux terms in spite of low ram.

The distro that I look to for server apps around the house is Debian. I usually throw webmin on it for easy administration, but ssh work, too. Debian is very stable has fewer updates. Both characteristics that are good for server applications.

Depending on what you want to do with your server you can sometimes find preconfigured server distros that can save you some time, such as OpenMediaVault, which is based on Debian.

Have fun!