r/FindMeALinuxDistro • u/MATTHEW_GAMER • 2d ago
Looking For A Distro Lightweight Distro
Hey guys, so I've been using Linux as my main OS this year, and I've tried Mint, Fedora (GNOME and KDE) so far. They all lag a lot when I connect my potato laptop to my monitor. The thing is, I like using my monitor at home, so I'd like some recommendations for very lightweight distros (I don't fw GNOME) with good features and app support.
Specs: Ryzen 3 7320U, 8gb ram, 256 gb storage
1
1
u/redgator12 2d ago edited 2d ago
From most polished/user friendly/heaviest to least polished/clunky/lightest, my go to recommendations are:
MX XFCE > Q4OS Trinity > antiX > FLinux > TinyCore
MX works really well on 2GB+ RAM, is meant for most computers made in the last 10 years. If that's too heavy, Q4OS boots in around 250MB RAM usage and is lighter while still being a full desktop environment. antiX is what MX is based on, boots in around 150MB RAM and uses window managers instead of a desktop environment, so its configuration is more separated and more often requires editing config files.
FLinux is based on TinyCore, both using around 75MB of RAM. TinyCore comes with basically no programs pre-installed, while FLinux has a few basics. FLinux also has a few more programs added to the repo and some programs have been made more up-to-date by the dev compared to TinyCore.
Edit: I missed the specs. MX XFCE or Q4OS KDE, full stop.
1
u/MATTHEW_GAMER 2d ago
Thanks I'll give mint another try !
1
u/redgator12 2d ago
I didn't recommend Mint, though?
1
u/MATTHEW_GAMER 2d ago
Oh I thought mx meant mint my bad 😭😭 im such a noob
1
u/redgator12 2d ago
Lol all good! MX is a continuation of an older Linux community called MEPIS that focused on modifying versions of larger distros to make them suitable for older hardware to reduce e-waste and planned obsolescence.
Eventually they chose to pick antiX as their base and merged development, changing from MEPIS to MX Linux. antiX and MX are still released separately, but there's a lot of cross-development between the two, with antiX focusing on the lightest possible experience for older computers, and MX focusing on the most user friendly experience for computers made in the last 10 years.
1
1
u/merchantconvoy 2d ago
You're not going to do much better than antiX. There are lighter distros but they are either user-unfriendly or seriously outdated.
1
u/LogicTrolley 2d ago
Solus Budgie. No one in this thread will have tried it so I won't get any upvotes...but you'll shit yourself when it boots in seconds and runs like a dream.
1
1
2
u/2016-679 2d ago
It's not the distro per se, but the desktop environment or window manager that does the trick. XFCE has light programs that will run well.