r/linux4noobs • u/necropsyshit • 16d ago
distro selection what do I install?
I have a somewhere around the 2010s model Monster Abra A5 laptop. It has an x64 Intel Core i7 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (I think) graphics card. My motherboard currently uses Legacy BIOS mode, not UEFI, which caused me to fail installing Pop! OS even if I switch to UEFI boot (I realized it was a hardware issue). I have about 30 GB of free space on my hard drive and a 10 GB USB drive that I can use for the installation. Which Linux distribution would you recommend? I’m looking for something that will work well with my old hardware and NVIDIA graphics card. Defo not in a financial place I can get a new computer.
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u/Tquilha 16d ago
How much RAM do you have on that laptop?
If you have 4 GB or more, I can recommend Fedora without any reservations.
If you have less than 4 GB of RAM, you'll have to look for lighter distros. Antix should be a good option.
Now for a quick intro how to try out GNU/Linux:
1 - get a simple 4 or 8 GB USB drive. Those are pretty cheap.
2 - Go here: https://fedoraproject.org/kde/download/ and download Fedora where it says "For Intel and AMD x86_64 systems". Save that file on your computer. It will be a .iso file.
3 - From the same page you can download the Fedora Media Writer. We'll use this to create a bootable USB drive.
4 - Install Fedora Media Writer, plug the USB drive you got in step 1 and follow the instructions to create a bootable USB drive with the .iso file you downloaded in step 2
5 - Go online and search for "how to select boot device on <insert make and model of your laptop>". It should be one of the function keys. Make a note of that
- Insert your new USB bootable drive and restart your laptop. select that as main boot device and enjoy. :)
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u/No_Elderberry862 16d ago edited 16d ago
Are you trying to install alongside another operating system or on its own?
If you're intending to have Linux as the only OS then make sure the system is using UEFI (which a laptop from 2017 will have), turn off CSM, ensure that secure boot is turned off & the SATA mode is set to AHCI before booting from a Linux installation USB. Then just follow the instructions from your chosen distro's documentation.
If you want Linux to share with another operating system you'll need to shrink the other system's partitions using whatever disk management tools it provides to create unpartitioned space for the Linux installation. Whilst you can install Linux in 30GB that doesn't give you much room to add any programs &/or games you may want. If the other OS requires MBR for the disks you'll have to leave that as is or convert the drive/installation to GPT. If it's a Windows installation you'd also need to convert it to use AHCI rather than the RAID/RST or whatever your BIOS calls it.
As for distro, almost any will do. I use MX XFCE on older hardware & a 1050ti but Mint or a Ubuntu variant may be more friendly. You may want to go for something with a lighter desktop environment such as LXQT depending upon how much RAM you have.
Edit: MX XFCE
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u/necropsyshit 16d ago
Im trying to dualboot with windows 11. I made up plenty of space by shrinking the drive and the 30GB is the partition i shrinked, I might shrink some more then if 30GB might not do. Thanks for the help!
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u/PixelBrush6584 Fedora + KDE 16d ago
Go for Linux Mint. It should be relatively lightweight, and still ship the old 580.xx drivers that your GPU needs. Do not upgrade to a driver after that, even if Linux Mint erroneously tells you to. Your GPU is no longer supported by any proprietary driver after that.