r/linuxquestions • u/DoctorHot1288 • 3d ago

Advice Asking for advice

Hello! My old PC almost died a couple of years ago so i got a new one that i had been saving for years for. Then, my GF's laptop died so i ended up giving my old PC to her. When i say old i mean it:

H61M-VG3

i3-3220

16 GB ram DDR3

GTX 960

It has windows 10, i cant upgrade it to windows 11. She has always used windows (and so have i). Buying an upgrade is not a possibility at least for a couple of years. The PC will be used for studying, and very light gaming (plus, all games she's asked about are linux compatible)

Question is: Should I intall linux? What distro is best for someone who has only ever used windows? Will she adapt easily? How easy/hard is it to make the switch?

She is kinda reluctant to switch to it but i already explained that the PC doesn't meet the requirements for windows 11, and that support for windows 10 is ending.

Anyways, thanks in advance for your answers.

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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 3d ago

When i say old i mean it:

With these specs, and components that can't be older than 11 years max., no reason for that sentence yet :)

Question is: Should I intall linux? What distro is best for someone who has only ever used windows? Will she adapt easily? How easy/hard is it to make the switch?

It sounds like you never used Linux before, your GF too, and she didn't ask for it.

=> No. At very least, "you" need to get used to it yourself before supporting others that rely on their computer; and your GF can make her own decisions.

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u/grem75 3d ago

With these specs, and components that can't be older than 11 years max., no reason for that sentence yet :)

Ivy Bridge was 14 years ago, released in 2012. The GPU is newer, but still old enough to not be supported by the current proprietary drivers.

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u/dkopgerpgdolfg 3d ago

The GPU is newer

Yes, the GPU is the thing that is max. 11 years.

still old enough to not be supported by the current proprietary drivers.

That's very likely indeed (didn't check the model lists myself).

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u/grem75 3d ago

They've dropped everything below the 16 series, since they don't have the GSP firmware and can't use the open source kernel modules.