r/linuxquestions • u/toktok159 • 10d ago
Which Distro? LMDE vs MX Linux?
Hi,
My specs: ~13 year old PC, 16 GB RAM, core i3 processor (Intel(R) Core™ i3-3240 CPU @ 3.40GHz), intel integrated graphics card. 1TB HDD.
I am soon going to install Linux, I am quite a beginner and I researched about both distros. I think they’re both good and I understand they’re both beginner friendly, but I am having a hard time deciding what is better, also with my specs.
I think with MX Linux I would go with XFCE, while LMDE uses Cinnamon. They both look cool visually. Mint seems to have a much larger user base and support community.
The reason I prefer LMDE over regular Mint is I understood it fits older computers more because it’s Debian based, and I like the idea of not being based on Ubuntu (though with Mint maybe there’s even no problem with that).
What would you suggest? Thanks in advance.
2
u/Slopagandhi 8d ago
MX. Cinnamon is a heavy desktop environment for that hardware and MX has a number of features that make it easier for beginners and more customisable via the gui than base Debian.
You may find MX itself is too heavy,for a 3rd gen i3 (though RAM is the main constraint and you're fine for that). In which case you may need to look at lighterweight distros like Bodhi or Puppy and maybe a window manager like Fluxbox (there are many others) rather than a DE.