Recommended PC specification for running different Linux distros

So, I am wondering, what would you recommend for different Linux distros in terms of computer specification?

I am contemplating buying another machine to run Linux, and to learn to use Linux as a hobby.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I wouldn't be gaming on such a machine (I'll use Windows for that), but just something that would give a zippy experience for light usage, such as internet browsing, cloud streaming and the like?

Honestly, almost any computer can run Linux. I've known a couple people who have loaded Linux on a computer that's over five years old, and it usually runs just as well if not better than a new computer with Windows or MacOS.

That said, I'd recommend testing out different distros in a virtual machine first to see what works for you. I'm sure some of the other Linux people on this board can offer more advice later.

One of the beauties of Linux is that most distributions will run on pretty much any PC hardware, it's nowhere near as resource hungry as Windows. At least a dual core processor and 8 gig of ram is recommended, other than that specs are dictated by what software you want to run rather than OS requirements.

It does require Intel IA architecture but you can still run it on a 32 bit machine, 64 bit is much more practical of course. This means you can't run it on a Chromebook, they're actually not PCs but are more closely related to phones and tablets. If you've got an old Mac lying around it'll run well on that too, they're just overpriced PCs.

If you're going to try Linux there's a lot of different distributions to choose from, but most of them are reworked versions of 2 that are considered "mainstream", that's Ubuntu and Fedora. If you're just starting out I recommend you stick to those two mainstream versions for a whole plethora of reasons.

Bigger development teams means
Better support for more hardware
Better documentation
Bigger knowledgebase surrounding issues
Many more users to help with any support issues you might have

On my main machine I'm running Ubuntu but it's starting to annoy me with a few issues. Recently I bought a laptop to travel with and Ubuntu couldn't recognise the built in Intel graphics, or the sound card or the wifi card. The laptop was too new and Ubuntu simply didn't have those drivers yet. I installed Fedora instead and it runs like a dream.

So my recommendation for a first try would be Fedora with the Cinnamon desktop.

Fedora Cinnamon Spin

Linux installers are also what's called Live Desktops, you don't have to install them to try them out, you can just boot from a thumb drive and you get the fully functional Linux running without installing it anywhere. In that state it won't be able to remember any settings changes you make and it'll be a bit slower than normal to run but you can check it out without installing.

A bootable Linux drive is a very handy thing to have even if you decide you don't like it. You can boot from the thumb drive and you get a graphical desktop with proper file browser, etc. This makes life a lot easier if something happens to your Windows installation and you need to rescue files before reinstalling everything.

Linux also comes with Firefox web browser, Thunderbird email software and Libre Office suite already installed.

I knew a guy who was able to get a lightweight Ubuntu flavor to boot on a Chromebook, but the process is so intensive that I don't recommend a beginner to try doing so.

tkcartoonist said:

I knew a guy who was able to get a lightweight Ubuntu flavor to boot on a Chromebook, but the process is so intensive that I don't recommend a beginner to try doing so.

Click to expand...

I mucked around and did the same thing almost a decade ago when Chromebooks were new things. That's how I found out they're only glorified tablets. I got it to work but it wasn't terribly functional.

This is also useful information for you - how to make a bootable Linux drive in Windows.

Creating and Running a Fedora Linux Live USB stick on a PC with Windows 11 - GeeksforGeeks

Most of the YouTube Linux gurus seem to gravitate towards Linux Mint, Arch and Fedora as top ranked Linux distros. On my 13 year old computer I can still run Mint 22.0 with no problems and with an equally old Nvidia GTX 650Ti video card.

I also had excellent luck installing Pop!OS22.04, though I still keep Linux Mint 22.0 as my top distro to use. Mint out of the box has more of the appearance of Windows 11, while distros like Pop!OS resemble more of a Mac GUI. Both are Ubuntu-based, which I have had the most luck with. Arch-based distros not so much, at least on my older computer.

If go onto YouTube, you'll find a number of presentations specifically advocating first-time former Windows users try Linux Mint 22 or Zorin OS17. Though it's best to understand that doesn't imply that they operate anything like Windows. However I've tried both, and they are easily installed compared to other distros. And I like the fact that the primary installation procedure in them makes sure you initiate your firewall before actually using the OS itself. (Some distros don't even mention a firewall, where you have to hunt for it.) Mint is a distro that operates with Trusted Platform Module 2.0 enabled or disabled in your motherboard's BIOS. (Many other distros like Pop!OS won't install unless you turn off TPM 2.0). Important if you are dual-booting or using removable drives, since last I heard that Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0. Linux does run on less memory, but I wouldn't try running on much less than 8GB.

The biggest reasons I prefer Linux Mint is both the ease of installing it, and the very nice compliment of software that is included in the basic installation. Everything you really need at the outset plus a little more for good measure. And it comes in three flavors. I prefer "Cinnamon", but the other two flavors are more optimal for older computers.

While I've done a lot of distro-hopping in the past just to see what's out there and how it runs on my computers, it's an easy process for me as I use removable/swapable SSDs. But in the end, I have always come back to Linux Mint.

The one critical thing to understand when considering Linux is that nearly all distros have no formal support. Leaving you to go online to search for whatever problems you may have. Though I find the Linux Mint forum often has the answers to such problems. My most initial problem when installing it was that while I had headphone sound, I had no external speaker sound whatsoever, which initially freaked me out. But like most such issues, I found the solution to that problem, downloaded the Alsa-Tools-GUI and followed directions in editing three files pertaining to my Realtek/Intel sound chip on my motherboard.

Most of all, don't expect to rely on anything you may understand about Windows. More than likely, it won't help you at all. But while this is a whole new ballgame with a learning curve, it's a much better, more secure OS. And it runs on far less system resources compared to Windows. And don't be shy about trying out using terminal commands. A lot of it comes down to just cutting and pasting.

Actual hardware specifications? Perhaps the most difficult thing to comment on. Making it more a case of trail-and-error based on whatever computer you have. Let's just say you might run into performance issues if your computer is perhaps more than 15 years old. The CUPS programming that automatically installs printers seems to work well with both HP laserjet and inkjet printers.

sudo apt good-luck

Not Windows 11 ! Not even a Mac either....

sudo apt install common-sense & kill windows

Just an update for everyone!

I finally went and installed Linux Mint this afternoon. I went through all the steps, including verifying the ISO image that I had downloaded and doing an integrity check and then an authenticity check via command prompt in Windows 11. I chose Cinnamon 22.1 as my specific option.

Everything went fine until I tried to create a bootable USB thumb drive with the suggested balenaEtcher program. The first USB drive was broken with me trying to create the bootable USB. The USB drive stopped being recognized in Windows 11 at least and was not even visible in disk management. I tried another USB and nearly broke that one too, but I aborted the installation process the second time around half way through since I remembered at this point what the problem might have been? I then managed to format and assign a new drive letter to the second USB drive in disk management.

I think the problem with the first attempt and second attempt at creating a bootable USB was that I had changed the file system for the USB drive to NTFS, so I changed it back to FAT32 for a third attempt and I successfully created the USB boot drive for Linux Mint!

So I went and booted the Linux Mint installer from USB on a laptop I had previously bought especially for Linux, and I managed to install the thing at last!

So now I just have to figure out how to actually use Linux Mint Cinnamon OS properly... this should be fun!

I should mention that I downloaded a different ISO the second time around (from a torrent rather than a mirror link), so that could have been the issue... maybe. I'm not sure what happened to be honest.

blitzkrieg said:

Just an update for everyone!

I finally went and installed Linux Mint this afternoon. I went through all the steps, including verifying the ISO image that I had downloaded and doing an integrity check and then an authenticity check via command prompt in Windows 11. I chose Cinnamon 22.1 as my specific option.

Everything went fine until I tried to create a bootable USB thumb drive with the suggested balenaEtcher program. The first USB drive was broken with me trying to create the bootable USB. The USB drive stopped being recognized in Windows 11 at least and was not even visible in disk management. I tried another USB and nearly broke that one too, but I aborted the installation process the second time around half way through since I remembered at this point what the problem might have been? I then managed to format and assign a new drive letter to the second USB drive in disk management.

I think the problem with the first attempt and second attempt at creating a bootable USB was that I had changed the file system for the USB drive to NTFS, so I changed it back to FAT32 for a third attempt and I successfully created the USB boot drive for Linux Mint!

So I went and booted the Linux Mint installer from USB on a laptop I had previously bought especially for Linux, and I managed to install the thing at last!

So now I just have to figure out how to actually use Linux Mint Cinnamon OS properly... this should be fun!

Click to expand...

Sounds like a familiar experience. Balena Etcher is not a particularly user-friendly program, but the one I learned about first and could understand. "Rufus" is equally suggested, though I got nowhere with it. Yes, all my ISO flash drives are formatted with FAT32.

The good news: Once you get Linux Mint up and running, you'll find that their installed program "USB Image Writer" works considerably better and is much easier to use IMO.

So for now on, forget Balena Etcher in making an ISO flash drive for other distros you may want to check out.

Note that "Mint-y" versus Mint-x" they provide a different set of icons. Lots to play with in the "Themes" section. Unlike Windows, virtually everything in most any Linux distro is customizable. That it's just a matter of learning how to do what.

You might want to use the "Cinnamenu" applet that offers an alternative menu system. A bit more versatile on a number of levels and puts Windows 11 to shame:

Welcome to the Linux club, @blitzkrieg! Always good to see a new Linux user.