Sometime, we’ve all had that old computer that just got obsolete and that has been piled up in some corner of your house What if you could give it a second life?
This is possible with the Linux operating system, thanks to its vast repertoire of distributions with very light and resource consuming options, so they can be easily installed on old computers.
In this article we will present you the best distributions optimized for old PCs that you can find, so you can rescue that old laptop and give it a new chance to be useful.
List of the best Linux distributions to give an old computer or laptop a second life
Linux has an extensive list of distributions to work with almost any computer, and many of them are designed to have a low demand for resources, so are compatible with up to 15-year-old equipmentorage.
Now, we present you a list of 10 of the best Linux distributions with a very low demand for resources that work on your computer, regardless of how outdated it is:
LXLE.net
It is one of the lightest distributions available. It is based on Lubuntu, which in turn is based on Ubuntu, and uses the desktop environment LXDE. It has many very useful tools installed natively, such as the office automation program LibreOffice or GIMP as an image editor.
All that is required to install this distribution is:
- Processor: Pentium 3.
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Storage: 8GB.
Elementary OS
It is based on Ubuntu and has an attractive desktop environment based on GNOME. You can download it from their website https://elementary.io/es/. It has a quite striking general design and to that are added all the indispensable tools pre-installed.
Although it could not be called the lightest distro available, the minimum requirements for its installation are:
- Processor: 1GHz.
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Storage: 5GB.
PeppermintOS.com
It has native access to Ubuntu repositories, since its architecture is based on the distribution Lubuntu. Integrate the desktop environment Cinnamon and includes very interesting tools such as the file manager Ultra Smooth Nemo, which enables fast file transfer.
The Peppermint OS installation requirements are:
- Processor: Intel Core i5 (or any with x86 architecture)
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Storage: 4GB.
Porteus.org
It is one of the most recommended to use in old computers, since it is optimized to boot from a bootable CD or USB stick. It is so light that it can run on almost any computer, since it weighs no more than 300 MB.
Its installation requirements are very low, since it only demands the following:
- Processor: Intel / AMD.
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Storage: 1 GB.
PointLinux.org
It is a small size distribution Debian-based using the MATE desktop environment, derived from GNOME 2. It is available in two versions, the full version includes all the necessary programs to start using the OS as soon as it is installed, while the Core version only includes hardware drivers and multimedia codecs.
The Point Linux installation requirements are:
- Processor: 1 GHz.
- RAM: 512MB.
- Storage: 5GB.
Slax.org
It is a mini open source distribution based on Debian and optimized to work through bootable media, such as CD or memories USB. Just occupy 210 MB of space, so it can be installed on any computer. It also has an application installer that allows us to choose which programs we want on our powered PC.
All it requires to install is:
- Processor: Intel / AMD.
- RAM: 256 MB.
- Storage: 1GB.
AbsoluteLinux.org
It is a very light distribution based on Slackware and compatible with 64 Bit architectures. It includes a wide variety of tools installed by defects, among which we can mention the Kodi Media Player, LibreOffice as an office suite and even Google Chrome Browser as a web browser.
It has very low installation requirements, since all you need is:
- Processor: Pentium 486.
- RAM: 1GB.
- Storage: 5 GB.
Macpup.org
It is a distribution based on Puppy Linux, with such a compact size that it is even executable in RAM memory. Nevertheless, has all the tools of a complete Linux distribution, with a decent variety of applications and an attractive interface.
Its small size represents a very low demand for resources:
- Processor: Pentium 1.
- RAM: 128 MB.
- Storage: 250 MB.
ArchLinux.org
It is designed to work on 32 and 64 Bit architectures and has its own application repository that is constantly updated. It is a very light distribution that gives us access to a package selector so that we can decide which applications we want to install on our computer.
The good performance of this distro does not require too many resources:
- Processor: 450 MHz.
- RAM: 512 MB.
- Storage: 1 GB.
SliTaz.org
It has a system weight of only 100 MB so it is very easy to run on old computers with few resources. Despite its size, has by default all the necessary tools to start using the computer as soon as the operating system is installed, and it allows you to add all the necessary applications within the capabilities of the computer.
Your facility requirements are:
- Processor: Intel i486.
- RAM: 286 MB.
- Storage: 286 MB.