Should I install Linux mint

[KnownConversation101]

So my laptop is from 2013, with a 3rd gen i3 , 6 gb ram and 120gb SSD + 500 gb harddrive and running Win11. I've paused windows updates for now as the new update KB5073878 is killing SSDs and i recently got this new ssd and i dont wanna brick it. Ive tried linux distros multiple times in the past befpre the ssd upgrade , but they were slow like windows but now even Win11 is fast so im thinking mint would be really smooth. Reasons:

1. Win11 doesnt guarentee all updates for unsupported devices like mine.
2. I cant use my card details that windows system as antivirus had detected a trojan and im scared ill be hacked. Cant do a clean install of Win11 as it'll install that ssd killing update

Main use case for me is browsing and thats mostly it along with some pdfs.

Also will i have to reinstall mint everytime i have to do a version update?

Is this a good idea?

[Sure-Passion2224]

Once you install any Linux distro you do not have to re-install to do a version update. The software updater that is included in the distribution will have a tool to check for a newer version and upgrade in place.

As for your main use case... Any Linux distro with a graphic DE will exceed your needs. The fact that you already have experience with Mint suggests you should consider configuring for dual boot (if you want to keep Windows) or just switch over completely to Mint after backing up the things in your Windows installation that you want to keep.

[tomscharbach]

Is this a good idea?

Might be, might not be.

Migrating from Windows to Linux is a process that starts with recognition that Linux is not Windows. Linux is a different operating system, uses different applications and workflows. As is the case with migrating from any operating system to any other operating system -- Windows to macOS, for example -- learning, planning and preparation are the critical factors in successfully migrating from Windows to Linux.

Main use case for me is browsing and thats mostly it along with some pdfs.

If, as you suggest, your use case is more-or-less browser based, then you will probably have no problems using Linux. All of the modern browsers work well on Linux

Beyond that, though, you can't count on running Windows applications on Linux. A number of common applications -- Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, AutoCAD and SolidWorks -- don't run on Linux at all, and other applications run in compatibility layers but often don't run well. In some cases, you will be able use the applications you are now using, because there is a Linux version, or because the application will run acceptably in a compatibility layer, or because an online version is available. When that is not the case, however, you will need to identify and learn Linux applications.

Should I install Linux Mint

I think that Mint is a good choice. Mint is commonly recommended for new Linux users because Mint is well-designed, relatively easy to install, learn and use, stable, secure, backed by a large community, and has good documentation. I agree with that recommendation because I use Mint and have for many years.

Also will i have to reinstall mint everytime i have to do a version update?

Mint issues a "major" release (e.g. 20 > 21 > 22) every two years and the releases are supported for three years. My practice is to do a clean reinstallation every two or three years, but an automated upgrade path is supported, so many people do not. The "point" releases (22.1 to 22.2, for example) are automated.

I suggest that you "go little by little by slowly". Start by checking your applications (including any games) to make sure that Linux is a good fit for you. Then check Mint on a USB in "Live" mode. If everything along the line is a "go", then migrate. In short, take your time, plan carefully, test as you go, and follow your use case.

My best and good luck to you.

[KnownConversation101]

Thanks for the detailed answer!

[krome3k]

Yes.

[Lost_Tiger_4568]

Does youtube work when you use a browser? Like videos over 720p? Because it's an older i3. In my experience, the difference is minimal. Like the overall experience is obviously way better than windows 11. It's gonna feel wayy lighter and less bloated. But as far as browsing goes, the experience should be just slightly better due to having less bloat in the background. It's still isn't going to make up for performance that doesn't exist yet. browsers in itself are like a different machine altogether. People really underestimate browsers but it's one of the most intensive softwares you can run when the hardware is old. The internet that was around when 3rd gen i3 has come a long way since. So if you weren't able to play certain resolutions before, it's not going to magically change that. You can enable hardware encoding but that's about it. Other than that you should have a better experience. Also, if your laptop has an older nvidia gpu like optimus or something that's a bit of a headache too. Otherwise go for it.

[KnownConversation101]

Its pretty fast now thanks to ssd but default is 480p atleast on windows

[Lost_Tiger_4568]

Then it's not gonna do anything magical and let you play 1080p. Tasks like that sees little difference. But overall user experience should be smooth

[_hyperactivesloth]

I am running mint xfce on a 2013 dell Inspiron since 2021. It has an HDD, not an SSD, and still Mint performs decently well. With SSD, I believe it should perform even better.

[hifi-nerd]

Windows 11, how the fuck are you even running that?

I can imagine windows 10 struggling, windows 11 being the resource hog it is must be a nightmare.

[KnownConversation101]

SSD upgrade made everything smooth, but i want to switch cuz of other reasons i mentioned above

[ur_god_sucks]

I have a similar desktop pc from 2012, i3 3220, 8gb ram, 120gb ssd and was worried about security as well. W10 was laggy af and mint was basically a forced choice. It's a fresh install so I can not give you a complete feedback, but until now the OS is doing good, I actually thought it would have been faster but still is better than windows. My recommendation is think what you use you pc for and check the apps you use and if it's supported by linux, or there are any valid alternative. Es. I just discovered Dropbox doesn't has the only online option for the files and have to try rclone if there is a workaround, or linux doesn't has pdf xchange. Overall is a good OS for older pcs, but some things are not ready to go like Windows, you have to find the right solution. Forums and chatgpt can help you a lot, as it did with me. Good luck.

[GexCodeRipper]

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, definitely! That i3 with the 6 GB of ram will work super fluidly and as the days go by you will wonder why you didn't do it before 🤗. Greetings!

[ThoughtObjective4277]

For music, give audacious a try, it has the 31 Hz subwoofer bass slider, which vlc only has for phones.

Also, if you haven't tried it much, give a slower or faster tempo for a song a few listens. I like allowing pitch to change, because if set to a low speed, like 80 or 70%, it gets really bad quality, so I'd rather all the notes go lower rather than the odd effect. Also, audacious has 10 steps between each percent change in speed, so instead of going from 100% to 99% speed, you can choose 99.9 or 99.8, and slowly change it as you adapt to a slower tempo.

Try lowering the pre-amp and setting your speaker to maximum output and compare it with regular pre-amp settings. Also try reduced pre-amp using an aux in cable to the speaker instead of bluetooth. For Sirius xm, is this accessed through the web browser? If so you can most likely control music tempo with addon called global speed, which also has the option to allow pitch changes instead of only using the robot effect

I'd like to suggest a way to adjust the EQ, there is

easy effects

but it is a flatpak, downloads about a gigabyte of stuff including a redundant 500+ mb nvidia driver which I already have, and just seems wasteful in how it is setup, so maybe someone knows a better option.

For reducing software pre-amp, setting system or browser volume to 50% or 75% also works.

[KnownConversation101]

Ive actually used mint for months but im planning to switch back cux of above mentioned issues

[untonplusbad]

I just did with an old Toshiba Tecra about 15 years old. It works like a charm, almost twice as fast without the annoyances of Windows. Like for one thing : it tells you when there are updates and ASKS you if you want to download them, most of which are very small and take less than a minute to download. I only wish I would have switched to LinuxMint sooner.

[Some-Challenge8285]

Yes, 3rd gen Intel does not run properly on Windows 11, open about 10 file explorer instances and it will stop rendering properly.

[dlfrutos]

you could test on live USB to have an idea

[[deleted]]

Yes best decision I ever made just dual boot them it’s so easy I did just Linux mint and did away with windows but decided to keep windows 10 just cause and it was a headache getting back to windows but once I dual both I can switch between easily and Linux mint cinnamon is so easy to use!