What operating system to choose for a laptop

Despite the fact that modern laptops have high performance, it is still better for them to use lightweight operating systems.

What operating system to choose for a laptop: the least resource-intensive distributions

Among the least resource-intensive distributions are:

1. Lightweight versions of Windows 10 - LTSB and S;
2. User-friendly Linux distributions - Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Mint;
3. Clothed Linux distributions — for example, Elementary OS;
4. Desktop modification Android - Remix OS.

You can also install outdated versions of Windows, such as 7 or XP, but they may no longer be supported by developers (both the OS and the software for them) and receive security updates.

Light versions

By itself, the Windows 10 operating system works quite well even on weak laptops - for example, equipped with an Intel Atom processor and 2 GB of RAM. But it has two editions that provide even more performance - LTSB and S.

Windows 10 LTSB (Long Term Support Branch) is a special corporate version of the operating system designed for use in large companies, where the need to preserve the confidentiality of information comes to the fore. Therefore, telemetry services loading the processor were cut out of it, and some Modern applications were also removed.

The disadvantages of Windows 10 LTSB are enough. The first is that the distribution itself “weighs” very much and takes about 7-10 GB on the hard disk. The second is that since this operating system is intended for use in corporations, licensing issues may arise.

An alternative is Windows 10 S. An important function has been removed from it - there is no support for x86 / x64 desktop applications. That is, many of the usual programs run on it will not work. Windows 10 S works only with Modern-applications.

User-friendly Linux distributions

Most of the most user-friendly and user-friendly Linux distributions have a low system resource consumption. These are, for example, Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Linux Mint. They differ visually, slightly functionality and features.

However, Linux has plenty of flaws:

A fairly small base of drivers - for some devices in laptops, finding software just will not work. For example, for a touch screen or a fingerprint scanner. And if these components can be waived, then the Wi-Fi module is already more difficult;

The rather low functionality of open source software - using familiar programs such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop, will not work on such an OS. But alternatives rarely offer sufficient functionality or user-friendly interface. For some programs, analogs for Linux do not exist at all;

Requires a habit and some level of computer literacy;

The latest versions of these operating systems take up a lot of space on the hard disk and, due to the "decorations", put a heavy load on the computer.

Lightweight Linux Distributions

If the latest versions of user-friendly Linux distributions heavily load system resources, you can use special, lightweight configurations. Such, for example, is Elementary OS.

This operating system is based on the Ubuntu core, however it is minimalist both in the interface and in the requirements for computer resources. For example, it runs easily on configurations with 512 MB of RAM and a 1 GHz processor.

However, the disadvantages of this OS are the same as the others - the above - Linux distributions.

Remix OS

Remix OS is a desktop version of the Android operating system. Given that the "green robot" is optimized to work on weak configurations, with processors 1.3-2.4 GHz and up to 2 GB of RAM, this distribution will also work well on insufficiently powerful notebooks.

There are more than enough applications for this operating system - almost any Android program is running on it. But there are even more problems with drivers.

Summary

Thus, most operating systems severely curtail the user's capabilities. The best solution for laptops is to use Windows 10 LTSB. However, if there are no problems with drivers or open source software, you can use some Linux distribution.

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Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.