Best Linux Distro for My Laptop?

[theredx219]

I'm looking for the best Linux distro for my laptop. I'm looking around online, and getting mixed results. What I'm going to use this laptop for primarily is web browsing, typing up documents, and maybe playing some older, non intensive games if possible. At the same time, I'm looking for the fastest, best performing distro for a laptop. I want to be able to use it for work, but also want it to be really fast. Can somebody point in the right direction? I'm new to Linux, but I'm not opposed to learning how to use it better. I'd be really thankful to anyone who can help me find the right distro. Here are my laptop specs:
Dell Latitude e6400
Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.8 Ghz
4 GB ram
Kingston v300 120 GB SSD
Intel GM45 graphics

 

[skittle]

Your laptop has enough power to run any modern Linux desktop.

Suggest starting with Linux Mint. Or Ubuntu.
Have wide choice of environment..
Unity, GNOME 3, KDE,cinnamon, XFCE, LXDE... Choose what you like they will all run similar performance wise on your PC!

 

[theredx219]

Your laptop has enough power to run any modern Linux desktop.

Suggest starting with Linux Mint. Or Ubuntu.
Have wide choice of environment..
Unity, GNOME 3, KDE,cinnamon, XFCE, LXDE... Choose what you like they will all run similar performance wise on your PC!

Thanks for the reply, but is there a particular version(s) that will give me better performance while meeting my criteria that you know of?

 

[skittle]

better is relative in this sense. DE's like XFCE and LXDE require less resources than GNOME and KDE and thus run better on lower end hardware. Will you notice much difference with your (modestly powerful) hardware? Likely not.

 

[sahil guleri]

i am using lubuntu 14.04 .batery life improved a lot. It's not flashy like other distros but by the end of day it get my work done.