Question Linux distro recommendations for my laptop ?

[tarmiricmi]

Hello ppl,

I'd need some advice regarding best Linux distro for an aging Lenovo Thinkpad X270 which has
a dual core i7, an NVMe SSD and 16GB RAM.
Windows 10 is usable on it but it's sluggish and even if not, I wanna put Linux on it.

Linux Mint seems nice, as I don't care about the eye-candy stuff.
What I do care about is the stability, driver compatibility, and efficient usage of available hardware resources.

Above all, I need a distro that allows proper usage of Trackpoint, as in the past I have tried numerous distros with other Thinkpads, none of which could've done so without couple of months of tweaking, and even then it was jerky and questionable. The issue with the Trackpoint on Linux is that the pointer goes too fast, is unrefined and therefore unusable. One of strong points of the Thinkpad is the Trackpad therefore...

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Ubuntu or Kubuntu depending on your desktop preferences.

 

[BrickStation]

Ubuntu-based distros are generally reliable in terms of stability, driver compatibility, and efficient resource use. If you like Mint, try other Ubuntu-based distros as well, plain Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Zorin, etc. I've used Kubuntu on a couple of machines with older hardware, it was faster than Windows and didn't need any additional drivers, just connected to the internet. The only issue I had was that the second-gen i3 in one of the PCs didn't have enough power for multitasking.

My main machine has Pop_OS which was developed by a company called System76 who also sells computers and servers. I usually install plain Ubuntu on hardware that doesn't run Windows, but I thought Pop was more my style, I like the interface it has. I've also installed or used quite a few distros on my Thinkpads over the years and never had an issue with the trackpoint, only on my E560 because it's worn out. The pointer wanders by itself even while using Windows.

 

[Grobe]

From what I get to understand by digging in to some online materials is that both Desktop environment and kernel version both determine how well Trackpoint are supported.

Since most Linux distros have Live desktop ISO images, you're free to test out several and eventually find one that works better for that trackpoint.

Additionally, you can put multiple ISO images into a USB stick formatted using Ventoy.

I use Fedora 39 Cinnamon myself on my laptop, but it doesn't have a trackpoint, so I cannot tell how this distro works with that.

 

[rustigsmed]

I would recommend getting a USB and installing Ventoy then downloading a few distros with a live environment, that way you can test the functionality of the laptop - test the function keys etc. Eg Mint, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, PopOS etc

 

[NightHawkRMX]

My Linux flavor of choice is Debian. Can't say how well the touchpad will work on it, one way to find out

 

[prahladyeri]

Linux Mint XFCE is quite good as it offers the best balance of performance and ease of use, especially for beginner users. Once you start using it and get comfy with command line and the OS, you can think about transitioning to something more advanced like Debian or Arch if you have that kind of inclination for customization. But really, if all you need is a machine that gets out of your way and provides a utilitarian desktop, Linux Mint XFCE is the right choice these days.