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Ubuntu isnt your only option for reviving old PCs through Linux.
Xubuntu is a lighter version of Ubuntu capable of running on moderately old hardware.
Lets see how well it delivers the Ubuntu experience on an older laptop.
What is Xubuntu?
Xubuntuis a flavor of Ubuntu featuring the XFCE desktop environment (hence the X in the name).
Its supposed to strip down Ubuntu for a more minimalist (yet super configurable and supported) experience.
But most importantly for our purpose here, Xubuntu is purposefully optimized for lower-end hardware.
One part of that is itsdefault desktop environment.
XFCE has a reputation for consuming less resources than Gnome and other popular desktop environments.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek |Mendelex/ Shutterstock
Thats what the developers promised.
In the end, I’ll compare the Xubuntu experience against the standard Ubuntu on the same machine.
How to Install Xubuntu
Xubuntu recommends at least 2GB of RAM and 1.5GHz dual-core CPU.
The OS takes about 9GB of storage on your disk.
And its compatible with 64-bit NVIDIA and AMD chips.
To install, youll need tocreate a bootable USBusing the ISO filesavailable on the Xubuntu website.
Xubuntu comes in two variants: Xubuntu desktop and Xubuntu minimal.
The minimal version has fewer preinstalled packages and takes up less space.
I’m installing the full desktop version in this demo.
You might have to configure the BIOS to make that work.
When you boot into Xubuntu, youll be asked to make a run at Install Xubuntu.
Select that mode, and itll drop you into the Xubuntu desktop.
From here, you could test drive the OS or install it on metal.
grab the Install Xubuntu shortcut on the desktop.
The installer is a simplified but almost identical version of the Ubuntu installer.
You just have to point-and-click to drop in the OS on your machine.
You might need some technical know-how of GParted and how Linux partitions work toinstall it alongside another OS.
Im doing a full, single install here, so I chose Erase Disk and Install Xubuntu.
After that, it reboots and drops you on the login screen.
I did notice some lag while it was loading the interface after the first login.
But it was smooth sailing afterward.
I could navigate the OS, browse files, launch apps, and punch in without any appreciable lag.
The system idles at almost 13% CPU usage and hovers around the 1GB memory mark.
I still didnt notice any appreciable lag.
For light to moderate workloads, it performed well enough.
Running Ubuntu
Ubuntu recommends at least 4GB of RAM and a 2 GHz dual-core processor.
When I tested Ubuntu on the same computer, it was a headache from the get-go.
The installation failed (twice) because the installer would get stuck.
Even after two tries, it took ages to set up the OS.
On average, it used 50% of the CPU and 1.7GB of memory when idling.
Thats before I launched any apps.
Ubuntu booted slower too.
When I tried opening apps, the pinwheel would spin for a good 1015 seconds before the app launched.
The CPU usage jumped past 95% and the RAM went past 70%.
Just like Windows, the standard Ubuntu was completely unusable.
Out of the box, everything I needed was within reach.
I didnt need any additional setup for drivers or apps.
Like most modern distros, you hardly ever need to launch the terminal.
Xubuntu covers all the bases.
I didnt find anything lacking in hardware support or app selection compared to the standard Ubuntu.
Xubuntu was my first experience with the XFCE desktop environment.
I was pleasantly surprised to find just how customizable it is.
Appearance, Window Manager, and Window Manager Tweaks give you plenty of customization options.
you’re able to move UI elements around and even style them to some extent.
Theres even a controls menu for customizing the global controls menu.
I moved the window buttons to the left and tweaked the taskbar prefs to fit more processes.
Granted, the personalization features arent as robust as what youd find on, say,KDE.
But thats not what Xubuntu is trying to be.
And it works splendidly on older computers.
It strikes that perfect balance between usability and feature-richness we all want when reviving old hardware.
