Linux distro for Pentium 4

Red_Machine · Jan 22, 2016

I have an old Compaq P4 doing nothing and I thought about putting Linux on it to play around with. Can somsone recommend me a good distro for these specs?

2.4GHz Pentium 4
2GB RAM
Intel Extreme Graphics
160GB HDD

Hillbilly · Jan 22, 2016

I recommend lubuntu. http://lubuntu.net/

alucasa · Jan 22, 2016

I will always recommend Fedora.

https://getfedora.org/

Devon68 · Jan 22, 2016

I cant really recommend anything but linux mint since that's the only one I used for a bit.

Frick · Jan 22, 2016

Slitaz.

Kursah · Jan 23, 2016

I'd say try em all. I was super impressed how well Ubuntu 15 ran on an old low grade Core2 lappy I setup as a temporary OpenVPN server this summer. I tried Debian, Lubuntu and Xubuntu on that lappy...an old Toshiba...and Ubuuntu worked out of the chute better and also made CLI setting up OpenVPN easier.

Fedora and Lubuntu are good options tho. You can always do some live CDs or just install each and see which works best for you...that's the best way to find out.

Blue-Knight · Jan 23, 2016

LinuxMint XFCE or MATE might do the job. But I'd rather choose Debian 8 with XFCE or Gnome, or Xubuntu.

Aquinus · Jan 23, 2016

Lubuntu or Xubuntu are probably pretty good options out of the box. Debian might take a little more work to get it where you want it (in my opinion.)

A lot of people seem to like Mint but, I personally haven't used it.

I tend to stay away from Fedora based distros, mainly because I don't like yum, the package manager in Fedora based systems. I personally like apt.

Liquid Cool · Jan 23, 2016

Xubuntu is probably the first version I'd try...if it doesn't run well, then I'd step down to Lubuntu. That's what I usually do with P4's. Blue-Knight mentioned Linux XFCE, I forgot about this distro...I think it's new from Mint. My personal favorite is MATE. Whether MATE is ubuntu or mint....I personally don't care. I'm with Aquinus...as long as it has apt, I feel at home.

Good luck....

,

Liquid Cool

P.S. As a side note.....Ubuntu MATE has been steadily climbing the charts at Distrowatch since its inception. It just surpassed Elementary OS last week...I was kind of surprised to see that.

micropage7 · Jan 23, 2016

what about damn small linux
www.damnsmalllinux.org

Red_Machine · Jan 23, 2016

Everything I've tried so far has had a problem. First one wouldn't update, Debian wouldn't log in, Xubuntu only updated to a certain point and then refused to install the latest version of the OS, Ubuntu was slow as hell. Now I'm burning Lubuntu to a DVD and will try that.

GoldenX · Jan 23, 2016

What version did you download?
Ubuntu will be slow because of the InteLgrated, to me the best option in your PC is any distro running XFCE or LXDE, so little to no desktop hardware acceleration.
Xubuntu 15.10, Fedora 23 XFCE or if you dare to, Archlinux running XFCE are my recommendations, all x64, 2GB is more than enought for that on Linux.

Frick · Jan 23, 2016

Kursah said:
I'd say try em all. I was super impressed how well Ubuntu 15 ran on an old low grade Core2 lappy I setup as a temporary OpenVPN server this summer. I tried Debian, Lubuntu and Xubuntu on that lappy...an old Toshiba...and Ubuuntu worked out of the chute better and also made CLI setting up OpenVPN easier.

Fedora and Lubuntu are good options tho. You can always do some live CDs or just install each and see which works best for you...that's the best way to find out.

There's a big difference between P4 and Core 2. It will need a frugal distro.

Red_Machine · Jan 23, 2016

GoldenX said:
What version did you download?
Ubuntu will be slow because of the InteLgrated, to me the best option in your PC is any distro running XFCE or LXDE, so little to no desktop hardware acceleration.
Xubuntu 15.10, Fedora 23 XFCE or if you dare to, Archlinux running XFCE are my recommendations, all x64, 2GB is more than enought for that on Linux.

This Pentium 4 doesn't have EM64T, so I'm limited to i386 distros.

Aquinus · Jan 23, 2016

If the latest version of any Ubuntu distro doesn't work, give 14.04 LTS a try instead. It's entire possible support for some older devices could have been removed if the OP is having issues with it running stably.

GoldenX · Jan 23, 2016

I think the only remomed drivers from the kernel are for old VIA IGPs.
I've been using Lubuntu on a Pentium 4 notebook with 512mb for some good 5 years, it's still running 15.04. Didn't have time to upgrade it.

Red_Machine · Jan 23, 2016

I think anything based on modern Ubuntu would be a problem. I got Lubuntu up and running, and the updates work, but the Intel driver (which specifically mentions support for the 845 series chipset) doesn't seem to work, it just uses a generic video driver.

GoldenX · Jan 23, 2016

Mmm, that can be the usual Canonical hand at work.
Try Fedora 23 XFCE or LXDE, but if I had the time I would use Archlinux, install X11, the mesa intel driver, ALSA, XFCE and done, barely over 150MB of RAM used.

Aquinus · Jan 23, 2016

Red_Machine said:
I think anything based on modern Ubuntu would be a problem. I got Lubuntu up and running, and the updates work, but the Intel driver (which specifically mentions support for the 845 series chipset) doesn't seem to work, it just uses a generic video driver.

Try installing this package: xserver-xorg-video-intel

Code:

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-intel

Red_Machine · Jan 23, 2016

Says it's already installed. Perhaps an older distro might be a better choice?

uuuaaaaaa · Jan 23, 2016

I have found XUbuntu to be the best compromise!

Aquinus · Jan 23, 2016

Red_Machine said:
Says it's already installed. Perhaps an older distro might be a better choice?

Maybe but, it still might not give you what you think you're getting. Give the steps on the first answer of this article a try:
http://askubuntu.com/questions/500911/ubuntu-14-04-not-recognizing-installed-intel-graphics-driver

Red_Machine · Jan 23, 2016

No good, that guy has a MUCH newer system and the instructions provided give links to old driver versions that are a) 64bit, and b) maybe not even available anymore.

GoldenX · Jan 23, 2016

The driver is included in the kernel, the problem is that Ubuntu (both Unity and Gnome 3) uses the CPU generic driver if it doesn't detect a capable GPU (and you can see how good is a Pentium 4 at that, plus i686 instead of amd64). Install Xubuntu or any distro with XFCE and everything will work, OpenGL 1.X included.

Devon68 · Jan 23, 2016

I installed windows 7 32 bit on my old system and it works pretty well.

System Name	Chachamaru-IV \| Retro Battlestation
Processor	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X \| Intel Pentium II 450MHz
Motherboard	ASUS ROG STRIX X570-F Gaming \| MSI MS-6116 (Intel 440BX chipset)
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4
Memory	32GB Corsair DDR4-3000 (16-20-20-38) \| 512MB PC133 SDRAM
Video Card(s)	nVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 FE \| 3dfx Voodoo3 3000
Storage	1TB WD_Black SN850 NVME SSD (OS), Toshiba 3TB (Storage), Toshiba 3TB (Steam)
Display(s)	Samsung Odyssey G5 27" @ 1440p144 & Dell P2312H @ 1080p60
Case	SilverStone Seta A1 \| Beige box
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster AE-7 (Speakers), Creative Zen Hybrid headset \| Sound Blaster AWE64
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 750 G2 \| 250W ASETEC
Mouse	Roccat Kone Air\| Microsoft Serial Mouse v2.0A
Keyboard	Vortex Race3 \| Dell AT102W
Software	Microsoft Windows 11 Pro \| Microsoft Windows 98SE

System Name	Portable Gamer
Processor	Intel Core i5-3570K @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard	ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe
Cooling	CPU / Noctua NH-L12 GPU / ARCTIC Accelero S1 Plus
Memory	G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400
Video Card(s)	EVGA NVIDIA GTX 960 SSC
Storage	ADATA SP550 480GB SSD
Display(s)	ASUS 23" LCD
Case	SilverStone Sugo Series SG05BB-LITE
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	SILVERSTONE ST45SF 450W
Mouse	Logitech G500
Keyboard	CMStorm Trigger Z
Software	Windows 8.1 Pro

System Name	Ryzen 2023
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700
Motherboard	Asrock B650E Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15
Memory	G Skill Flare X5 2x16gb cl32@6000 MHz
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Radeon RX 6950 XT Nitro + gaming Oc
Storage	WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB 64MB 7k SATA600 Blue WD10EZEX, WD Black SN850X 1Tb nvme
Display(s)	LG 27GP850P-B
Case	Corsair 5000D airflow tempered glass
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime GX-850W
Mouse	A4Tech V7M bloody
Keyboard	Genius KB-G255
Software	Windows 10 64bit

System Name	Black MC in Tokyo
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600
Motherboard	Asrock B450M-HDV
Cooling	Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Memory	2 x 16GB Kingston Fury 3400mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX 6950XT Speedster MERC 319
Storage	Kingston A400 240GB \| WD Black SN750 2TB \|WD Blue 1TB x 2 \| Toshiba P300 2TB \| Seagate Expansion 8TB
Display(s)	Samsung U32J590U 4K + BenQ GL2450HT 1080p
Case	Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s)	Line6 UX1 + some headphones, Nektar SE61 keyboard
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x v3
Mouse	Logitech G602
Keyboard	Cherry MX Board 1.0 TKL Brown
VR HMD	Acer Mixed Reality Headset
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	Rimworld 4K ready!

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case	Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low \| Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

Linux distro for Pentium 4

Red_Machine

Hillbilly

alucasa

Devon68

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

Kursah

Super Moderator

Blue-Knight

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man

Liquid Cool

micropage7

Red_Machine

GoldenX

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

Red_Machine

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man

GoldenX

Red_Machine

GoldenX

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man

Red_Machine

uuuaaaaaa

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man

Red_Machine

GoldenX

Devon68

System Name	BlueKnight
Processor	Intel Celeron G1610 @ 2.60GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2PH (rev. 1.0)
Memory	1x 4GB DDR3 @ 1333MHz (Kingston KVR13N9S8/4)
Video Card(s)	Onboard
Storage	1x 160GB (Western Digital WD1600AAJS-75M0A0)
Display(s)	1x 20" 1600x900 (PHILIPS 200VW9FBJ/78)
Case	μATX Case (Generic)
Power Supply	300W (Generic)
Software	Debian GNU/Linux 8.7 (jessie)

System Name	Apollo
Processor	Intel Core i9 9880H
Motherboard	Some proprietary Apple thing.
Memory	64GB DDR4-2667
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8GB HBM2
Storage	1TB Apple NVMe, 4TB External
Display(s)	Laptop @ 3072x1920 + 2x LG 5k Ultrafine TB3 displays
Case	MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Audio Device(s)	AirPods Pro, Sennheiser HD 380s w/ FIIO Alpen 2, or Logitech 2.1 Speakers
Power Supply	96w Power Adapter
Mouse	Logitech MX Master 3
Keyboard	Logitech G915, GL Clicky
Software	MacOS 12.1

System Name	Graphics Card Free...
Processor	Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard	MSI B450 Gaming Plus MAX Wifi
Cooling	Cryorig M9a w/ BeQuiet! PureWings 2 ~ 92mm
Memory	Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR4 3200 ~ 16GB(2x8GB)
Storage	Samsung EVO 870 SSD - 1TB
Display(s)	AOC 24G2
Case	Cardboard...
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNova 550w G3
Mouse	Logitech t400 Zone Touch Mouse
Keyboard	IBM Model "M" Keyboard
Software	Manjaro ~ KDE Plasma
Benchmark Scores	She's a Runner!

System Name	Ciel
Processor	AMD Ryzen R5 5600X
Motherboard	Asus Tuf Gaming B550 Plus
Cooling	ID-Cooling 224-XT Basic
Memory	2x 16GB Kingston Fury 3600MHz@3933MHz
Video Card(s)	Gainward Ghost 3060 Ti 8GB + Sapphire Pulse RX 6600 8GB
Storage	NVMe Kingston KC3000 2TB + NVMe Toshiba KBG40ZNT256G + HDD WD 4TB
Display(s)	AOC Q27G3XMN + Samsung S22F350
Case	Cougar MX410 Mesh-G
Audio Device(s)	Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger Core 7.1 Wireless PC
Power Supply	Aerocool KCAS-500W
Mouse	EVGA X15
Keyboard	VSG Alnilam
Software	Windows 11

System Name	No name / Purple Haze
Processor	Phenom II 1100T @ 3.8Ghz / Pentium 4 3.4 EE Gallatin @ 3.825Ghz
Motherboard	MSI 970 Gaming/ Abit IC7-MAX3
Cooling	CM Hyper 212X / Scythe Andy Samurai Master (CPU) - Modded Ati Silencer 5 rev. 2 (GPU)
Memory	8GB GEIL GB38GB2133C10ADC + 8GB G.Skill F3-14900CL9-4GBXL / 2x1GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC4000
Video Card(s)	Asus R9 Fury X Strix (4096 SP's/1050 Mhz)/ PowerColor X850XT PE @ (600/1230) AGP + (HD3850 AGP)
Storage	Samsung 250 GB / WD Caviar 160GB
Display(s)	Benq XL2411T
Audio Device(s)	motherboard / Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro + Front panel
Power Supply	Tagan BZ 900W / Corsair HX620w
Mouse	Zowie AM
Keyboard	Qpad MK-50
Software	Windows 7 Pro 64Bit / Windows XP
Benchmark Scores	64CU Fury: http://www.3dmark.com/fs/11269229 / X850XT PE http://www.3dmark.com/3dm05/5532432