Any PC enthusiasts
I’m trying to push the limit and get the lowest end laptop (therefore pay the lowest price) to run Linux Mint. Mainly I’m cheap and don’t use the laptop often. The laptop should be able to VC, browse the internet, watch YouTube videos etc but nothing more intensive than that. Doesn’t matter if it’s used. Any recommendations? 180
Just get a Chromebook. More secure too
I did it couple years back, i3 processor, 4 gb ram, very cheap laptop, put ubuntu on it. But a year later i started regretting my decision, cheap laptop means bad display, audio. After using office macbook through out the day can’t context switch to it. Buy cheapest available macbook that’ll last much more years more than a cheap laptop.
Try an eBay Thinkpad T-series from 2016 or later. Focus on CPU, Screen resolution and camera quality as upgrading RAM and SSD is easy on that series and quite cheap.
Why not get a tablet instead?
I got a micro laptop (6” screen) running win98 at the time for £60 in 2015. Wiped it and booted arch on it. £60 well spent, it was a fun little powerhorse for textual internet browsing (ideally with no/little JavaScript), word processing, lightweight coding. I could mostly workaround 256mb ram by being frugal with running processes and avoiding anything remotely hungry, but it borked out on webpages with videos, animations, or even too many photos. In the end I forked out £300 and built a gaming Pc with second hard parts from Gumtree/Craigslist. Now I have money I’ve bought an expensive PC, but those duck taped zombie machines will always hold a special place in my heart.
If you’re happy to risk it for the biscuit, returned laptops at department stores can sometimes be a great deal. I bought a decent laptop that was returned since it was “broken”. Wiped and booted Arch and it works just fine. i7 processor, 2021 model, £400.
Bro, stop being cheap. Get a ~$800 laptop that can do all of that and more. What you're describing needs a Chromebook at best though so maybe $150-$300 for a good enough laptop
Also, why Linux?
I’m cheap because I’m not gonna use it a lot. I have a self built pc that’s $2k. I just need a lightweight machine for travelling etc. Linux is faster, even on MacBooks.