What is considered a "modern processor" to run LM today?

[Mr_Reed]

Thought I'd add my question here rather than start a new thread.

[ split from http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=170384 ]

What would be considered a "modern processor" to run LM today? Would an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 at 2.4Ghz be modern enough, or is this obsolete since it is only dual core? Is quad core and up needed for smooth operation these days in a Linux system? Thanks!

[karlchen]

Hello, Mr_Reed.

QuadCore will be better than DualCore. But DualCore does not automatically imply that you cannot run a recent Linux Mint at good speed.
This will also depend on the onboard video chip or - better - on the dedicated video card.
Testing the Linux Mint live system which you intend to install on your harddisk should give a hint whether you machine can handle it or whether it is coming too close to its technical limits.
In particular, the desktop environment which you choose will have an impact on the speed at which your system operates:
For older machines xfce and Mate will be the better choice. Cinnamon and KDE require video chips/cards that support 3D hardware acceleration.

Here is an example that even a fake QuadCore, i.e. DualCore with Hyperthreading, machine can be slow as a snail:

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$ inxi -Cx
CPU:       Dual core Intel Atom 330 (-HT-MCP-) cache: 512 KB flags: (lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3) bmips: 6399 
           clock speeds: max: 1599 MHz 1: 1599 MHz 2: 1599 MHz 3: 1599 MHz 4: 1599 MHz

Any Atom QuadCore is very likely to be much slower and less powerful than an Intel DualCore CPU.

This machine, admittedly, a QuadCore, but 8 years old, runs Cinnamon without any hassle:

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$ inxi -Cx
CPU:       Quad core Intel Core2 Quad (-MCP-) cache: 4096 KB flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 19138 
           clock speeds: max: 2400 MHz 1: 1600 MHz 2: 1600 MHz 3: 1600 MHz 4: 1600 MHz

And my previous office notebook, a Dell Latitude E6400, DualCore, also ran Cinnamon without any problems. (Sorry, no more inxi output available.)


In brief words:
It will be pretty difficult to setup a list of exact CPU models which would qualify as "modern enough for Linux Mint".
Try out the Linux Mint live system which you intend to install. Pay attention to the desktop environment which you choose.
If in doubt, post an "inxi -Fxz" report here.

Cheers,
Karl

[edwardr]

Like karlchen says, there are other things to consider besides just the processor. That being said, I have an old Dell desktop with a Core 2 Duo E6400 at 2.1Ghz that runs great, but I did make some modifications to it. I installed Mint xfce instead of the heavier Cinnamon or KDE environments. I upgraded the RAM, both the amount of RAM and the speed, going from 1 GB of 667 Mhz chips to 4 GB of 800 Mhz ($10 on craigslist). I added a video card ($15 at the Goodwill computer store). The computer was quite usable after that, I was able to watch youtube, scroll through facebook etc. Then I took a small, old, SSD that I had and put that into the computer and installed Mint xfce onto that, and the computer really flew after that.

So depending on whether you have a laptop or desktop, and the availability of used computer parts where you live (or ebay), you can have anything from a decent everyday machine to a surprisingly good machine.

[Mr_Reed]

From what you've said, I'm thinking my effort to upgrade the processor might not be enough. I do have 4GB of DDR2 667 installed, but my onboard video is Intel GMA 950. Not sure where it stands. I assume it does hardware acceleration though.

[karlchen]

Hello, Mr_Reed.

About identfying whether your system supports 3D video hardware acceleration, you might proceed like explained here: How to test if my video card has 3D support?
About the Intel GMA 950 chip: what a Google search returned seems to confirm your expectation. Very likely no 3D hardware support. Would rule out Cinnamon as your desktop environment, but should still work on xfce and Mate.

Cheers,
Karl

[Mr_Reed]

Intel says it does 3D Acceleration and was considered ready for Microsoft Windows Vista

[Drygar]

Hi Mr_Reed!

I am not a GNU/Linux pro but still learning. From my experience with Linux Mint, *buntu and Debian, I can say I run recent Intel Celeron processor (cheap one - dual core, 2.13 Ghz) and system runs pretty much fine. I had issues due to running an HDD (5400 RPM) - recently upgraded to SSD and system speed boosted and is fine now. My whole notebook costs 260 euro + the SSD.

[BenTrabetere]

I'm running LM-Mate on an Athlon 64 X2 4200+. If you can believe the benchmarks, it is roughly 18% less powerful than your Intel Core 2 Duo E6600. In its day the 4200+ was a high-end CPU, but that day passed many years ago.

It is not "modern" by any stretch of the definition, but it is "modern enough" to handle nearly everything I have thrown at it. Software like Blender is out of the question (tried to run it once, just for giggles), and I cannot use Cinnamon or KDE - neither will run, not even booting to a Live session.

[cutebay35]

I'm running it on a AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 955 Processor, I think it's outdated somewhat now but still pretty modern I would say. With it 4 gigs of RAM and a Nvidia GT630. No issues with it here, has ran fast as far as I can tell.

[Mr_Reed]

Anybody using any integrated graphics, or any single core systems?

[karlchen]

Anybody using any integrated graphics, or any single core systems?

Yes, me.
I have got a netbook Acer Aspire One D260. It has got an Atom single core CPU with hyperthreading, which is why it looks like two cores. This netbook has got an integrated intel graphics chip. Plus the memory is only 1 GB (990 MB to be precise).
It runs Linux Mint 13 xfce 32-bit and Linux Mint 17.2 32-bit xfce.
Using this netbook is a good way of teaching you patience.
Hardware specification details can be found here: Hardware and Software Environment (disregard the rest of the old thread)
If I come across some more recent "inxi -Fxz" report, I'll added here.
~~~~~~

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$ inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: paulchen Kernel: 3.13.0-74-generic i686 (32 bit gcc: 4.8.2) Desktop: Xfce 4.12.2 (Gtk 2.24.23)
           Distro: Linux Mint 17.2 Rafaela
Machine:   System: Acer (portable) product: AOD260 v: V1.08_Vodafone
           Mobo: Acer model: AOD260 v: V1.08_Vodafone Bios: Acer v: V1.08_Vodafone date: 06/29/2010
CPU:       Single core Intel Atom N450 (-HT-) cache: 512 KB flags: (lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3) bmips: 3325 
           clock speeds: max: 1666 MHz 1: 1666 MHz 2: 1000 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel Atom Processor D4xx/D5xx/N4xx/N5xx Integrated Graphics Controller bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.15.1 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1024x600@60.0hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel IGD x86/MMX/SSE2 GLX Version: 1.4 Mesa 10.1.3 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel NM10/ICH7 Family High Definition Audio Controller driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k3.13.0-74-generic
Network:   Card-1: Qualcomm Atheros AR8132 Fast Ethernet driver: atl1c v: 1.0.1.1-NAPI port: 5000 bus-ID: 01:00.0
           IF: eth0 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Broadcom BCM4313 802.11bgn Wireless Network Adapter driver: wl bus-ID: 02:00.0
           IF: wlan0 state: up mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 250.1GB (3.7% used) ID-1: /dev/sda model: TOSHIBA_MK2565GS size: 250.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 70G used: 6.8G (11%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda5
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 2.15GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda3
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 47.0C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 168 Uptime: 41 min Memory: 520.5/991.4MB Init: Upstart runlevel: 2 Gcc sys: 4.8.4
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.111) inxi: 2.2.28 

[Mr_Reed]

Well according to wikipedia your Intel GMA 3150 is very closely related to the Intel GMA 950 which is one of the integrated chips that I was wondering about.

[Fred Barclay]

Anybody using any integrated graphics, or any single core systems?

I am too:

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[fred@mark14-62 ~]$ inxi -Fxz
System:    Host: mark14-62 Kernel: 4.2.8.1-1-MANJARO i686 (32 bit gcc: 5.3.0) Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 (Gtk 2.24.28)
           Distro: ManjaroLinux 15.12 Capella
Machine:   System: HP Pavilion 061 product: ER189AA-ABA s7410n v: 0nx1104RE101ONYX200
           Mobo: ASUSTeK model: Onyx2 v: 1.xx Bios: American Megatrends v: 3.06 date: 10/28/2005
CPU:       Single core Intel Celeron M (-UP-) cache: 1024 KB
           flags: (nx pae sse sse2) bmips: 3396 speed: 1697 MHz (max)
Graphics:  Card: Intel 82915G/GV/910GL Integrated Graphics Controller bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.17.4 driver: intel Resolution: 1366x768@59.79hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 915G x86/MMX/SSE2 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 11.1.1 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) High Definition Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.2.8.1-1-MANJARO
Network:   Card-1: Intel 82562ET/EZ/GT/GZ - PRO/100 VE (LOM) Ethernet Controller
           driver: e100 v: 3.5.24-k2-NAPI port: e800 bus-ID: 02:08.0
           IF: enp2s8 state: down mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Realtek RTL8192SU 802.11n WLAN Adapter driver: r8712u usb-ID: 003-002
           IF: wlp0s29f7u3 state: N/A mac: N/A
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 250.1GB (4.6% used) ID-1: /dev/sda model: ST3250823AS size: 250.1GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 63G used: 6.4G (11%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 5.00GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 53.0C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 125 Uptime: 1:48 Memory: 334.2/996.9MB Init: systemd Gcc sys: 5.3.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.421) inxi: 2.2.32 

It's a HP Pavillion Slimline sn7410 with a 1-core Celeron M 1.7 GHz processor, 1024 KB cache, and 1 GB of RAM.
The graphics card is an integrated Intel 82915G/GV/910GL (don't ask me what this means!).

I'm running Manjaro Xfce and Debian Sid Xfce on it with pretty good results. It's slow--I know it is--but all of my computers are slow so I don't really notice it. I have dreams of a laptop with an 8-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia card.

[Mr_Reed]

I'm running Manjaro Xfce and Debian Sid Xfce on it with pretty good results. It's slow--I know it is--but all of my computers are slow so I don't really notice it. I have dreams of a laptop with an 8-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a dedicated Nvidia card.

So the setup you have will or won't run the latest xfce from LM?

I have a Mobile AMD Sempron 3600+ and a Mobile AMD Turion MT-32 that might compare to your Celeron. Sempron is 2Ghz and the Turion is 1.8Ghz. Then I have a VIA C7-D 1.8Ghz but I think it has less cache than your Celeron.

[Fred Barclay]

So the setup you have will or won't run the latest xfce from LM?

I have a Mobile AMD Sempron 3600+ and a Mobile AMD Turion MT-32 that might compare to your Celeron. Sempron is 2Ghz and the Turion is 1.8Ghz. Then I have a VIA C7-D 1.8Ghz but I think it has less cache than your Celeron.

I'm sure it would. It ran Mint 17 Cinnamon, Mate, and Xfce at one time (Cinnamon ran rather badly due to my old hardware). I just don't really like the Mint Xfce flavour so I avoid it. Too much white! It's the same reason I immediately change the appearance of Mint MATE to a darker theme.
In all fairness, I probably could change the look of Mint Xfce and be perfectly happy with it. I just don't have the motivation.

However, the Xfce version I'm running in both Manjaro and Sid is probably even newer than that of Mint 17.3 Xfce, so I'm sure it could run it (Mint 17.3 Xfce) just fine.

[z31fanatic]

My opinion is that any processor older than 2008 is not worth messing with if you want to use your computer every day for a lot of different things.

[Fragezeichen]

My opinion is that any processor older than 2008 is not worth messing with if you want to use your computer every day for a lot of different things.

Depends. That might be true for a low-end or mediocre processor, whereas a state of the art processor from that period could still be useful today.

[karlchen]

I agree, the bmips figure that "inxi -Cx" or "inxi -Fxz" will display in the CPU section will be more meaningful than the BIOS age with respect to the question whether the machine will be able to run a recent Linux Mint and with which desktop environment.

Therefore I will not do away with my Medion Quad Core, built end of 2007, and keep on running Mint 13 64-bit Cinnamon on it till its supported lifetime expires or the computer's lifetime whichever will happen first.

Code: Select all

$ inxi -Cx
CPU:       Quad core Intel Core2 Quad (-MCP-) cache: 4096 KB flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 19138
           clock speeds: max: 2400 MHz 1: 1600 MHz 2: 1600 MHz 3: 1600 MHz 4: 1600 MHz

[Mr_Reed]

My opinion is that any processor older than 2008 is not worth messing with if you want to use your computer every day for a lot of different things.

If this is true, then I don't really have anything that will run LM xfce? Would I even be able to run antiX, Lubuntu or Puppy?

[Fred Barclay]

My opinion is that any processor older than 2008 is not worth messing with if you want to use your computer every day for a lot of different things.

If this is true, then I don't really have anything that will run LM xfce? Would I even be able to run antiX, Lubuntu or Puppy?

Oh, no. My computer that is currently running Manjaro Xfce is from 2005 or so.
You won't have the most optimal experience, but for browsing, emailing, and so forth you should be fine with Mint Xfce. Though, of course, experience is the best teacher. It's up to you to decide if that computer can give the experience you like.

One more thing. I've found that Debian and Arch are much faster than Mint, so you could try them too if Mint Xfce seems sluggish.