Need help switching to linux

strawberry_pimp

New Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Credits
35
Currently daily driving Windows 10 on my Acer Swift 3 SF314-511 Intel EVO Laptop with i5-1135G7, 8GB RAM, Iris Xe Graphics. Most of my use case is streaming video (My classes, YouTube, Twitch), and battery life is my top priority, since I live in an area with frequent power outage. So I used Windows 10 Debloater by Sycnex and WinAero Tweaker to debloat windows as much as possible and am currently at about 9-10 hrs video streaming battery life. But windows updates tend to bring more bloat and switch on telemetry and Edge preload, etc. so for long term, I wanted to switch to linux.

I have long been a fan of linux, since my previous laptop used to run much better with linux and even games over proton ran better than windows. As for my expertise with it, I am able to google search for problems and follow instructions fairly easily, if I am able to identify the problem properly.

I like distributions with minimal preinstalled apps and prefer a modern DE (GNOME and KDE are my favorites), as I mostly prefer to use my trackpad and gesture based navigation.

I tried some Ubuntu LTS based distros, but one or more of Trackpad, Speaker and SSD went unrecognized. I did not have any idea of finding and installing drivers manually (windows used to search it automatically) so I found it easier to switch to running release distros, like Fedora, Manjaro, etc and they seem to work fine. But in all cases, the battery life was horrible (around 4-6 hrs), even in distros and DEs I found in articles to be battery friendly.

I tried tools like Powertop, TLP and Power Profiles Daemon, but none took me more than 7 hrs. I also faced heating issues, and fan ramping up. In the same use cases, Windows 10 was working cool and totally silent.
I followed some articles, did some troubleshooting related to hardware acceleration in Firefox/Chromium (My classes only work on these browsers). Nothing seemed to work. Typically CPU usage was like: Windows (Idle: 0-1%, Video: ~5%), Manjaro KDE (Idle: 0-1%, Video: 15-20%)(best of all linux).
I eventually come back to Windows 10 everytime.

So my question is, should I stick to windows as per my requirements and familiarity with linux (I cannot give too much time learning more linux, as of now)?
 


in your circumstances I think at this time you should stay with Windows. When you have the time I would play with Linux with a live distro and learn more of it. One thing in ubuntu /Mint you can install a program called slimbook battery that does a good job of helping battery life. It has to be installed via a PPA found here. slimbook-battery
 
I have to agree with @kc1di if you do not have the time to learn Linux,
Not saying it will be the same for all lappies but i found both Peppermint [nearing end of life] and MX-linux both comparable in battery life
 
in your circumstances I think at this time you should stay with Windows. When you have the time I would play with Linux with a live distro and learn more of it. One thing in ubuntu /Mint you can install a program called slimbook battery that does a good job of helping battery life. It has to be installed via a PPA found here. slimbook-battery
Really appreciate the quick reply. Can you please tell me to what extent is a live environment representative of a full install (say, in terms of performance/battery life).
 
what extent is a live environment representative of a full install
as a live installation runs in Ram [unless you make a persistent pendrive installation] it is noticeably slower, A lot will depend on your kit, IF you have a USB3 port then I would suggest you get a 32gb USB pendrive and use it to make your persistent installation as the drop in speed is far less noticeable [a persistant USB2 will work but a little slower]

Bwiz
 
Really appreciate the quick reply. Can you please tell me to what extent is a live environment representative of a full install (say, in terms of performance/battery life).
The Live disc. will be just about the same as installed , it will run a bit slower because it has to unzip files on the fly but as far as battery usage it should be about the same. With most live Distros your work will not be saved between boot ups though. It just to see if your hardware etc all work with the distro. but it can be a good tool to get use to using linux also.
 
Last edited:
Hmm... Let me add something to the mix, if you don't mind.

One of the big differences between a live instance and full install is that in a full installation you can do things like install software that requires a reboot to take effect. Things like low-level system changes *may* not take effect until after they're rebooted. So, I'm not sure that things like TLP actually do anything until after you've rebooted.

Which, of course, doesn't actually work in a live instance. When you reboot, your changes are lost.

When all is said and done, you have computational priorities. Right now, those priorities are best met with Windows. You can tinker when your classes are over and you're on a break.
 
I agree with all.If you can get your hands on an old clunker laptop,or even a tower setup,thats a good way to mess with Linux without risking your daily driver.Best to stick with machines that use integrated video and audio while you learn.
 

Members online


Top