Best Linux distro on an old Pentium 4 box ???

[Jordas]

Hello. I've been an Windows user for the past 15 years, but since some of my work buddies have been using Linux for a while now, i'm quite keen on giving it a try. I need my primary computer for work, so i'd like to install Linux on an old Pentium 4 box - 1.6 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 400 - 64 MB RAM, Seagate 120 GB + Maxtor 80 GB. Now, i've tried running the latest Ubuntu and SuSe on it and although my machine seems to have more than the minimum required specs, it's been a painfully slow experience. I really liked Suse more so than Ubuntu, so there in lies the question: Is there an old version of Suse that would run great on that computer and where could i get it from ? Thank you.

PS: If Suse doesn't work, i'm open to suggestions...

[coopstah13]

These are enough for these distros, most people experiencing issues are not using the correct graphics driver, which causes overall slowness in the system. You need to install the proprietary nvidia driver.

[reed9]

As said, it is possibly a driver issue.
How to install Nvidia drivers in Ubuntu

But also, Ubuntu and OpenSuse can be a little slow. You could also try a somewhat lighter option. You might want to look at Linux Mint XFCE edition or if you want some geek cred, #! Crunchbang Linux.

Both are based on Ubuntu, but use less resources.

You generally do not want to install an old release of a distro. First, system requirements haven't changed much for a couple years, and second, most distros stop supporting old releases relatively quickly, so you're likely to run into problems with repositories, you won't be getting security updates, and you'll have limited access to recent software releases.

[Jordas]

Thaks for the replies guys. I never thought about installing the video drivers; since both distros i tried displayed the right video card name and specs, i assumed it was enough. I think i'll give Ubuntu another try, this time installing the nvidia drivers like you told me.