Which Linux to Use for Old Laptop? (k6-2 475mhz)

stilz · April 14th, 2005

Hi guys,
I've recently obtained an old laptop with Win 98 installed on it. I'd like to switch to Linux, but I don't know which distribution is the fastest and/or most suitable for a laptop, so I'd like to ask for recommendations.
Also, I've tried to run epsxe 1.6 on it with FF6 and got a avg. of about 45FPS using Pete's D3D video (software plug-in is slower for me) and Pete's sound plug-in with everything set at min. Is it possible to have ~60FPS on this with sound (which relates to my first question), or do PSX emulators run slower on Linux?
Thanks!

spec.:
K6-2 475mhz
192MB RAM (pretty nice)
Trident blade (or something) video /w 4MB (apparently supports D3D)
~5GB HDD

**mikeshoup** · April 15th, 2005

For slower machines, if you're familiar with linux, Debian would probably be really good.

You may wish to ask over at tuxemu.com/forums

Most everyone there is knowledgable with linux, and we even already have a thread going about which distro is right for you : http://tuxemu.com/forums/index.php?topic=37.0

Esturk · April 15th, 2005

Well if you want to run FFVI full speed on that, use Zsnes. Seriously, as there is a Linux build of Zsnes too.

**mikeshoup** · April 15th, 2005

And you could use my article on building zsnes if you didn't know how:
http://www.tuxemu.com/index.php?acti...cles;art_id=26

stilz · April 15th, 2005

to mikeshoup: I'll check them out; thanks for the quick tips!

to Methos: Mainly I'd like to know which Linux to use but I should explain about the FFVI part. I'm playing it on my PC and I'd like to be able to continue "on the go" as well, and certainly for other games if indeed I'm able to make it run ~60FPS. Thanks nonetheless

.

scottlc · April 15th, 2005

mikeshoup: There's not really any need to compile from source. Tools such as apt, yum etc... are so much quicker and takes care of all of the dependencies. Especially since the guide is targeted towards less experienced users.

As for a recomendation, you might want to try Ubuntu Linux (Debian based) with something lightweight such as XFCE instead of GNOME.

http://www.ubuntulinux.org/

stilz · April 15th, 2005

Actually I have very little experience with Linux, but I'm ready to try them (esp. after having taken Unix this semester

).
Yesterday I remembered that I had a Knoppix 3.x CD and quickly tried booting it with the laptop. I got epsxe to run but it's significantly slower than it was on win98, and another thing is that I cannot open the configuration for the video plug-ins. Any ideas?
Thank!

edit:
Just something I'm wondering. For those "OS on CDs", has any distro started using DVDs instead? Aside from the increase in size, there is also, if i'm not mistaking, an advtange of faster read speed.

scottlc · April 15th, 2005

Live CDs are always going to be much slower than an HD install. One thing to remember is that since your graphics card is relatively obscure it perhaps doesn't have excellent hardware support.

**mikeshoup** · April 16th, 2005

scottlc, how is a GeForce FX 5600u obscure?

Also, you have to realize not every distro packs zsnes as a binary package, in fact most don't. The guide was designed for everyone to run. Novell, Fedora, etc, don't have zsnes binaries

**cooliscool** · April 16th, 2005

I believe Scott was referring to his laptop's GPU.

scottlc · April 16th, 2005

Yes, I was refering to "Trident blade (or something) video /w 4MB (apparently supports D3D)". Also, I had no trouble finding a zsnes RPM for Fedora. Ubuntu certainly has zsnes in it's Universe repository.

**cooliscool** · April 17th, 2005

Uh.. yeah, the Trident Blade was his laptop's GPU..

scottlc · April 17th, 2005

Also, this thread belongs in Software Discussion.

April 14th, 2005	#1 (permalink)
stilz Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ngemu? Posts: 606	Which Linux to Use for Old Laptop? (k6-2 475mhz) Hi guys, I've recently obtained an old laptop with Win 98 installed on it. I'd like to switch to Linux, but I don't know which distribution is the fastest and/or most suitable for a laptop, so I'd like to ask for recommendations. Also, I've tried to run epsxe 1.6 on it with FF6 and got a avg. of about 45FPS using Pete's D3D video (software plug-in is slower for me) and Pete's sound plug-in with everything set at min. Is it possible to have ~60FPS on this with sound (which relates to my first question), or do PSX emulators run slower on Linux? Thanks! spec.: K6-2 475mhz 192MB RAM (pretty nice) Trident blade (or something) video /w 4MB (apparently supports D3D) ~5GB HDD __________________ To all emulator authors and contributors: without your hard work, we'd be without many hours of enjoyment and unable to relive fond memories of childhood. Thank you.

April 15th, 2005	#2 (permalink)
mikeshoup Emu author Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Englewood, CO, USA Posts: 292	For slower machines, if you're familiar with linux, Debian would probably be really good. You may wish to ask over at tuxemu.com/forums Most everyone there is knowledgable with linux, and we even already have a thread going about which distro is right for you : http://tuxemu.com/forums/index.php?topic=37.0 __________________ Awards stink like poo.

April 15th, 2005	#3 (permalink)
Esturk Registered User Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Posts: 6,957	Well if you want to run FFVI full speed on that, use Zsnes. Seriously, as there is a Linux build of Zsnes too. __________________ Necrosaro: Windows XP Pro x64 Edition SP2 \| Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 4MB L2 Cache \| Asus P5K Deluxe, Intel P35 Chipset, Socket 775 \| 4GB Kingston PC5300 DDR2 \| Nvidia GeForce 8800GT, 1024MB \| Creative SB X-Fi Fatality Edition \| Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD, 150Gb, SATA, Western Digital WD5000AAKS, 500GB, SATA \| LG 16x DVD-RWx2 SATA.

April 15th, 2005	#4 (permalink)
mikeshoup Emu author Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Englewood, CO, USA Posts: 292	And you could use my article on building zsnes if you didn't know how: http://www.tuxemu.com/index.php?acti...cles;art_id=26 __________________ Awards stink like poo.

April 15th, 2005	#5 (permalink)
stilz Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ngemu? Posts: 606	to mikeshoup: I'll check them out; thanks for the quick tips! to Methos: Mainly I'd like to know which Linux to use but I should explain about the FFVI part. I'm playing it on my PC and I'd like to be able to continue "on the go" as well, and certainly for other games if indeed I'm able to make it run ~60FPS. Thanks nonetheless . __________________ To all emulator authors and contributors: without your hard work, we'd be without many hours of enjoyment and unable to relive fond memories of childhood. Thank you.

April 15th, 2005	#6 (permalink)
scottlc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St Andrews, Scotland Posts: 1,575	mikeshoup: There's not really any need to compile from source. Tools such as apt, yum etc... are so much quicker and takes care of all of the dependencies. Especially since the guide is targeted towards less experienced users. As for a recomendation, you might want to try Ubuntu Linux (Debian based) with something lightweight such as XFCE instead of GNOME. http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ __________________ OS: Arch Linux w/ Kernel 2.6.23.8 + GNOME 2.20.1 - CPU: Intel Pentium M 1.5GHz - Memory: 1280MB DDR PC2700 - Browser: Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10

April 15th, 2005	#7 (permalink)
stilz Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ngemu? Posts: 606	Actually I have very little experience with Linux, but I'm ready to try them (esp. after having taken Unix this semester ). Yesterday I remembered that I had a Knoppix 3.x CD and quickly tried booting it with the laptop. I got epsxe to run but it's significantly slower than it was on win98, and another thing is that I cannot open the configuration for the video plug-ins. Any ideas? Thank! edit: Just something I'm wondering. For those "OS on CDs", has any distro started using DVDs instead? Aside from the increase in size, there is also, if i'm not mistaking, an advtange of faster read speed. __________________ To all emulator authors and contributors: without your hard work, we'd be without many hours of enjoyment and unable to relive fond memories of childhood. Thank you. Last edited by stilz; April 15th, 2005 at 23:08.

April 15th, 2005	#8 (permalink)
scottlc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St Andrews, Scotland Posts: 1,575	Live CDs are always going to be much slower than an HD install. One thing to remember is that since your graphics card is relatively obscure it perhaps doesn't have excellent hardware support. __________________ OS: Arch Linux w/ Kernel 2.6.23.8 + GNOME 2.20.1 - CPU: Intel Pentium M 1.5GHz - Memory: 1280MB DDR PC2700 - Browser: Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10

April 16th, 2005	#9 (permalink)
mikeshoup Emu author Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Englewood, CO, USA Posts: 292	scottlc, how is a GeForce FX 5600u obscure? Also, you have to realize not every distro packs zsnes as a binary package, in fact most don't. The guide was designed for everyone to run. Novell, Fedora, etc, don't have zsnes binaries __________________ Awards stink like poo.

April 16th, 2005	#10 (permalink)
cooliscool Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Hyda IV Posts: 6,057	I believe Scott was referring to his laptop's GPU. __________________ Fayt: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8GHz @ 3.0GHz [Allendale] (1333MHz FSB), 2GB Crucial DDR2-800 Dual Channel kit @ 800MHz 4-3-3-10, 512MB BFG nVidia GeForce 7950GT OC (650/1600), Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, MSI P6N-SLi nVidia 650i mobo, 200GB Seagate Barracuda 8MB Cache 7200RPM SATA2 (NCQ), 80GB Seagate Barracuda 8MB Cache 7200RPM SATA2 (NCQ), Lite-On DVD+-RW 16x w/ Lightscribe, Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM, Aspire X-Dreamer II case, Logitech MX518 GG Optical Mouse, Asetek Waterchill kit (distilled water + Red Line Watter Wetter), T.I.M - Arctic Silver Ceramique

April 16th, 2005	#11 (permalink)
scottlc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St Andrews, Scotland Posts: 1,575	Yes, I was refering to "Trident blade (or something) video /w 4MB (apparently supports D3D)". Also, I had no trouble finding a zsnes RPM for Fedora. Ubuntu certainly has zsnes in it's Universe repository. __________________ OS: Arch Linux w/ Kernel 2.6.23.8 + GNOME 2.20.1 - CPU: Intel Pentium M 1.5GHz - Memory: 1280MB DDR PC2700 - Browser: Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10 Last edited by scottlc; April 17th, 2005 at 11:15.

April 17th, 2005	#12 (permalink)
cooliscool Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Hyda IV Posts: 6,057	Uh.. yeah, the Trident Blade was his laptop's GPU.. __________________ Fayt: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8GHz @ 3.0GHz [Allendale] (1333MHz FSB), 2GB Crucial DDR2-800 Dual Channel kit @ 800MHz 4-3-3-10, 512MB BFG nVidia GeForce 7950GT OC (650/1600), Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, MSI P6N-SLi nVidia 650i mobo, 200GB Seagate Barracuda 8MB Cache 7200RPM SATA2 (NCQ), 80GB Seagate Barracuda 8MB Cache 7200RPM SATA2 (NCQ), Lite-On DVD+-RW 16x w/ Lightscribe, Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM, Aspire X-Dreamer II case, Logitech MX518 GG Optical Mouse, Asetek Waterchill kit (distilled water + Red Line Watter Wetter), T.I.M - Arctic Silver Ceramique

April 17th, 2005	#13 (permalink)
scottlc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: St Andrews, Scotland Posts: 1,575	Also, this thread belongs in Software Discussion. __________________ OS: Arch Linux w/ Kernel 2.6.23.8 + GNOME 2.20.1 - CPU: Intel Pentium M 1.5GHz - Memory: 1280MB DDR PC2700 - Browser: Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.10

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