Will my Dell laptop run Ubuntu Linux 18.04 (Bionic Beaver) smoothly?
My laptop model is "Dell Inspiron 14 N4050". I have installed Windows 8 Pro and now want to install a Linux OS.
If not, is there another Linux OS that would run well?
Basic details:
You can test how Ubuntu works by making live USB installation media. Then boot from that USB drive without having to install it. If you like using that version of Linux, just install from the same media -- no need to reboot.
There have been some changes made in Ubuntu 20 desktop, so try both distros to see which you prefer
You also have the choice of installing alongside the existing Windows OS, or deleting the Windows partition and running just Linux. Both choices have their merits, but on a brand-new PC, I'd opt for a clean Ubuntu-only installation.
N.B. Before making any permanent installation, image the HDD so you can go back if a disaster occurs.
As others said before, try Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. The LTS stands for 'Long Term Support', meaning you won't have to bother with upgrades until 2025 or 2030 with Ubuntu ESM which is free for personal use.
I'd proceed like this:
Check out Ubuntu in the live mode by booting from the USB. This means you can boot into Ubuntu without making any changes to your systems. Check out the performance of the stuff you need; you can even install things! Just be reminded that nothing you do will persist on your machine.
If you like the performance, you can go ahead and install Ubuntu on your system. This will wipe your hard drive, if you choose to do so. The Ubuntu setup can also set up dual-boot for you, if you like that.
If the performance isn't good enough, it's most likely due to your graphics being too slow for Gnome, the Ubuntu desktop. In that case I'd recommend repeating the above steps with Lubuntu. It is a lightweight version of Ubuntu that uses LXDE instead of Gnome, meaning it is much less taxing on the graphics hardware than Ubuntu.
HTH
The average laptop is optimized for Windows because of the vast market share (about 90% of laptop and desktop devices).
However, if your laptop manufacturer supplies Ubuntu drivers, or your research into Ubuntu says it has the needed drivers, it should run smoothly.
I have Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) running as a virtual machine here using VMware drivers and it works very smoothly indeed.
If you have or can install Hyper-V, that is a good way to test Ubuntu (or possibly another distribution) without making any permanent changes.
Ubuntu, in most cases, runs more smoothly than Windows because of the optimizations the developers have made. When you download Ubuntu, make sure to download the latest version which is Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa).
I've installed admittedly older versions of Ubuntu on several much lower powered DELL and HP laptops without any issues at all. The performance of later versions of Ubuntu has always been more responsive than the Microsoft OS that came with the machine, and the only time I had a problem with a driver (Wi-Fi in my case) it was fixed simply by connecting Ethernet and fetching updates. So based on my practical experience I would encourage you try it out, using the live media as suggested by DrMoishe Pippik
If you are worried about performance I would suggest looking at one of the Ubuntu derivatives such as Lubuntu which is based on Ubuntu but has a desktop which requires less processing power (and personally I prefer it to Ubuntu's desktop)
I am pretty sure that Ubuntu would run smoothly because Linux is lighter than Windows in most cases. Like the other answers say, if Ubuntu doesn't work out you can try Lubuntu or Xubuntu, which are lighter versions of Ubuntu. In my machine, Xubuntu runs pretty well with 2GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Duo.
