Hardware Recommendations

From PCLinuxOSHelp Knowledge Base
Back to:  Main Page
  • Relevant to all editions of PCLinuxOS.

This page lists a rough guide for the minimum and recommended hardware requirements to run PCLinuxOS.

Requirements in detail

Processor :

  • Modern Intel or AMD processor.

Hard Disk Space :

  • 20 GB or more free space recommended.

RAM :

  • Minimum 2 GB of memory. - Recommended 4 GB or more.

Video card :

  • Any modern video card by nVidia, ATI, Intel, SiS, Matrox, or VIA.
  • 3D desktop support requires a 3D instructions set compatible card.

Sound card :

  • Any Sound Blaster, AC97 or HDA compatible card.

Removable Storage :

  • A CD/DVD drive or USB storage for installation media..

Network card :

  • Generally any on-board network card will suffice.

Internet :

  • A high speed internet connection is recommended for performing any updates / software installations as necessary.

Lightweight Desktops

Community "Remasters" or "Spins" of PCLinuxOS which use lightweight desktops, such as LXDE, Openbox are available.

  • These do not have nearly as many hardware requirements as the KDE version.
  • XFCE is somewhat in the middle, being much lighter than KDE  so as to be able to run quite easily on 512MB of memory, but not as light as Openbox, LXDE which will work quite nicely on even 256MB.
  • Similarly, hard drive space requirements are also considerably lower, especially with the "mini" versions, which might install on as low as 5GB of hard drive space!

A Word on Internet Connections

A broadband connection is recommended for best performance. You can use a dial-up connection, but performance will be noticeably slower. Connections through wireless 3G or 4G will perform well with PCLinuxOS.

However, be sure to consult the terms of service with your cellular provider before running applications that transfer large amounts of data such as Synaptic, to see if you can run such applications or to prevent bill shock.