32 bit or 64 bit

[jamma]

Hi, I am a newbie here. I have acquired myself a new ThinkPad X1 Carbon, Gen 6 from around 2019, i5 8250 CPU, 8GB Ram, 256 GB SSD. Will MX Linux be compatible on this laptop. And if so which MX Linux version number would be the best choice and then is 32bit or 64 bit version more suitable? Many thanks

[j2mcgreg]

Your i5 8250 CPU is 64 bit, so that's the version you should use. From the specs I found here:
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PD ... eet_EN.pdf
I don't see anything that would prevent you from installing MX on this machine. To get it ready for MX, you will only need to disable Fast Start Up in Windows 10 and secure Boot in the bios.

[Charlie Brown]

... Will MX Linux be compatible on this laptop....

Yes. (why not?)

... which MX ...?

You can simply download the regular MX - 64bit. But if you like other DEs like KDE or Fluxbox (over Xfce) then of course you can prefer them.

Shortly: You can try everything on live session first, no matter which one, and if you feel it's ok: then install (no need to hurry to install).

[MadMax]

The transition from 32bit to 64bit happend a long time before 2019. That laptop is definitely 64bit hardware. As a rule of thumb for a beginner: Look out for machines with less than 4GB of RAM. They COULD still be 32bit machines. Everything else is likely 64bit already. That is because 32bit's maximum memory allocation is 4GB.

On another note you also won't need the AHS version (that's a more common question in terms of version) that's targeted for systems younger than 2-3 years - just go for the regular 64bit version and you should be fine.

[manyroads]

FWIW many people in the Linux world are just a 'bit geeky'. Many do things that normal people will never need, nor want, to do. I'm one who does things that most avoid. As a newbie do yourself a HUGE favor and read tons about Linux. The more you know the better off you will be. Remember two things about Linux:
One, the biggest advantage is: "you can do 'pretty much' anything you want"
Two, the biggest dis-advantage is: "you can do 'pretty much' anything you want"

Be certain to look before you leap. Read and investigate. But most importantly, "enjoy the ride".