Running Linux on an Old MacBook

Question

I have a 2016 MBP sitting in my living room plugged into my projector and audio receiver.I was thinking about a quick weekend project where I'd turn it into a home cinema Linux box + a basic NAS.I'm a compulsive yak-shaver/bike shed renovator so before I risk getting stuck tinkering -- what distro/setup do you recommend? Is the process as fiddly as it used to be a decade ago?

paulcole · Accepted Answer

You&rsquo;ve already got it plugged into your projector and audio receiver? Is it not working?If it&rsquo;s already working you want the project, you don&rsquo;t want it to go smoothly (or else you wouldn&rsquo;t even be considering it) so just pick a distro at random and go nuts.

throwaway48540 · Answer

I don't recommend it unless you're doing it for its own sake. My 2015 Pro runs much smoother (better performance, less hot) with macOS. You can run these services on macOS too.The setup wasn't fiddly at all. I had to fiddle much more with ordinary PC laptops. Any distro should be mostly fine - Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch...

1jss · Answer

If you want it to run smoothly with video streaming and sane thermals/fan noise, I'd leave it with macOS. For NAS I'd instead buy a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and set it up with an external USB HD and Raspberry Pi OS.

jtotheh · Answer

I have a 2014 MBP Retina running Arch and it's now pretty good. It took some tweaking. It does overheat when I try and run HDMI 4K full screen video though. It's not equal to that. It got so hot it turned off.

brudgers · Answer

I recommend Ubuntu because it will be good enough and at least as easy to install as anything else (and easier than many alternatives).