Manjaro is a popular and fast growing Linux distribution geared towards home computing. If you are thinking about installing it on your system but need to know the system requirements first, we’ve got you covered in this guide.
Manjaro is available for download on its official site, but there are several versions available. “Official” editions of Manjaro include either the Xfce, KDE, or GNOME desktop environment. The “Community” editions feature either Cinnamon, Budgie, LXDE, or a slew of others.
Why do we mention this? Well, the desktop environment you choose is going to impact Manjaro’s system requirements. Some of these GUIs run better on older hardware than others. But regardless of which one you choose, you’ll be given all of the relevant requirements in this article.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- Manjaro system requirements
- Desktop environment performance impact on Manjaro
| Category | Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used |
|---|---|
| System | Manjaro Linux |
| Software | N/A |
| Other | Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command. |
| Conventions |
# – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user |
Manjaro system requirements
Many operating systems will list minimum system requirements and recommended system requirements. Manjaro, however, is focused on being a user friendly desktop OS and the developers want you to have the smoothest experience possible. As a result, they only provide us with a list of recommended hardware.
The developers of Manjaro list the following hardware specifications as the recommended system requirements to run their distro:
- 1 GB memory
- 30 GB hard drive space
- 1 GHz or better CPU
- High definition graphics card and monitor
- Broadband internet connection
Meeting those requirements should ensure that your computer runs Manjaro with no trouble. But as we mentioned earlier, the desktop environment you choose will also impact system performance. Let’s go over some of the options below.
Xfce
Xfce is listed at the top of Manjaro’s download page, so it makes sense if this was your first choice. Xfce is versatile and highly customizable. It’s far from being a resource hog, but it’s also not the most lightweight desktop environment available. A fresh installation of Manjaro with Xfce installed will use about 390 MB of system memory.
KDE Plasma
KDE Plasma is another official edition among Manjaro releases, and it weighs in just a little ahead of Xfce. Manjaro with KDE will consume about 455 MB of system memory.
GNOME
The last choice on Manjaro’s download page is GNOME. It’s user friendly but doesn’t have as many advanced options and configurability as the other two choices. Manjaro with GNOME uses about 447 MB of system memory.
Other desktop environments
Manjaro also has community releases, featuring a smattering of other desktop environments, available for download on their site. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s available and how much memory they consume.
- Budgie – 632 MB
- Cinnamon – 665 MB
- LXQt – 250 MB
- Mate – 378 MB
Conclusion
Manjaro has relatively low system requirements, especially when you compare it to the system requirements of other leading desktop distros like Ubuntu, for example. You also have some flexibility since you can choose from different default desktop environments. Remember, if you’re really strapped for breathing room on your hardware, Manjaro with LXQt will be the most efficient choice for your system.
