# Raspberry Pi Desktop brings Debian 13 to ageing x86-64 PCs

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/raspberry-pi-desktop-proves-old-pcs-arent-past-it/
- Published: 2026-10-24T11:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T11:47:56+00:00
- Original publisher: The Register
- Original article: https://www.theregister.com/os-platforms/2026/10/24/raspberry-pi-desktop-proves-old-pcs-arent-past-it/5304676
- Topics: Software

## Key points

- Raspberry Pi Desktop brings its Debian 13 update to older PCs.
- It used just under 450 MB of memory at idle.
- Tests found it ran well on ThinkPads from 2007 and 2008.

## Summary

The Raspberry Pi Desktop PC edition has finally received its Debian 13-based update, bringing its modernised desktop to older x86-64 computers. Tests on ageing ThinkPads found it ran smoothly, making it a practical way to try Linux on a low-spec PC without a complicated installation.

The 2.6 GB download takes about 8 GB of disk space and used just under 450 MB of memory when idle; switching to X.org saved about 50 MB. On a 2008 ThinkPad X200s, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ports, controls and an external display worked, while a 2007 model with 2 GB of RAM also ran it, though its touchscreen did not. The PC edition now supports x86-64 only, and uses Debian’s 6.12 kernel.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.