Ubuntu is a lightweight operating system. In fact, it can run smoothly on outdated hardwares. The developers of Ubuntu, Canonical, even claims that hardwares that can run old versions of operating systems like Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and others can run Ubuntu 20.04 smoothly.
Here are the system requirements that Canonical listed as the recommended minimum requirements for Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa.
Ubuntu ddesktop edition
- 2 GHz dual core processor
- 4 GiB RAM
- 25 GB of hard drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive)
- VGA capable of 1024×768 screen resolution
- Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media
Virtualized Ubuntu Desktop Edition
Virtualization softwares like VirtualBox often requires 1Gib of RAM to install Ubuntu, but it is better to allot atleast 2.
- 2 GiB RAM
- 2 GHz single core processor
- 10 GB of hard drive space