It's very user-friendly, easy on the eyes and new software is very simple to install. This old laptop also runs much faster, quieter and cooler now, though how much of that is simply due to the switch from HDD to SSD I'm not sure.
However...
It seems I'm kinda screwed when it comes to GPU driver support. The laptop is from 2011 and has a GeForce 540M, but LM 22 isn't compatible with the official legacy Nvidia drivers for it, which means I'm left with the replacement open-source Nouveau drivers, and it turns out those aren't meant for much more than basic desktop usage. Video playback and Youtube work though, which is nice at least.
Downloading Steam and the emulators I use was such a nice and seamless experience it's quite the bummer I can't make much use of them 
Apparently some guy has ported the legacy 390xx drivers for modern Linux kernels but from what I read success with those is hit and miss at best and you'd better be prepared to restore your system if you run into trouble. Installing the last version of Mint that had those drivers is also an option, as is apparently switching to something like Anti-X. I already have Anti-X installed on an even more ancient laptop, but Mint is much more slick to use and pleasant to the eye.
I also have a few issues that might be related to the display drivers. Adjusting screen brightness in Power Management does nothing, and using the built-in function key shortcuts makes the backlight blink off and on until I hard reset the system. There's also a phantom second 4:3 display titled "Unknown Display" listed next to my laptop's actual 16:9 display in Display settings.
In summary: Mint is cool but my laptop is more of a dinosaur than I had realized
I would've preferred something a bit more subtle, but that was the only truly red option that came up in the theme downloader so that's what I went with, since the accent color picker simply didn't satisfy my thirst for the color red
I need a red taskbar and title bars at minimum
It's okay. I don't mind having a green spot seared into the center of my vision
You should have seen the custom color schemes I used to make on classic Windows when I was a kid, this is nothing
I mean, Hotdog Stand was an official Microsoft-endorsed color scheme.
Do you have Optimus enabled in your bios? I'd take a look because nvidia optimus is kind of weird if you aren't expecting it
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Optimus
edit: meant to reply to OP
I'll take a look in the BIOS when I boot next time. Nvidia Optimus doesn't ring any bells so I don't believe I've ever touched it in the decade+ I've had the laptop.
Like I remembered, no mention of Optimus or any other GPU options in the BIOS.
That's such a shame that your hardware isn't playing nicely with Linux but it's really cool that you gave it a try and it's just as cool that you actually like it.
It's hard to fault past you for, years and years ago, buying this laptop without considering Linux compatibility - it's not like this would have been on your radar until this point so of course you wouldn't have given it any thought. Them's the breaks, I guess.
I'll be trying version 21.3 of Mint instead of 22 next and see if I can get more use out of my GPU with that, so fingers crossed. I'm not expecting incredible gaming performance or anything but I would prefer my GPU not completely gimped.
It seems this is specifically an Nvidia problem. The open source drivers for AMD cards are apparently great but since Nvidia are a bunch of dicks the community has been left to reverse engineer what they can. At least there is an option to keep old hardware going.
The laptop is from 2011 and has a GeForce 540M
yeah that isn't gonna work anytime soon. The nvidia linux drivers are crap, especially the mobile "hybrid" graphics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcxKINWMD8M
I'm going to install the last version of Mint 21 that had those Nvidia drivers or Anti-X to see if they're at least better than Nouveau. Much respect to the community for trying to keep Nvidia's old cards running despite Nvidia's best efforts to consign them to the e-waste bin, but I would like to be able to do stuff that worked on Windows.
spoiler
I guess I could also re-install Windows 7
nvidia is working on open sourcing the drivers now btw, so if you have a bad time try again in like a year or two
Would they bother going back to add support for 10+ years old hardware though? Cool if they did but I doubt it.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Nah my laptop definitely uses its fans significantly less on the Linux side compared to the Windows side. Not to mention it doesn't start applying updates and wasting limited battery without my express permission.
