Le Potato Performance (What OS)

Bought a AML-S905X-CC w/ 2GB 64-bit and put Ubuntu Desktop on a Samsung Pro Plus PRO Plus 256GB microSDXC (160MB/s MB-MD256KA/AM) and it’s paralyzingly slow. Is Ubuntu just too much for this board? What’s the most lightweight Linux build for this?

Lubuntu desktop environment ran well, Mate and xfce were ok too.

I use Armbian CLI. The Debian build, not Ubuntu.

The Ubuntu Desktop is running the PC equivalent UI with Gnome 40+. It’s relatively heavy and updating at first run takes a while to complete.

Raspbian is a light version of Debian with X11 on top. It is lighter but does not feature the latest stuff.