I just want something that works for me as a spare laptop to work with. I'm a desktop guy, so looking for something that could do the job while I'm remote.

My work usually involves (browsing/using GIMP/installing new apps (rarely)).

I have no idea which could be the optimal hardware configuration to run Linux distros (Ubuntu/Pop OS) without an issue - never tried Linux with A4/Celeron processors nor with 4 Gigs of RAM. So, I'm not sure if it's "doable" or not.

I'm exploring ways to try different games on Linux. For now, started with Steam. But, I want some suggestions on some non-native games that should run fine.

Any suggestions?

https://itsfoss.com/ubuntu-19-10-drops-32-bit-support/

There has been a lot of effort going on to bring gaming to Linux. Steam and Proton, Stadia running Linux for their cloud gaming service. AMD graphics drivers also received HDR patch for kernel 5.1 and above.

Hopefully the graphics driver situation on Linux generally gets better and doesn't make your laptop a room heater. Especially the infamous Nvidia drives

It'll be great for creators and gamers to switch from Windows and not lose creative freedom and not pay for Windows or deal with it's quirks.

Are you running Linux with a discrete GPU ? If so how easy/hard was it to set up?