Trying to convert an old laptop to run linux

I a newbie to linux, trying to set up they system on my old laptop to run the system, Wondering if an old i3 Acer aspire TimelineX 3830 TG, would work? I am planning to upgrade the drive to ssd, and update the battery (yeah, the old one died) as well as upgrading it to 8gb of ram. Or, should I just get a nicer, newer laptop and run dual os instead?

thanks!