Has anyone else tried installing the 64-bit version of SUSE 9.1 on an Athlon 64 based machine? What's your experience with how fast it boots and how fast programs load?

I recently bought an Acer Aspire 1502 LMi notebook with an Athlob64 3200+ processor. I swapped the hard disk (with the WinXP Hone) and put in a new 60GB Hitachi Travelstar 7K60 7200RPM drive and installed SUSE 9.1. So far so good, as easy to install as I expected. OK, it didn't find the built in Broadcom miniPCI 802.11g wireless card but that's OK, I'll work on it or get a PCMCIA card.

What really bugs me is that it' so slow. It takes forever to boot and log in, loading apps is slow and generally it feels like I'm using some clapped out old PC rather than a new 64-bit processor based machine.

I started my Linux life just over a year ago when I installed Linux on my old notebook, an HP Omnibook XE2 with a 600MHz PIII, the max 256MB RAM and a replacement 40GB hard disk. I tried several Linux distros (SuSE 8.2, 9.0, RedHat9.0, Mandrake 9 and others from magazine cover DVDs) but ended up with Fedora Core 1. I'm please with how quick Fedora boots and loads apps on my old machine, (Core 2 had some issues so I've stuck with Core 1).

Comparing, subjectively, SUSE 9.1 on the Athlon64 with Fedora Core 1 on the PIII I find the old PIII system feels faster and more responsive. I'm really disappointed at the moment with SUSE (the machine performance with the WinXP Home it came with was really very acceptable).

What are other peoples experience with SUSE? Does anyone have any ideas why it seems so slow? Does anyone have any experience with the 64-bit version who knows of things to tweak to improve it's performance?

I probably count as a newbie in many respects, I've been a "user" not a trainee guru for most of my Linux life, just tweaking where and when I had to and had managed to find some helpful HOWTO or whatever

Thanks,

Terry

I had exactly the same problem with my amd64 3400+ laptop. In fact I only solved the problem this morning and now Im flying along and loving it.

All you need to do is type acpi=off at the prompt in the screen where you choose between windows and linux. I dont know why acpi (some laptop power management process) is acting up, but its not important anyway!

Let me know if this works!

I tried the acpi=off option at boot time - it does make the whole process faster, but I get an error message about powersaving not being enabled (I haven't got the exact words to hand). Things load and run quicker too - except I can't access the network.

Right now I have another (old 20GB) hard disk installed and am trying the 32-bit Fedore Core 2 (I would download the 64-bit version but my basic 512Kb ADSL line is a bit slow, and I already had a set of CD's for the 32-bit version).

I'll put SUSE 9.1 back in over the weekend and try some more so any other ideas are still welcome.

Terry

during install acpi=no can also help, ive installed to several x86_64 servers and noticed the same problem, I had always asumed it was because i was using prototype amd hardware that didnt have all the adavanced powermanagement bugs worked out yet, it is interesting that you have noticed it on laptops too.

can't you just disable acpi though the BIOS?

--vq

what is acpi exactly?

Sorry for the delay - I've just tried acpi=no and that didn't seem to do anything (unlike acpi=off).

I think at the moment I'm just doomed to disappointment with SUSE 9.1 AMD64. In fact I've always found SUSE slow but I thought that on a decent processor it might actually run OK, but so far not.

I tried installing Fedora Core 2 (32-bit) but that had other problems so at the moment if I want to get my nice new 64-bit notebook working at a decent speed it's back to WindowsXP (32-bit) and hope Service Pack 2 doesn't break it and/or the software I need to use.

When I get a chance I'll download the 64-bit Fedora and try that, and time permitting, I'll keep tweaking SUSE (I suppose I could ask their support for help, as I bought their Pro version I suppose I'm entitled to something).

Terry

I'm havning the exact same problem using Fedora 2 64bit with WinXP dual boot on a Sager laptop with a 3200+ processor.
EVERYTHING is slow, from the moment the linux boot process begins.

I'm getting more and more confused, I tried installing Fedora Core 2 on Tuesday (2 days back) and I have a few niggles with it, like it won't boot with the network cable connected but hangs trying to start sendmail, but once started I can enable the network and it runs OK. It's much faster and responsive than SUSE - although the driver for the notebooks touchpad doesn't handle tapping the pad for a mouse click (but the SUSE driver for the touch pad works as I expect).

ll in all, the whole 64-bit Linux experience so far is frustrating and unsatisfactory from a workstation/desktop point of vew - it may work fine as a server but that's not what I was wanting.

Terry

I think the problem might have to do with the power management settings. Ensure that you're currently running with the Performance profile under AC power. You also might want to edit the power scheme for Performance to set the Frequency Scaling option to Maximum Performance.

I just made this change on my system and it's working a lot faster. The reason issuing acpi=off at the boot prompt makes your system faster is because Linux is no longer controlling the speed of your CPU therefore causing the system to run at full speed 100% of the time.

I went into power management in yast and the power was already on the maximum performance setting for ac power and battery, so thats not the problem. The problem is acpi, and it is really pissing me off. Im runnning all the time now with acpi=off but Im not completely happy with that as I dont think the fan in my laptop is running in this setting. Suse better get its finger out of its bum and get it sorted soon!

My power settings is on performance at all times - and I'm getting a little miffed at it all too, it would be nice if it got fixed some time soon, before my nice shiny new 64-bit PC is a tatty old box that is only fit for use as an emergency backup browser.

Never could get Fedora to work. I tried the 32 bit kernel, and even that was too slow, even with acpi turned off (although it increased speed significantly). I'm also trying Suse 9.1 (32 bit), but there are too many problems there too. It's kinda slow, but there are also wierd problems with the keyboard, as well as the usual ethernet, sound, video card, ...etc.
Tried Debian too, but I got scared during installation and never got to the point of booting it.
In Red Hat I trust. Went back to RH 9, and it seems to be the best for me so far, although it seems like it lacks alot of the newer features.
If only I could get that speed problem ironed out in Fedora, I would feel much better with it.

Well, I've got SUSE 9.1 64-bit installed on my Acer Aspire 1502LMi and running as well as I can make it. I've got the thing set for Performance in the power settings, I've turned the Firewall off (that help the most) as I'm behind a hardware firewall anyway, and tweaked everything I can find/think of.

It still runs unbelievably slow for a 64-bit machine. I have Fedora Core 1 installed on my really old HP OmniBook XE2 (600MHz PIII, 256 MB RAM) and it starts in about 1/3 the time, loads Firefox in 1/4 the time and generally runs nicely thank you very much. With SUSE/Aspire setup I seem to be permanently waiting for things to start up or move on or do somethings. It is quicker compiling, I can't deny but as a desktop it's a pain.

Maybe if I compared the machines running as servers I'd find the SUSE/Aspire combo sprinting ahead, maybe that's what it's been geared towards, but I don't want a server platform, I need/want a good desktop and this isn't it. The Aspire part is I suspect fine, with the hard drive with Window XP Home (now sp2) it's brilliantly fast, but I don't want to use Windows except for those very, very, few things that I can't help using Windows for.

For now I give up, I'm living with it and using the very old HP OmniBook/Fedora for browsing and email, because it works well and much faster as a desktop. Compiles and and things that need the bigger screen (1400 x 1050 vs the 1024 x 768) I'll wait for the Aspire to load.

Maybe if I should give Mandrake 64-bit a try...