Linux - Newbie This Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place! |
Notices |
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
Are you new to LinuxQuestions.org? Visit the following links:
Site Howto |
Site FAQ |
Sitemap |
Register Now
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
|
View Poll Results: tech to price ratio: which RAM choice is the best
|
256MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm
|
  
|
2 |
3.28% |
512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms [add $50]
|
  
|
15 |
24.59% |
512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm [add $100]
|
  
|
22 |
36.07% |
1GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms [add $250]
|
  
|
17 |
27.87% |
1GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm [add $500]
|
  
|
1 |
1.64% |
2GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms [add $1,000]
|
  
|
4 |
6.56% |
 |
|
03-23-2005, 08:36 PM
|
#1
|
Member
Registered: Mar 2005
Distribution: Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon (Gnome)
Posts: 35
Rep:
|
RAM: Does linux require as much ram as Windows XP?
Hello,
I am planning on purchasing a brand-new dell inspiron 6000 laptop. The base ram offered is 215, but you can get it with 500, 1g, or 2Gig. I would like to know whether the RAM needs of a Linux computer is the same as that of a Windows computer? Or is the RAM needs less on a linux computer?
My usage purposes are basic: email, internet, maybe a bit of photo-editng (removing red eye from a family portrait), word-processing, listening to music, doing Voice Calls over the internet. Occasionally/rarely, maybe playing some games, and maybe, just maybe, in the future doing some videoediting.
Oh, I should say that when I surf the web, (I use Opera), I usually have many windows open. And then I switch from one to another. With my basic needs in mind, what is the best option to choose? Please keep in mind that I would like the laptop to serve me for a long time. Also, I should say that I'm looking for a good price to tech ratio.
256MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm
512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms [add $50]
512MB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm [add $100]
1GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms [add $250]
1GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 1 Dimm [add $500]
2GB Shared DDR2 SDRAM 2 Dimms [add $1,000]
P.S. What exactly is the relation between processor speed and RAM?
I appreciate your advice/answers to any or all of my questions.
|
|
|
03-23-2005, 08:49 PM
|
#2
|
Member
Registered: Mar 2005
Location: somewhere over the rainbow theres a place....
Distribution: Ubuntu Dapper and Arch
Posts: 121
Rep:
|
I honestly don't know, but I can get along well with an old computer with 128megs of ram, so pick whatever you can afford. More is usually better. If I could afford it, I would get the best one :P
|
|
|
03-23-2005, 09:29 PM
|
#3
|
LQ Guru
Registered: Oct 2004
Distribution: Arch
Posts: 5,361
|
Unlike windoze that will swap to the hard drive no matter how much RAM you have installed, Linux wont.
If you can get 512 MB of RAM in that Linux box it will probably never use swap file at all unless you have tons of graphic manipulation software running.
Of course not swapping to the hard drive means a faster machine. Linux will run with 128MB of RAM but you'll get better performance with more.
|
|
|
03-23-2005, 10:04 PM
|
#4
|
Member
Registered: Dec 2004
Posts: 57
Rep:
|
I'd say 512 will be good for everything you need. 256 is too low for my liking but it would probably suffice for your needs.
|
|
|
03-23-2005, 11:28 PM
|
#5
|
LQ Newbie
Registered: Nov 2004
Posts: 11
Rep:
|
I'd say take the 2 DRAMs for 512 MB. For my usage (which is very similar to yours) 512 is plenty. You could get by with 256 (or lower) but $50 isn't that much relatively speaking and you won't have to upgrade if you decide to do something a bit more memory intensive (like video editing, etc.).
|
|
|
03-23-2005, 11:47 PM
|
#6
|
LQ Veteran
Registered: Mar 2003
Location: Boise, ID
Distribution: Mint
Posts: 6,642
Rep:
|
Buy as much as you can comfortably afford. 256Mg is decent, 512 (obviously) is better. (Realistically, in my view having a 1G or 2G laptop is overkill, and for typical uses you describe, you just wouldn't need that much.) The difference between buying 1 DIMM that's twice as large vs. 2 DIMM's that are half the size has to do with your possible future expansion plans. Let's assume that you go with 512Mg and that the laptop can accept a max of two RAM chips; if so, if you originally go went with 2x256, and wanted to upgrade to 1G, you'd have to toss out your 2x256 and replace them with 2x512 or 1x1G. In contrast, had you originally gone with 1x512, then to go with 1G you'd just need to buy 1x512. Generally, whatever amount of memory you are using, I'd say that you want to minimize the chip count, since that gives you greater flexibility if you decide at some future date to upgrade. Good luck with it -- J.W.
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 03:20 AM
|
#7
|
Member
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Santiago, Chile
Distribution: Ubuntu
Posts: 410
Rep:
|
Mm...
If you want the laptop to serve you for a long time, I would recommend you:
1.- 512x1
2.- Dont buy a Dell. Or at least not an Inspiron.
Hope this helps...
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 05:17 AM
|
#8
|
Member
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Between the chair and the desk
Distribution: Debian Sarge, kernel 2.6.13
Posts: 666
Rep:
|
I'd say no matter what size your RAM is, go with only one stick. One of the reasons would be the one J.W. pointed. The other, although contradicts somewhat to the first one, is IMO that if you use 2 sticks and even if the sticks have the same manufacturer, you can have the unpleasant surprise of bad synchronisation (timing or whatever it's called) between the two this leading to an unstable system. I had this problem but long time ago, with 2x32MB sticks. Again, only my opinion.
Anyway, for the today's regular user (not a hardcore gamer or video editing guy) I'd say 512 MB should suffice.
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 05:54 AM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2003
Location: NB,Canada
Distribution: Something alpha or beta, binary or source...
Posts: 2,280
Rep:
|
A little trick I read on the Langa list a while back was to buy the ram upgrade after the initial purchase, as the ram is cheaper that way. Kinda like buying a car stereo from the stereo shop instead of with the car.
512, btw, if you can afford it. If you need more than that, you know that you do! (graphic artist, etc). If you put that much in, you should never need to add more (my Gentoo box has 384 and never swaps - I use it for everything but heavy gaming, since I'm not a gamer).
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 08:10 AM
|
#10
|
Member
Registered: Nov 2004
Distribution: CentOS-4
Posts: 142
Rep:
|
Quote:
Originally posted by harken
I'd say no matter what size your RAM is, go with only one stick. One of the reasons would be the one J.W. pointed. The other, although contradicts somewhat to the first one, is IMO that if you use 2 sticks and even if the sticks have the same manufacturer, you can have the unpleasant surprise of bad synchronisation (timing or whatever it's called) between the two this leading to an unstable system. I had this problem but long time ago, with 2x32MB sticks. Again, only my opinion.
Anyway, for the today's regular user (not a hardcore gamer or video editing guy) I'd say 512 MB should suffice.
|
This is like a 1 in a million problem - its not a realistic consideration. If you really do have this problem, its a manufacturing defect that can be cured with a simple RMA.
In fact some MoBo's REQUIRE two sticks of memeory, they will not even boot with only a single stick.
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 08:20 AM
|
#11
|
LQ Veteran
Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Maryland
Distribution: Slackware
Posts: 7,803
|
Quote:
2.- Dont buy a Dell. Or at least not an Inspiron.
|
You must have gotten a lemon. My Inspiron has been chugging along with Slackware for a couple of years now without a hitch.
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 11:29 AM
|
#12
|
Member
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Valby, Denmark / Citizen of the Web
Distribution: Slackware 14.1
Posts: 879
Rep:
|
I am so fortunate that I happen to love Fluxbox, and that sucks up quite a bit less than if I was a Gnome addict. I say 256 MB is sufficient for your described needs, but then - I have no problems with running VectorLinux on a 600 MHz box with 32 MB.
Still, I voted 512 in 2, since I agree with PrOeliuM: If you should feel like trying more demanding tasks, you would still be fit for it.
On that note: I heard that a PC uses quite a bit more power if it has a larger RAM capacity - is this true? In that case, 256 MB might be better if you wanted the laptop to go a long way on the battery alone.
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 11:45 AM
|
#13
|
Member
Registered: Jun 2004
Location: Lithuania
Distribution: FreeBSD, Arch, Ubuntu
Posts: 145
Rep:
|
Quote:
This is like a 1 in a million problem - its not a realistic consideration. If you really do have this problem, its a manufacturing defect that can be cured with a simple RMA.
In fact some MoBo's REQUIRE two sticks of memeory, they will not even boot with only a single stick.
|
Totaly agree. In some cases it can be even better, because you can use 2 separate buses (almost 2x speed). Altough it depends on a mobo (mine has it, but I do not use this feature, I use one stick of 256mb and there is no swapping with flux or fvwm  ), and I do not use laptops so probably I don't know all about it  .
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 11:48 AM
|
#14
|
Member
Registered: May 2004
Posts: 245
Rep:
|
you can never have too much memory
|
|
|
03-24-2005, 11:57 AM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Registered: Nov 2003
Location: London, England
Distribution: Ubuntu
Posts: 1,460
Rep:
|
I've got 512, but I rarely see it go above 100. In fact, it generally lives at <20...
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:42 PM.
|
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.
|
Latest Threads
LQ News
|
|