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I just installed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on my Acer Aspire 7745G. It is definitely running slower than it should. Here are my machine specifications:

Memory:    15.6 GiB
Processor: Intel Core i7 CPU Q 720 @ 1.60GHz X 8
Graphics:  ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 1 GB (Although Ubuntu is saying: VESA: Madison)
OS type:   64-bit
Disk:      475.4 GB

I specifically noticed it was running slower when I ran a program I wrote to read and write information in a database. I tested the same program on my Lenovo Think Pad-T61 which also runs Ubuntu 12.04 LTS with the same exact software (python and mysql). My Lenovo thinkpad was running the same program at about 2 to 3 times faster! Here are the specifications of my Lenovo Thinkpad:

Memory:    2.9GiB
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo cpu T8100 2.1GHZ X 2
Graphics:  NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (though Ubuntu says unknown)
OS type:   64-bit
Disk:      95.3 GB

Clearly, my Acer Aspire should be loads faster than my Lenovo Thinkpad. This makes me wander if my software is interacting optimally with my hardware and if I have the right drivers installed.

  1. How can I determine if my machine is configured to run optimally?
  2. For what other reasons would my Acer run slower?

All help is greatly appreciated. If you need more information about my machines let me know!

CodeKingPlusPlus
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  • If it's only running a single thread/process then your bottleneck is processor power. The problem is your software, not your hardware. – RobotHumans Jul 20 '13 at 23:09
  • Regarding VESA Madison: http://askubuntu.com/questions/166643/what-does-vesa-madison-in-the-graphics-driver-information-mean Not a problem ;) – Rinzwind Jul 20 '13 at 23:11
  • @hbdgaf How does this relate to my Lenovo running 2 or 3 times faster than my Acer? I don't really know much about hardware, but I am now guessing that only 1 core out of 8 is being used on my Acer. So, only 2GB of ram are being used. But then on my Lenovo only 1.5GB of ram are being used since it has 2 cores? – CodeKingPlusPlus Jul 20 '13 at 23:23
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    No. It's the processor, not the ram. – RobotHumans Jul 20 '13 at 23:38
  • Oh wow, I overlooked that. I'm surprised to see my Acer have 0.4 GHZ less than my Lenovo... – CodeKingPlusPlus Jul 20 '13 at 23:42

1 Answers1

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You might want to update your kernel to start. Might as well make sure you have the correct drivers and use the extras package of the kernel.

Updating your kernel:

sudo apt-get install linux-image-extras-{version number of choice}-generic
sudo apt-get build-dep linux-image-extras-{version number of choice}-generic

NOTE: If your not aware of your options, learn about the TAB auto complete.

I also recommend running this on some machines for your fans:

sudo apt-get install lm-sensors
sudo sensors-detect

If none of this works sometimes the downloaded install image is bad or the install goes wrong but is not caught.

Re-download a new image and reinstall. Don't connect to the internet for updates until you have rebooted. I found that this sometimes causes complications. Also when updating the driver for NVidia under Settings >> Software & Updates >> Additional Drivers use the stable proprietary version.

Good luck!

Brandon Clark
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