2

I am running a Ubuntu on intel core2duo with 2GB RAM. My machine is damn slow.

My clock speed id : 1603.000 Desktop environment is Unity.

What's the solution to make it function with a better speed?

Installing other desktop environments like xfce or Lxde will help getting better speed?

Any disadvantages of installing them?

Please help!

Suraj
  • 189
  • 1
    LXDE helped my chromebook run more smoothly. I believe it doesn't have 3D elements in the desktop environment so it helps a bit on the GPU. You could give it a try. – cbll Jan 10 '16 at 16:10
  • 1
    What do you expect from a core 2 duo with 2 Gb RAM? Check the minimal needed config for any of the Ubuntu flavors here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/333795/what-are-the-system-requirements-for-each-flavour-of-ubuntu-desktop – Rinzwind Jan 10 '16 at 16:14
  • 1
    Your machine is too slow and has too little memory to be fast. The only solution is to ask it to do less. The LXDE desktop asks less of your computer, leaving it more resources for your tasks. You'll loose a lot of "eye candy" but nothing else. Some people will recommend xfce over LXDE. Your mileage may vary. – Marc Jan 10 '16 at 16:33
  • So over all I should go for LXDE right? – Suraj Jan 10 '16 at 16:40

1 Answers1

1

I have a few suggestions:

  • Change desktop environment. Changing to a more lightweight environment WILL speed up your machine (a lot), since Unity is one of the most bloated ones. I recommend Xfce for your machine. LXDE is a bit TOO lightweight and it's not worth it. Xfce is highly customizable and beautiful. No big cons. To install it in Ubuntu, run the command sudo apt-get install xubuntu-core (don't use xubuntu-desktop since it will install some possibly unwanted programs).

My computer is a 9 year old fighter with an Intel Celeron CPU @ 2.8GHz, 1512 MB of RAM and a GeForce 6200 GPU, and Xfce runs incredibly smooth.

  • Install proprietary drivers

If you have NVidia or AMD drivers, look for the "Additional drivers" program, which comes preinstalled in Ubuntu. Install all proprietary drivers, reboot and feel the performance difference. Intel hardware usually won't need any extra drivers, since they are included in the kernel.

  • In Xfce, disable Window compositing in the "Compositor" settings. You won't have that much eye candy such as shadows in the back of windows or transparency but the system will run better.
Eduardo Cola
  • 5,817