How to get Ubuntu to perform better on an older computer?

Ubuntu 9.10 runs quite slugglish on my old laptop from 2004. Slower than Windows XP that was on there.

It has 512mb RAM and probably 1.2ghz (can't remember) CPU.

I have turned off Visual Effects under Appearance Preferences.

Are there any other tricks to get better performance, or do I just need a better computer to try Ubuntu?

Thanks

alex

Posted 2010-04-22T05:43:27.797

Reputation: 3 604

1Try Windows 7 ;-) – Ivo Flipse – 2010-04-22T06:04:24.190

1Try other distros. Ubuntu isn't all that great for slower computers. I've been using crunchbang (#!) and on boot it only uses ~70mb ram. I've only got a GB ram and it hasn't even used my swap once, even when I set half my RAM to virtual box. – Rob – 2011-09-13T15:47:06.390

Answers

Gnome (the desktop environment that comes with the standard Ubuntu install) is a big resource hog, Try XFCE for better performance. You can install it via Synaptic, just grab the Xubuntu meta package (xubuntu-desktop). Then switch your session to XFCE at the login window. If you like it you can make it your default session.

You can also try LXDE, an even lighter desktop environment. Install the lxde package from Synaptic. And there's also the *box desktop environments like blackbox, openbox and fluxbox.

stib

Posted 2010-04-22T05:43:27.797

Reputation: 3 320

You can use Fluxbox, too :) My Ubuntu with Fluxbox takes about 200-300MB RAM when fully loaded. – Ivan Petrushev – 2010-04-22T06:17:55.780

@Ivan Petrushev: What do you mean with 'fully loaded'? My Gnome uses less then 300MB right after start including Compiz. ^^ – Bobby – 2010-04-22T08:40:37.963

Skype, Pidgin, audacious2, firefox, couple of urxvt's open... Maybe even Azureus with console UI :) – Ivan Petrushev – 2010-04-22T09:58:51.397

@Ivan Petrushev: Ahhh...okay, you win. ;) (Firefox, Pidgin, XChat, Evolution, 575MB). – Bobby – 2010-04-22T19:32:39.590

Openbox is what I've been using on #!, meaning to try others but don't want to break anything. Going to be installing again on the desktop instead of the netbook, though, so flux and XFCE are going to get used. – Rob – 2011-09-13T15:48:20.367

You could try Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

Hugh Allen

Posted 2010-04-22T05:43:27.797

Reputation: 8 620

I went through a similar search for my netbook. I didn't really like the netbook remix. I tried Xubuntu, but it still seemed a bit slow at times. The fastest that I tried were crunchbang (openbox) and fluxbuntu (fluxbox).

Brendan Abel

Posted 2010-04-22T05:43:27.797

Reputation: 281