How to Free Up Memory and Improve RAM Performance on Linux
Is your Linux PC struggling to handle certain resource-intensive programs? Or maybe you frequently find yourself staring at a loading icon for several minutes before your computer does something. Whatever the case, we all want our PCs to perform at their level best.
Random Access Memory, or simply RAM, is crucial to having a performant PC, especially when running multiple programs or resource-intensive applications. Here are some ways to improve RAM performance on Linux.
Why Is RAM So Important?
Whenever you run an application on your Linux PC, the program stores the data and any other frequently accessed files in the RAM. Unlike other storage media such as SSDs, RAM allows for rapid read and write speed, which translates to faster processing.
If you do not have enough RAM, you’ll notice performance bottlenecks. This is because your PC will utilize part of your SSD or hard disk to store the data, which is slower in processing information.
A severe lack of RAM can render your system unusable and occasionally cause your system to crash.
Checking RAM Usage on Linux
To find out whether your RAM is struggling, you can monitor it using some Linux utilities. If you are comfortable with the command line or are on a Linux server, use the following command:
The free command shows free and used RAM on your system. The-hflag simply states that the output should be in a human-readable format.
On GUI-based Linux systems, you can use the System Monitor utility. Simply press theSuperorWindowkey and then search for System Monitor. The monitor will display RAM usage. In addition, it displays CPU and Network information.
Other applications such as htop also provide a good overview of resource utilization and RAM usage.
Here’s how you can free up your RAM to improve overall performance on your Linux PC.
1. Terminate Unused Services and Programs
The more programs or services you run on your Linux PC, the higher the RAM requirements. The more tabs you keep open in your browser, the higher the RAM usage.
Depending on your distro, take stock of the packages that you no longer need. For example, on Debian-based distros, you canuse the APT package manager to remove packages.
You can also check for all running services and stop any that you do not need. Alternatively, disable them from starting automatically at boot. On Linux distros using systemd, you can list all running programs using the following command:
Disable and stop all system servicesthat you no longer need.
2. Always Use Up-to-Date Software
Most low-level programming languages such as C and C++ do not have built-in garbage collection. This means that programmers have to specifically allocate and deallocate memory.
If garbage collection is not done correctly, it can lead to memory leaks: a scenario where a program still consumes memory space even though it is not supposed to.
When a memory leak is detected in a software program, usually the developers fix the bug in the next update. Therefore, is always advisable to update your software regularly to avoid bugs that can affect memory.
you could run the following command to update software depending on your distro.
3. Use Lightweight Software
Always research the software that you are about to install on your system. Most software sites provide minimum requirements that are a good indicator of how memory intensive the software is.
Also,use monitoring utilities such as htopto check which applications are consuming lots of RAM.
Use lightweight display managers such as LXDM, SLiM, and LightDM if your PC has minimal RAM. Although prominent display managers such as GNOME and KDM are popular, they consume a lot of memory resources.
Likewise,choose lightweight web browserssuch as Midori, Falkon, Pale Moon, etc. to power your daily internet surfing needs.
Lightweight software also applies to the kind of Linux distro that you choose to run on your system or in a virtual machine. For example, if you have memory constraints,go for lightweight Linux distrosinstead.
4. Adjust Swappiness on Linux
Swappiness is a value on your Linux system that determines how often your system should utilize the virtual memory in the disk when RAM is full.
Ideally, you should have a low swap value; usually between 0 and 10. This way your system gets to mostly use the RAM which is faster than utilizing disk.
However, if you are experiencing RAM issues that make your system come to a halt, then you should have a high swap value. For example,60so that you utilize the disk and avoid potential system crashes.
it’s possible to check your swap value using the following command:
To change the swappiness value, add or modify the following line in your/etc/sysctl.conffile. For example, to set it to 10, you’re able to add the line:
Save the file and apply the changes using the following command:
5. Clear Cache and Dentries
Cache and Directory Entries (dentries) are important for optimizing file system operations on Linux. However, they consume precious RAM resources and can cause memory constraints.
If you are experiencing severe memory constraints, then you should consider clearing your cache and entries using the following command:
6. Reboot Your Linux PC
Some Linux admins brag about their system uptime and detest any idea of rebooting a system. But occasionally you have to reboot your system. It frees up your RAM by terminating all services and processes. This will clear cached data and remove memory fragmentation that can slow down your system.
Further, a reboot helps resolve memory leak issues and other background processes present on your system.
7. Add More RAM to Your PC
Most PCs allow you to add more RAM or expand it. Adding more RAM to your system is a good long-term solution if you are experiencing severe RAM issues.
By adding more RAM, you provide more space for running processes and services to store and access data quickly and in the process, reduce the need for swapping to the disk, which is slower.
Before you proceed to purchase RAM for your PC, ensure that your PC allows for RAM upgrades. Some modern PCs come with the RAM soldered to the motherboard for improved performance.
Also, be aware of the PC’s maximum RAM capacity and the type of RAM chips that it uses.
Optimize Your RAM for Maximum Performance
A good RAM is key to having good system performance. Always ensure that you have enough RAM installed to handle your type of workload.
RAM is important for multi-tasking, so take a minute to check that it’s running as well as it can.
Your phone is a better editor than you give it credit for.
You can’t call this offline, Notion.
Not all true crime is about hacking, slashing, and gore.
The best features aren’t the ones being advertised.
Windows is great, but adding this makes it unstoppable.
