Linux is a great way to breathe new life into an old machine.
Linux typically puts less strain on your system’s CPU and doesn’t need as much hard drive space.
But what about RAM?
So to answer this question, let’s first breakdown what RAM is.
What Is RAM?
Unlike your hard drive, RAM doesn’t store data when there’s no power.
When you kickstart your PC, RAM becomes a blank state.
Not all RAM is equal.
There are two types: DRAM and SRAM.
DRAM provides access times of roughly 60 nanoseconds.
SRAM cuts that down to only 10.
But which operating system needs more RAM?
Let’s compare this to Ubuntu, the most well-known version of Linux for desktops and laptops.
Canonical, Ubuntu’s developer,recommends 2 GB of RAM.
Just like that, your machine may feel good as new again.
But comparing numbers is only part of the story.
There’s more to understanding RAM than making sure you have enough necessary for your rig to run.
How RAM Works
It’s bad for your hard drive to run out of space.
The same isn’t true of RAM.
Empty RAM is, in a sense, wasted RAM.
A fast web web client can load a webpage in seconds.
Apps like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox can load sites faster by caching those you’ve visited in RAM.
All the user should see is faster load times.
Word processors store your open document in RAM while you’re making edits.
Video editors use RAM when you’re slicing together recordings.
If you’re a gamer, youneed more RAM than a casual PC user.
The operating system itself needs to access this part of your PC too.
The more RAM your OS needs, the less space you have for programs.
Then consider how there’s even more going on in the background that you could’t see.
Since this is slower than reading and writing to RAM, your machine will start to feel sluggish.
Gigabytes of RAM open up to the rest of your apps all at once.
A web online window on Linux will guzzle GBs of RAM, just as it does on Windows.
To get more out of RAM on Windows, you havea few limited options.
To do the latter on the cheap, you canuse ReadyBoost to turn a USB drive into makeshift RAM.
you could do these things in Linux, but that’s just the beginning.
So Which Uses Less?
There are plenty of distros and desktop environments that willmake your gear feel like a semi-new machine.
With so many to choose from, that decision really determines how much RAM you’re using up.
Though, there’s a pretty good chance that you are.
How much RAM is in your system?
Are you running Windows or Linux?
What’s your experience like?
Chime in below and let us know!
