Linux DE performance testing - and the winner is: BODHI!
Feb 28, 2022 20:32:48 GMT
Hippytaff, thewaiter, and 5 more like this
Post by chibijon on Feb 28, 2022 20:32:48 GMT
A little over a year ago I was evaluating Linux distros/desktop environments on low-end hardware for a project I was involved in. I've shared the results of this research elsewhere but I thought I'd share it here since Bodhi and the Moksha desktop was the clear performance winner.
Evaluation systems:
Dell Inspiron 1520 and Latitude D820. I used these systems because they represent the minimum system I consider viable for modern basic web and office/school use:
The results:
Format is:
Distro (Desktop Environment) - Memory usage at boot (nothing running but a terminal with htop) - Memory usage w/ Firefox loaded to Arstechnica home page - boot time from GRUB to fully loaded desktop with auto-login
Inspiron 1520 w/ nVidia driver
Bodhi 5.1 (Moksha) - 303MB - not tested - 1:10
Peppermint 10 (custom) - 310MB - 750MB - 0:58
Lubuntu 20.04 (LXQt) - 430MB - 980MB - 1:20
MX Linux 19.3 XFCE - 455MB - 920MB - 1:11
Linux Lite 5.0 (XFCE) - 588MB - 1060MB - 1:39
Ubuntu MATE 20.04 - 598MB - 1200MB - 1:17
Kubuntu 20.04 (KDE) - 610MB - 1450MB - 1:22
Inspiron 1520 w/ open-source driver
Bodhi 5.1 (Moksha) - 268MB - 760MB - 0:49
Lubuntu 20.04 (LXQt) - 320MB - 860MB - 1:10
Peppermint 10 (custom)- 365MB - 820MB - 1:02
Kubuntu 20.04 (KDE) - 368MB - 1010MB - 1:17
Xubuntu 20.04 (XFCE) - 428MB - 950MB - 1:07
MX Linux 19.3 XFCE - 435MB - 890MB - 1:09
Linux Lite 5.0 (XFCE) - 476MB - 1010MB - 1:31
Ubuntu MATE 20.04 - 512MB - 930MB - 1:14
Manjaro XFCE - 550MB - 1010MB - 1:18
Latitude D820
Bodhi 5.1 (Moksha) - 240MB - 720MB - 0:43
Raspian Desktop (LXDE) - 245MB - 590MB - 0:58
LXLE 18.04.3 (LXDE) - 260MB - 690MB - 0:50
Lubuntu 20.04.1 (LXQt) - 300MB - 760MB - 1:01
Sparky 5.14 (LXQt) - 310MB - 790MB - 1:00
Q4OS (Trinity) - 315MB - 880MB (Chrome) - 1:17
Peppermint 10 (custom) - 335M - 790MB - 1:10
Kubuntu 20.04.1 (KDE) - 395MB - 920MB - 1:15
Bunsen Labs Lithium (OpenBox)- 420MB - 890MB - 0:56
Xubuntu 20.04.1 (XFCE) - 430MB - 890MB - 1:05
MX Linux 19.3 XFCE - 460MB - 890MB - 1:05
Linux Lite 5.0 (XFCE) - 490MB - 960MB - 1:16
Mint MATE 20 w/ Compiz - 530MB - 960MB - 1:22
Ubuntu MATE 20.04.1 - 535MB - 1010MB - 1:09
Linux Mint Cinnamon 20 - 650MB - 1140MB - 1:05
Ubuntu 20.04.1 (Gnome3) - 670MB - 1100MB - 1:24
One thing these stats fail to capture is how fast they "feel" on slow hardware. Ubuntu with Gnome 3 is PONDEROUSLY slow on a Core2 Duo. It's just agonizing to use. Cinnamon, even though it's only a hair lighter on memory usage, is vastly snappier. Similarly, despite KDE's very light memory usage, it doesn't feel light. Nowhere near as bad as Gnome3 but more sluggish than XFCE or MATE. If I had to rank them sluggish to snappiest, it'd be:
6th) Gnome3
a biiiiiig gap
5th) KDE
4th) Cinnamon
3rd) MATE & XFCE
2nd) Bunsen Labs' and Peppermint's custom DEs, Q4OS's Trinity desktop
1st) LXQt, LXDE, & Moshka
Evaluation systems:
Dell Inspiron 1520 and Latitude D820. I used these systems because they represent the minimum system I consider viable for modern basic web and office/school use:
2.0GHz Core 2 Duo w/ 667MHz FSB/memory (T5750 / T7200)
4GB/3GB RAM (I did some testing with 2GB on the Inspiron and concluded that was just a tad too little for modern web use)
4GB/3GB RAM (I did some testing with 2GB on the Inspiron and concluded that was just a tad too little for modern web use)
A fast(ish), 7200RPM mechanical hard disk.
The Inspiron was good test case because it throws Linux a couple curveballs; a Broadcom b43 wifi chip and a discrete nVidia graphics chip with proprietary drivers. The Latitude was more "vanilla", no proprietary drivers (Intel 945GM graphics), though I did have to run the KDE tests on the Latitude with the compositor turned off, because Kwin doesn't like the 945GM driver.
The results:
Format is:
Distro (Desktop Environment) - Memory usage at boot (nothing running but a terminal with htop) - Memory usage w/ Firefox loaded to Arstechnica home page - boot time from GRUB to fully loaded desktop with auto-login
Inspiron 1520 w/ nVidia driver
Bodhi 5.1 (Moksha) - 303MB - not tested - 1:10
Peppermint 10 (custom) - 310MB - 750MB - 0:58
Lubuntu 20.04 (LXQt) - 430MB - 980MB - 1:20
MX Linux 19.3 XFCE - 455MB - 920MB - 1:11
Linux Lite 5.0 (XFCE) - 588MB - 1060MB - 1:39
Ubuntu MATE 20.04 - 598MB - 1200MB - 1:17
Kubuntu 20.04 (KDE) - 610MB - 1450MB - 1:22
Inspiron 1520 w/ open-source driver
Bodhi 5.1 (Moksha) - 268MB - 760MB - 0:49
Lubuntu 20.04 (LXQt) - 320MB - 860MB - 1:10
Peppermint 10 (custom)- 365MB - 820MB - 1:02
Kubuntu 20.04 (KDE) - 368MB - 1010MB - 1:17
Xubuntu 20.04 (XFCE) - 428MB - 950MB - 1:07
MX Linux 19.3 XFCE - 435MB - 890MB - 1:09
Linux Lite 5.0 (XFCE) - 476MB - 1010MB - 1:31
Ubuntu MATE 20.04 - 512MB - 930MB - 1:14
Manjaro XFCE - 550MB - 1010MB - 1:18
Latitude D820
Bodhi 5.1 (Moksha) - 240MB - 720MB - 0:43
Raspian Desktop (LXDE) - 245MB - 590MB - 0:58
LXLE 18.04.3 (LXDE) - 260MB - 690MB - 0:50
Lubuntu 20.04.1 (LXQt) - 300MB - 760MB - 1:01
Sparky 5.14 (LXQt) - 310MB - 790MB - 1:00
Q4OS (Trinity) - 315MB - 880MB (Chrome) - 1:17
Peppermint 10 (custom) - 335M - 790MB - 1:10
Kubuntu 20.04.1 (KDE) - 395MB - 920MB - 1:15
Bunsen Labs Lithium (OpenBox)- 420MB - 890MB - 0:56
Xubuntu 20.04.1 (XFCE) - 430MB - 890MB - 1:05
MX Linux 19.3 XFCE - 460MB - 890MB - 1:05
Linux Lite 5.0 (XFCE) - 490MB - 960MB - 1:16
Mint MATE 20 w/ Compiz - 530MB - 960MB - 1:22
Ubuntu MATE 20.04.1 - 535MB - 1010MB - 1:09
Linux Mint Cinnamon 20 - 650MB - 1140MB - 1:05
Ubuntu 20.04.1 (Gnome3) - 670MB - 1100MB - 1:24
One thing these stats fail to capture is how fast they "feel" on slow hardware. Ubuntu with Gnome 3 is PONDEROUSLY slow on a Core2 Duo. It's just agonizing to use. Cinnamon, even though it's only a hair lighter on memory usage, is vastly snappier. Similarly, despite KDE's very light memory usage, it doesn't feel light. Nowhere near as bad as Gnome3 but more sluggish than XFCE or MATE. If I had to rank them sluggish to snappiest, it'd be:
6th) Gnome3
a biiiiiig gap
5th) KDE
4th) Cinnamon
3rd) MATE & XFCE
2nd) Bunsen Labs' and Peppermint's custom DEs, Q4OS's Trinity desktop
1st) LXQt, LXDE, & Moshka
