Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

cipher79 · 2010-08-30 19:25:41

Hello everyone,

everytime I install a new version of KDE the memory usage increases dramatically. Right now, the free command show around 1 GB of memory usage after startup. Since alot of people write here and in other forums that KDE uses much less memory, I got quite curios about KDE.

I still can remember on the first stable version (4.2), where KDE required around 350 Megs on the same machine...

Anyone got an idea?

Thanx

Cape · 2010-08-30 19:43:33

I have no idea... i've just installed KDE 4.5 on a eeepc 900HD and it's around 450Mb after boot... Check your daemon settings and be sure to not launch strange app when you start KDE..

karol · 2010-08-30 19:52:00

Paste that 'free -m' here.

cipher79 · 2010-08-30 19:55:55

Hello,
here is the free -m result

total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 3959 1370 2588 0 47 432
-/+ buffers/cache: 890 3068
Swap: 3812 0 3812

Here is the part of my rc.conf

DAEMONS=(syslog-ng !network netfs crond hal alsa laptop-mode wicd kdm)

karol · 2010-08-30 20:00:09

-/+ buffers/cache: 890 3068

It means you use less than 900 MB.

cipher79 · 2010-08-30 20:18:32

yes i know

but 900 Mb is a lot more than 450...

karol · 2010-08-30 20:20:34

KDE is a beast. Use e.g. htop to track the major offenders: which apps are using the most memory?

broch · 2010-08-30 21:35:01

It is always your config:
Netbook with KDE 4.5after boot takes 85MB
Laptop with the same KDE version takes 170MB (more "fun" stuff enabled)
I don't think KDE is such a beast though it does require more careful configuration.

karol · 2010-08-30 21:43:23

broch wrote:

It is always your config:
Netbook with KDE 4.5after boot takes 85MB
Laptop with the same KDE version takes 170MB (more "fun" stuff enabled)
I don't think KDE is such a beast though it does require more careful configuration.

I mean that KDE has many apps, the more you use, the higher memory usage. It's not possible to say "Oh, high memory usage with KDE - it must be xyz".
"Bare" KDE isn't heavy, but if you run Amarok and other goodies, you have to "pay" for it :-)

lagagnon · 2010-08-31 00:16:32

cipher: please reboot your machine completely and show us the output of the "free" command immediately after the desktop is ready and you have NOT loaded any other applications, nor have any autostarted apps other than base KDE.

Also show us the output of "ps aux", right after you do the free command.

mythus · 2010-08-31 11:02:53

I would like to note that KDE uses more memory to run it's applications when more memory is available to be used. When there isn't a lot of free memory, KDE tends to use less memory. However, I would also state that trying to use KDE with 512 or less memory would not be a good idea.

Right now KDE 4.5 is using 615 MB of my 4 GB memory, with over 2 GB cached and only like 215 MB free. However if my computer needs some of that cached memory for another action, KDE will gladly return it to the computer to be used and run on less cached memory just as well as it is running now.

Also note that memory not being used or cached is wasted memory and is just as expensive as memory that is being used.

mits · 2010-08-31 15:42:56

My free -m with kde4.5

[user@dell ~]$ free -m
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:          3927       2141       1785          0        100       1077
-/+ buffers/cache:        963       2963
Swap:         1536          0       1536

I had: blueman, ktorrent, firefox, desktop efects & daisy, ram, cpu plasmoids running and folowing daemons: syslog-ng hal @sensors @bluetooth @alsa @cpufreq @cpudyn @networkmanager @kdm @cdemud @cups
Ram is intended to be used and you have enough ram (as me).
You can't have heavy/candy/user frendly desktop like kde/gnome and few ram used.
If your sistem is responsive all is ok.
If you want more free RAM/CPU, disable strigi and nepomuk services from systemsettings/desktop search.

Last edited by mits (2010-08-31 16:59:31)

Eagleheart · 2010-08-31 21:19:42

I run KDE 4.5 on a computer with 1 GB of RAM memory, without Strigi and all that heavy stuff, my computer starts using 169 MB of RAM memory.

Labello · 2010-09-01 08:06:55

why is using much ram a bad thing?

more ram consumption means first of all less disk-reads since ram is connected much more directly to the cpu than your harddrive.

btw: i recently switched from kde to openbox. but there i got the very same problem. i got it on my desktop with 4gig of ram and on my netbook with 1gig of ram. on the netbook openbox only uses about 70megs after boot. and my desktop needs about 200. so it is really all about the caching.
the same thing happens very extensively with chromium.

so as long as you so not encounter any hickups or sluggishness you really should not care.

very few applications like gimp or blender are able to REALLY need all your ram. as far as it comes to desktop use. :-) so please do not worry and do not blame kde :-) it is a general 'issue'...

Wintervenom · 2010-09-01 11:56:56

[Linux Ate My RAM!]

Labello · 2010-09-01 17:29:49

Wintervenom wrote:

[Linux Ate My RAM!]

i was really looking for this but did not remember what to google for :-)

ChoK · 2010-09-20 00:22:44

You should not use free for memory related stuff, use top to figure out what processes are eating your ram, if it's X running xrestop to see which programs are caching an unreasonnable amount of pixmaps (probably plasma) may help, otherwise ksysguard has a detailed memory information tool which will gave you ram usage per library loaded. Or you can go with heavy artillery and run exmap.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-08-30 19:25:41

Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#2 2010-08-30 19:43:33

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#3 2010-08-30 19:52:00

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#4 2010-08-30 19:55:55

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#5 2010-08-30 20:00:09

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#6 2010-08-30 20:18:32

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#7 2010-08-30 20:20:34

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#8 2010-08-30 21:35:01

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#9 2010-08-30 21:43:23

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#10 2010-08-31 00:16:32

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#11 2010-08-31 11:02:53

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#12 2010-08-31 15:42:56

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#13 2010-08-31 21:19:42

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#14 2010-09-01 08:06:55

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#15 2010-09-01 11:56:56

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#16 2010-09-01 17:29:49

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

#17 2010-09-20 00:22:44

Re: Arch Linux KDE 4.5 Memory Usage ~ 1.2 GB

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