CPU demand on Windows 7 vs. Ubuntu/Lubuntu

[Turbonium]

Is the CPU demand considerably less for Ubuntu or Lubuntu when compared to Windows 7?

I'm thinking of using it on my netbook instead, because it really tends to lag with certain tasks, especially websites with even some minor Flash running here and there.

AMD C-60, if it matters.

 

[pw257008]

I'd think running AdBlock or similar and making plug-ins click to play would do more than switching operating systems. At least in my experience with a slow Atom netbook. Upgrading from 1 to 2GB of RAM helped too. If you do want to switch over to Linux, something like Lubuntu or another light desktop environment like XFCE would be your best bet. And if you're hesitant about Ubuntu because of its layout, check out Cinnamon--pretty close to Windows, with a little less of the desktop bloat than Windows 7 imo. I'm not sure how resource heavy it is, but my usage rarely hits 2GB of RAM.

 

[Turbonium]

My netbook is kind of a beast in the memory department. It has 4GB.

I thought of doing the ad blocking route or whatnot, but I really, really hate running accessory programs and such. I'm also looking for an excuse to install a new OS, for fun really.

Really though, it doesn't even have to be Flash. If it's an elaborate and dynamic page, scrolling through it can be laggy. I thought a new OS can really help with that sort of thing, because even having another 10-15% of CPU to throw towards it would make a huge difference.

 

[VirtualLarry]

get an SSD. Seriously. It makes my Acer Aspire One 722 with C-60 and 4GB of RAM almost usable.

 

[ninaholic37]

Which browser do you use? You can try netbook version of Pale Moon, it's what I use:
http://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3539

 

[Turbonium]

On the netbook now. Lubuntu is really buggy by the way.

Speed is marginally better now.

 

[jolancer]

web browsing and your OS are seperate issues, assuming your OS is functioning properly. because your web browsing issue is solved the same way no matter the OS. Especially in regaurds to Flash content. witch by the way "elaborate and dynamic pages" are probably flash, flash is used for more than games and video content.

flash performance issues are almost always solved by downgrading from the latest version, I dunno which would be best for what OS, but for example, im on winXP so i chose to use Flash Player 11.1.102.55 and is currently working out really well for me ATM
http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html
and heres the settings page
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager02.html

browser wise, i don't think anything currently beats firefox with below addons, if there is anything better please let me know.
- adblock plus
- noscript
- imglikeopera (not compatible with the latest FF i think)

Lubuntu an any other distro mentioned is probably good, but still obeys the basic hardware vs OS kernel driver compatibility that no operating system currently escapes from. The mainstream Linux distros probably support a wide variety of common systems out of the box, however i don't think netbooks are quite common or mainstream.

Im currently on a netbook, but its an Intel Atom. I don't know about the AMD cpu and chipset based netbooks. but mine is only 1GB ddr2 5400rpm HDD formatted with winXP, and it runs Great. Probably faster than anyone would expect cause for some reason most netbooks i see don't have XP on them. I think its safe to assume mine runs faster than Larrys with 4GB+SSD. Since mine is more than useable. If Larry's is an AMD aswell, you guys might be at the mercy of AMD and ur chipset, possibly. Assuming your not attempting to play a modern graphic intense game or heavy multimedia editing?which should be done ona desktop

Which browser do you use? You can try netbook version of Pale Moon, it's what I use:
http://forum.palemoon.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3539

good thoughts however, judging by its description that may only possibly be benifical for the intel Atom netbooks

 

[Turbonium]

web browsing and your OS are seperate issues, assuming your OS is functioning properly. because your web browsing issue is solved the same way no matter the OS. Especially in regaurds to Flash content. witch by the way "elaborate and dynamic pages" are probably flash, flash is used for more than games and video content.

flash performance issues are almost always solved by downgrading from the latest version, I dunno which would be best for what OS, but for example, im on winXP so i chose to use Flash Player 11.1.102.55 and is currently working out really well for me ATM
http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/archived-flash-player-versions.html
and heres the settings page
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager02.html

browser wise, i don't think anything currently beats firefox with below addons, if there is anything better please let me know.
- adblock plus
- noscript
- imglikeopera (not compatible with the latest FF i think)

Lubuntu an any other distro mentioned is probably good, but still obeys the basic hardware vs OS kernel driver compatibility that no operating system currently escapes from. The mainstream Linux distros probably support a wide variety of common systems out of the box, however i don't think netbooks are quite common or mainstream.

Im currently on a netbook, but its an Intel Atom. I don't know about the AMD cpu and chipset based netbooks. but mine is only 1GB ddr2 5400rpm HDD formatted with winXP, and it runs Great. Probably faster than anyone would expect cause for some reason most netbooks i see don't have XP on them. I think its safe to assume mine runs faster than Larrys with 4GB+SSD. Since mine is more than useable. If Larry's is an AMD aswell, you guys might be at the mercy of AMD and ur chipset, possibly. Assuming your not attempting to play a modern graphic intense game or heavy multimedia editing?which should be done ona desktop


good thoughts however, judging by its description that may only possibly be benifical for the intel Atom netbooks

By elaborate pages, I meant things like infinite scrolling, where more stuff loads as you scroll down. Is that really Flash? I've been out of Web dev for so long that I have no idea.

I actually recently gave up on Firefox. It has bugs that are simply not being fixed many years after the fact, and they introduce new changes to the GUI that are steps backwards. It's stupid on so many levels, so I finally made the switch to Chrome, and I don't think I'll go back. It's not like I was using any plugins or anything. Chrome is also generally much faster on its own, without factoring in the actual browsing.

 

[jolancer]

Oh, probably not but idk im not a web dev either. thought u were talkn about much fancyer shit than that tho.

what firefox version did you start out originally? I think i started trying it when it was newish maybe v2 or 3 idk exact. But i pritty much stopped upgrading around ~v10(similar opinion as you) Im on palemoon 11 right now... i really cant say if palemoon is any better after briefly looking up optimization tweaks you can do directly to firefox. But with those basic plugins any FF based browser iv tried so far has worked good. Flash aside of course, had an issue with that once till i downgraded flash. I only desided to keep palemoon tho cause i like that its directories don't share the same designations as the original FF, may not matter but gives me what is probably a false sense of extra security.

The latest FF maybe fine, i noticed program size grew considerably larger with each release though and just didn't see how it was necessary for my netbook so i stuck with ~v10. I assume theres probably bugs in it somewhere, most programs do to an extent, however i haven't noticed any ill effects. what is it in particular that was buggin your browser?(Firefox in particular i mean)

 

[Turbonium]

Oh, probably not but idk im not a web dev either. thought u were talkn about much fancyer shit than that tho.

what firefox version did you start out originally? I think i started trying it when it was newish maybe v2 or 3 idk exact. But i pritty much stopped upgrading around ~v10(similar opinion as you) Im on palemoon 11 right now... i really cant say if palemoon is any better after briefly looking up optimization tweaks you can do directly to firefox. But with those basic plugins any FF based browser iv tried so far has worked good. Flash aside of course, had an issue with that once till i downgraded flash. I only desided to keep palemoon tho cause i like that its directories don't share the same designations as the original FF, may not matter but gives me what is probably a false sense of extra security.

The latest FF maybe fine, i noticed program size grew considerably larger with each release though and just didn't see how it was necessary for my netbook so i stuck with ~v10. I assume theres probably bugs in it somewhere, most programs do to an extent, however i haven't noticed any ill effects. what is it in particular that was buggin your browser?(Firefox in particular i mean)

One huge bug that's been around for years across systems: at random, when you open a new instance, it will be totally blank (not even a menubar or anything). Reloading with F5 does nothing. Only fix is to keep reopening until it starts working again. Sometimes, it means closing and reopening like 5+ times.

Another bug: Firefox sometimes never fully closes (and it's more often when Flash is involved). You have to force it in Task Manager (in fact, you won't even really notice until you check Task Manager and see Firefox is still running), and then sometimes, when you reopen Firefox, it reloads a bunch of random windows and tabs from before (sometimes from hours before). I think it just screams memory leak problems or something.

A GUI concern: finding something on a page has buttons/options on either side of the screen. Yes, because having to drag my mouse from one end of the screen to the other, with a large display especially, is super efficient.

Firefox has just been bad for years now in my opinion. Not what it used to be.

 

[jolancer]

can you list ballpark OS/FF ~version for the example? or is this recent?

I've seen what your talking about, but was a long time ago on someone elses computer that i can only say would of been infested with malware @best lol.

I had some similar issue's aswell initially but that was a long time ago also, when i was young and didn't no anything, coulda been my OS or anything at that time for all i know.

your last statment about GUI concern i tried but cant make sense of it? might need to rephrase or explain a little more

 

[Turbonium]

OS could be XP, Vista, or Win7. FF could be any version from current to 5+ versions ago, including any in between. All clean systems.

Hit Control+F. There should be a button (maybe "find next"?) on the far right side, while the other stuff is on the far left. Stupid as hell GUI design.

 

[jolancer]

Thats recent IMO. If thos are common issues thats bad. I havn't looked tho, as i mentioned i pritty much stopped @~v10 ,I can't imagine tho's being common issues tho otherwise no one would be using FF. Is your computer stable in all other aspects excluding your web browser? If not maybe its driver or hardware related?

if your comp is stable and your up for it, could give the version im using a shot if you want, its worked out really well. See if its as stable for you as it is on mine. up to you tho, not tryn to persuade u to use something u may have developed a passion to hate.

now using v11.0.1 from here:
http://www.palemoon.org/archived.shtml

was using v10.0.1 from here:
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/

IF ff was not stable for me tho, i think i may have continued to use it anyway/maybe.. unless there is an equivelant option on another browser that functions the same as the NoScript plugin? since im so use to it, I think i'd feel completely naked without it

 

[Turbonium]

I'm too lazy to reinstall stuff to investigate things. Besides, the dev team has known about the blanking issue for years now and nothing has been fixed. I've had enough.

Honestly, FF has been bad for years now, and this is coming from a hardcore fan if you talked to me a few years back. I only kept using it because of the standards compliance and such, but that advantage isn't there anymore either.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm too lazy to reinstall stuff to investigate things. Besides, the dev team has known about the blanking issue for years now and nothing has been fixed. I've had enough.

Honestly, FF has been bad for years now, and this is coming from a hardcore fan if you talked to me a few years back. I only kept using it because of the standards compliance and such, but that advantage isn't there anymore either.

I've been a longtime FF user and I've never had the "blanking" issue. I daresay, I don't think that is nearly as common as you make it out to be.

Two possible reasons:
1) Some extension (and how it hooks into the UI "chrome"), is buggy.
2) You are running out of GDI resources. This used to be semi-common in past versions, if you left your browser open for literally weeks at a time.

 

[Turbonium]

I've been a longtime FF user and I've never had the "blanking" issue. I daresay, I don't think that is nearly as common as you make it out to be.

Two possible reasons:
1) Some extension (and how it hooks into the UI "chrome"), is buggy.
2) You are running out of GDI resources. This used to be semi-common in past versions, if you left your browser open for literally weeks at a time.

I run no extensions. Literally none. Unless Flash is an extension?

I open and close my browser completely many times a day. Always have.

I've had this problem on my old P4 system with 32-bit XP Pro, Netbook with 64-bit Windows 7 HP, and newer desktop with 64-bit Windows 7 Pro, as well as others. I don't install trash on my systems, and I constantly update them with latest patches etc. I don't know what it could be, and I don't care anymore.

I mean, lets face it, FF is becoming a bit of a joke. Just look at their version scheme. I lost a lot of respect for them from that alone, even though it technically doesn't matter.

 

[jolancer]

first, 64bit windows on the netbook? does the netbook even support 64bit? Larry are you running 64bit on your netbook aswell? maybe thats a big contributor of what was bogging you guys netbooks down?

i personally don't know if flash could adversly affect firefox like a plugin if flash content is not on screen, but if it did it wouldn't saprize me, flash causes so many issues.

I personally cant refute what your saying, i don't think i even came close to the version you started to begin with, so i just don't know.
A few things re FF tho:
# What alternatives are there against google subjugation? http://alternativeto.net/software/google-chrome/ ..IDK if any of those come close to FF or its variations
# how do you make up for the lack of a comperable adblock and noscript plugin?
# If base FF isn't working out, theres various forks.. Seamonkey, Icedragon, Waterfox, Palemoon, ex.. most of which if not all are compatible with mozillas addons.

I don't know about the newer FF versions, but one thing i always disliked was FF's default menu and toolbar layout. however its trivial since almost everything is customizable in FF, once modified its compact and efficient

 

[ninaholic37]

I've been a longtime FF user and I've never had the "blanking" issue. I daresay, I don't think that is nearly as common as you make it out to be.

Two possible reasons:
1) Some extension (and how it hooks into the UI "chrome"), is buggy.
2) You are running out of GDI resources. This used to be semi-common in past versions, if you left your browser open for literally weeks at a time.

Same here. Whenever I've heard of strange things like this, it's always been related to malware. But those two things sound possible too.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Is the CPU demand considerably less for Ubuntu or Lubuntu when compared to Windows 7?

No.

Really though, it doesn't even have to be Flash. If it's an elaborate and dynamic page, scrolling through it can be laggy. I thought a new OS can really help with that sort of thing, because even having another 10-15% of CPU to throw towards it would make a huge difference.

Both Windows and Linux are reasonably efficient when properly configured, so you're not going to get a 10-15% performance improvement using the same software on Linux vs. Windows unless you have some other problem. Disabling portions of the page or using a more lightweight browser may help. Also, disabling smooth scrolling will make the browser seem faster on less powerful computers.

get an SSD. Seriously. It makes my Acer Aspire One 722 with C-60 and 4GB of RAM almost usable.

An SSD isn't going to do anything for the OP's problem unless the OP is paging heavily.

By elaborate pages, I meant things like infinite scrolling, where more stuff loads as you scroll down.

Sites like these are slow across the board, even on my hex-core Phenom II. Infinite scrolling is still somewhat new, so I'm sure it will get faster as Javascript engines and web developers get more experience with optimizing such pages.

 

[18echo]

Using an Acer Aspire One (Intel Atom) dual boot with WinXP and Linux Lite OS. Linux Lite is the best of about 6 distros tested on this one. Everything worked out of the box and no need to configure down for power consumption.

 

[zephxiii]

I ran Ubuntu 10.04.3 and Windows 7 on my old Thinkpad T43 (centrino 1.8ghz) and I found that 7 ran more efficiently/better than Ubuntu.

 

[fusion22]

I tried out Ubuntu for awhile. Then I found Mageia and havn't looked back. it's my main OS. I do have windows 8 also setup on the same computer. I had a lot of issues with anything that played flash videos in Ubuntu, no such issues in Mageia. And this is on a i7-920 6GB Ram computer.