You need swap and on a separate partition if you want to use hibernate (AKA suspend to disk).Originally Posted by DawnLight
Ubuntu addict and loving it
You need swap and on a separate partition if you want to use hibernate (AKA suspend to disk).
Just Give Me the Beans!
Yes, you are right, kurt18947, but Hibernation has been disabled by default since precise and I don't need it anyway. Besides, it still is true that you'd never want to use swap in the common sense that you never want to run out of memory. Sure - you want to set up swap just for hibernating - go ahead.
Ubuntu Member
I once tried using a USB stick for this purpose, and it lasted about six months. After it failed, I realised that my system was no slower without it anyway! (That was with USB 2; I don't know how USB 3 would affect the system.)
Your best bet, if you can afford it, is to upgrade your RAM from your current 1Gb. If you have 64-bit Ubuntu, I recommend 4Gb or more for performance.
Always make regular backups of your data (and test them).
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Just Give Me the Beans!
32 bit Ubuntu handles 4GB of RAM or more. It is called PAE.
Ubuntu Member
Yes, I'm aware. It's just that 64-bit performs better with a bit more RAM than with 32-bit.
Always make regular backups of your data (and test them).
Visit Full Circle Magazine for beginners and seasoned Linux enthusiasts.
A Carafe of Ubuntu
does it ?
Ubuntu Member
I've been told that 64-bit needs a bit more RAM than 32-bit for the same performance. I could be wrong. Anyway, that's beside the point for the OP — upgrading his RAM by even 1Gb (if he can afford it) will do more for his performance than a USB stick, especially if it's USB 2.
Always make regular backups of your data (and test them).
Visit Full Circle Magazine for beginners and seasoned Linux enthusiasts.
Eschew gratuitous obfuscation
If you're looking for improved game performance, you don't want to be swapping over USB. It'd be slooooooooowwwwww. As others have mentioned, you'd be much better off using your hard drive.
If you find your machine is chewing through RAM, you can increase the size of your internal swap. It's possible to permanently expand your existing swap partition, add new swap partitions, or add swap files, which can be done on the fly or on a temporary basis if you want.
More info here.
Obviously adding more swap runs a very, very distant second place to adding more RAM. However, that will depend on your hardware. Adding more RAM to a desktop is easy, adding it to laptops can range from easy to difficult to impossible. Modern RAM is pretty cheap, but some of the older stuff can be quite expensive. Second hand is good, try Ebay.
Last edited by Paqman; March 4th, 2013 at 12:41 PM.
Eschew gratuitous obfuscation
?!?
Why would you reserve some RAM for use when you ran out of RAM? Just use the RAM as RAM, using it as swap is a bit mental. You can reduce the swappiness of your machine so that it hardly touches swap, the default is way too conservative IMO. With 8GB RAM and swappiness=0 you'd be unlikely to ever need any swap at all. You could get by with a little bitty swapfile as a backup.
Ubuntu addict and loving it
My experience is that the system with a 64 bit O.S. will use about 100 MB. more RAM just in an idle state than with a 32 bit O.S. That said, I'm on a Core 2 duo with 2 GB. RAM no swap and for casual/office use have never had a low RAM issue running a 64 bit O.S. Right now System Monitor says I'm using 583 MB. RAM just running system monitor and firefox. This is 13.04 64 bit. I don't have 13.04 32 bit for an apples to apples comparison but based on past experience, I'd expect a 32 bit install to be using 250-300 MB. RAM.
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