Should I upgrade my CPU or my RAM?

[Dimitriid]

Linux has ( imho ) better memory management ( Desktop environments excluded since I have noticed memory leaks on some applications, but those can be restarted on the fly anyway ) but even then you are not really taking too much advantage of more than 1 core anyway if you are not using at least 1 gb of ram but more likely 2 gb.

Adding more ram will make a huge difference for your system, more processor will just fill up the bottleneck faster and wait, so it would be kind of a waste.

[K.Mandla]

I'm kind of surprised that the "add RAM" solution is so popular. Is 1Gb really necessary, except on Windows gaming systems? My machine has been running for more than two hours, surfing, playing music, sorting files, system updates, downloading, compiling -- everything a normal desktop does, and memory load is only 110Mb of 512. Boot to desktop only needs 34Mb.

Forgive me if I missed a point, but I would look for a faster processor, if you don't actually need, and I mean need, the memory.

[jackmc]

+1 to ram..

I have a gig in my laptop, which has a 1.7ghz CPU. I can run virtual machines pretty well, and basically can't slow it down at the moment

If it's one or the other, definately do the ram. The jump from 512 to 1024 was awesome.

[ruibernardo]

Another one to RAM.

I used to have 512 MB, but Gnome likes RAM. From Breezy to Feisty I've notice that after I opened Firefox and Ooo, Ubuntu was using each time more swap. If I opened few other applications, than swap was always used, even if I had some free RAM, but used as cache.

Recently I've put 1 more GB (1,5 GB now) and now Ubuntu rarely uses the swap, even if I open some virtual machines (Vista and a Ubuntu server) in Virtualbox and/or VMware.

memory load is only 110Mb of 512. Boot to desktop only needs 34Mb.

Forgive me if I missed a point, but I would look for a faster processor, if you don't actually need, and I mean need, the memory.

Desktop with 34Mb? I think you are talking about installing Ubuntu Desktop with the Alternate CD, right?

[Fonon]

Just a thought but do you know how/have you install(ed) a CPU? It's a bit more involved than just slotting in a RAM module. If your perfectly comfortable installing a CPU and RAM then in a perfect world I'd upgrade your RAM first.

Best of luck.

Oh and your CPU ain't that bad, I'm still running on my old P4 (no HT) at 2.4 Ghz.

I built this PC, so I am very comfortable installing the CPU. It's not that hard, I actually had some fun with it.

RAM it is. Tomorrow I will order it. Should I get another 512 stick, so I pair, or have a 512 stick and buy a 1gb stick?

[vexorian]

RAM.

You got a dual core processor you can do fine with it for some time.

Instead those 512 MB of RAM are actually less than what I have (unlike the processor), it will not hurt to double it...

Not to mention a RAM chip is very cheap, at least less expensive than the processor.

Make sure to do a mem test after installing the new RAM though, I once upgraded my RAM and it caused me a lot of issues since it was failed...

[slimdog360]

Id just upgrade the RAM, maybe another 512MB.

[Andrewie]

its a 100 dollars (cdn) for a GiB of ram so get that its cheaper, but you should really be upgrading them both. Just flip a coin to figure out which on to upgrade first.

[forrestcupp]

+1 for the RAM. You need more RAM way more than you need a better proc.

[Compucore]

OVer the years that I have notices when asked when upgrading either the memory or the CPU. I would highly suggest memory ifrst since you'll notice the boost when loading any operating system and applications. I've done it with my laptop over here. Bumped it from 256 megs up to 768. (Thats 256 + 512 for a nice jump and noticable performance boost.) Then took my old 256 out and slipped in another 512 meg into that. Now my lilttle lappy doesn't even swapped at all. And It's been good. The only time that I would go with a cpu upgrade afterwards. If I was really going to be crunching huge doses of numbers or accessing huge amount of information that requires computational power. THen thats when I would go with a CPU upgrade after the memry upgrade.

Compucore