linux mint too slow

[linuxmintmex]

I deleted Windows hoping linux would be a better option for a Dell Laptop Latitud D630
3 g ram , 2 partitions OS primary 40g , Data 40 g

Windows 7 runned great , linux mint is unbearable slow ,
I use this machine mainly to watch films , installed vcl which runs in slow motion

should I go back to Wind ?

[JerryF]

Could you post the specs of your machine by running the following command in Terminal:

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inxi -Fxz

Copy and paste the results. Please use code tags.

In your forum reply window, click on the code tag button.

That button is found above where you type your postings/replies. It looks like this:

</>

and inserts these tags:

[ code ] [ /code ]

Paste your copied results between those tags.

[phd21]

Hi linuxmintmex,

Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux Mint and its excellent forum!

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

It would help to know more about your system setup. If you run "inxi -Fxzd" and "lsusb" from the console terminal prompt, highlight the results, copy and paste them back here, that should provide enough information.

You might consider waiting for replies to your post before going back to MS Windows. There are 3 editions of Linux Mint, Cinnamon, Mate, and Xfce. Cinnamon uses the most computer hardware resources. Your hardware does not have a lot of resources, so Mate or Xfce might be a better option. But, after we see the results of the console terminal commands, there may be tweaks to consider.

Hope this helps ...

[linuxmintmex]

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System:
  Kernel: 5.4.0-26-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 4.6.6 Distro: Linux Mint 20 Ulyana 
  base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:
  Type: Portable System: Dell product: Latitude D630 v: N/A serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: Dell model: 0KU184 serial: <filter> BIOS: Dell v: A19 
  date: 06/04/2013 
CPU:
  Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core2 Duo T7500 bits: 64 type: MCP 
  arch: Core Merom rev: B L2 cache: 4096 KiB 
  flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 8778 
  Speed: 1590 MHz min/max: 800/2201 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1161 2: 1092 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics 
  vendor: Dell Latitude D630 driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa 
  resolution: 1280x800~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 9.0.1 128 bits) v: 3.3 Mesa 20.0.4 
  direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 82801H HD Audio vendor: Dell Latitude D630 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-26-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Broadcom and subsidiaries NetXtreme BCM5755M Gigabit Ethernet 
  PCI Express 
  vendor: Dell driver: tg3 v: 3.137 port: 10c0 bus ID: 09:00.0 
  IF: enp9s0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Broadcom and subsidiaries BCM4311 802.11a/b/g 
  vendor: Dell Wireless 1490 Dual Band WLAN Mini-Card driver: N/A port: 10c0 
  bus ID: 0c:00.0 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 74.53 GiB used: 8.67 GiB (11.6%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Samsung model: HM080HI size: 74.53 GiB 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 27.82 GiB used: 8.67 GiB (31.2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda6 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 68.0 C mobo: N/A sodimm: 53.0 C 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 3538 
Info:
  Processes: 177 Uptime: 3h 23m Memory: 2.91 GiB used: 1.45 GiB (49.8%) 
  Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.16 
  inxi: 3.0.38 

[motoryzen]

I deleted Windows hoping linux would be a better option for a Dell Laptop Latitud D630
3 g ram , 2 partitions OS primary 40g , Data 40 g

Windows 7 runned great , linux mint is unbearable slow ,
I use this machine mainly to watch films , installed vcl which runs in slow motion

should I go back to Wind ?

-- I couldn't agree more with phd21. Select xfce desktop and turn off any windows effects and you should see a reasonable improvement. and 80GB storage drive? I'd venture to guess that isn't a ssd. And no ...not even windows 7 would run fast on spinning rust. xp? maybe..depending on what all is going on, but not win 7. In fact WIndows 8 or 8.1 would be slightly better experience than 7 in terms of overall performance.

[linuxmintmex]

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Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 007 Device 003: ID 0b97:7772 O2 Micro, Inc. OZ776 CCID Smartcard Reader
Bus 007 Device 002: ID 0b97:7761 O2 Micro, Inc. Oz776 1.1 Hub
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 006 Device 002: ID 0000:3825   USB OPTICAL MOUSE
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

[linuxmintmex]

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Soooo ??
Should  I  format  partition  and  install   Mint  xfce desktop or ...... which  distro would be  best  for  this  machine ????? 

[CtrlAltDel]

I deleted Windows hoping linux would be a better option for a Dell Laptop Latitud D630
3 g ram , 2 partitions OS primary 40g , Data 40 g

Windows 7 runned great , linux mint is unbearable slow ,
I use this machine mainly to watch films , installed vcl which runs in slow motion

should I go back to Wind ?

-- I couldn't agree more with phd21. Select xfce desktop and turn off any windows effects and you should see a reasonable improvement. and 80GB storage drive? I'd venture to guess that isn't a ssd. And no ...not even windows 7 would run fast on spinning rust. xp? maybe..depending on what all is going on, but not win 7. In fact WIndows 8 or 8.1 would be slightly better experience than 7 in terms of overall performance.

You don't have to venture to guess if it is HDD or SSD this user requesting assistance to speed up the computer he is using has, he posted his specifications. And why would you tell him Windows 7 doesn't run fast on a HDD? What does that mean? Windows 7 can run very fast on a HDD and Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon can also run very fast on a HDD.

This overwhelming need by people here who have SSD's to constantly recommend SSD as an answer to every request for assistance needs to stop.

He doesn't have an SSD, he has a Samsung model: HM080HI HDD. Help him with what he has, not what someone thinks he needs to get. The advice you agreed with about Xfce was wonderful, why throw in the extra stuff about rust and a HDD?

[linuxmintmex]

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Thank you  for  setting  the  issue ....... 
YES !!!!! ....   Wind  7 Service pack 1,   runned  very  well  
but  I  wanted  to   learn Linux   

[CtrlAltDel]

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Soooo ??
Should  I  format  partition  and  install   Mint  xfce desktop or ...... which  distro would be  best  for  this  machine ????? 

Yes, MintMex, you should do a fresh install of Xfce. Your processor and amount of memory are not optimal for resource heavy Linux Mint Cinnamon 20, which is the deluxe version of Mint with all the bells and whistles and pretty decorations that go with it.

If even that is too much for your machine, there are other Linux distro's that can still be used that use even less resources than Mint Xfce. You will be able to use Linux, rest assured, you just have to test things and figure out which Linux you can use.

If Mint Xfce doesn't meet your expectations either, just come back here and we will all give you some other recommendations, even if it isn't for a Linux Mint flavor of Linux. Take your time and don't get frustrated.

[linuxmintmex]

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Thanks  will  try  the  Mint  xfce 

[CtrlAltDel]

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Thanks  will  try  the  Mint  xfce 

Mintmex, here:

https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners/

is a list of some of the lightest Linux distributions out there today. If Mint's Xfce doesn't work for you either, there are many good alternatives for you to look over on the page.

Also, you don't have to encode regular text responses in the

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display. You can use that just for long outputs of code that you don't want taking over a thread.

[motoryzen]

I deleted Windows hoping linux would be a better option for a Dell Laptop Latitud D630
3 g ram , 2 partitions OS primary 40g , Data 40 g

Windows 7 runned great , linux mint is unbearable slow ,
I use this machine mainly to watch films , installed vcl which runs in slow motion

should I go back to Wind ?

-- I couldn't agree more with phd21. Select xfce desktop and turn off any windows effects and you should see a reasonable improvement. and 80GB storage drive? I'd venture to guess that isn't a ssd. And no ...not even windows 7 would run fast on spinning rust. xp? maybe..depending on what all is going on, but not win 7. In fact WIndows 8 or 8.1 would be slightly better experience than 7 in terms of overall performance.

You don't have to venture to guess if it is HDD or SSD this user requesting assistance to speed up the computer he is using has, he posted his specifications. And why would you tell him Windows 7 doesn't run fast on a HDD? What does that mean? Windows 7 can run very fast on a HDD and Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon can also run very fast on a HDD.

This overwhelming need by people here who have SSD's to constantly recommend SSD as an answer to every request for assistance needs to stop.

He doesn't have an SSD, he has a Samsung model: HM080HI HDD. Help him with what he has, not what someone thinks he needs to get. The advice you agreed with about Xfce was wonderful, why throw in the extra stuff about rust and a HDD?

Relax, you'll be ok. Don't get mad at facts. ssd's are cheap enough these days. It's not like we're all back in 2009 when they were 4 dollars per GB. It's not my problem if you felt insulted by the info I gave. And the reason I mentioned win 7 doesn't run fast on a HDD is because I know that from simple experience. It's not rocket science. Yes.. I know Win 7 wasn't designed for ssd's in mind, but that doesn't change the fact that it's still the number 1 type of upgrade to date..especially for 8+ year old pc's versus HDD as the os-installed storage drive be it win 7, vista, 8, 8.1, 10, LM 20 cinnamon or mate, LM 19, LM 18, Ubuntu versions 16.04 and newer, pop os versions...you name it....Any distro who's installation .iso file is 1.5GB's in size or bigger will benefit from being installed into modern day flash based storage over HDD even if it's a 10k rpm velociraptor..

Yes I HAVE tested this. my raptor still works and it's easily 10 years old now. Just because I mentioned a side note in which will 100% guarantee help his situation doesn't mean it's any less coherent nor any less useful.

[Reorx]

Mintmex, here: https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners/ is a list of some of the lightest Linux distributions out there today...

From that list, I have run both Peppermint and LXLE on ageing hardware. Both worked well. LXLE is a real favorite - give it a try. I used to run LXLE on an old WinXP netbook with 1GB of RAM and an Intel Atom processor that I originally got in 2009! I recently converted that Netbook back to WinXP because I needed a Windoze machine to run some proprietary win software and didn't need a lot of horsepower and refuse to use any version of Windoze past Win7!...

[CtrlAltDel]

Relax, you'll be ok. Don't get mad at facts. ssd's are cheap enough these days. It's not like we're all back in 2009 when they were 4 dollars per GB.

Stop spamming the board with unsolicited promotions to buy SSD's when it is not called for or asked for in the situation.

All the other stuff you posted about has nothing to do with anything relevant to this thread or to the poster asking for help.

[CtrlAltDel]

Mintmex, here: https://itsfoss.com/lightweight-linux-beginners/ is a list of some of the lightest Linux distributions out there today...

From that list, I have run both Peppermint and LXLE on ageing hardware. Both worked well. LXLE is a real favorite - give it a try. I used to run LXLE on an old WinXP netbook with 1GB of RAM and an Intel Atom processor that I originally got in 2009! I recently converted that Netbook back to WinXP because I needed a Windoze machine to run some proprietary win software and didn't need a lot of horsepower and refuse to use any version of Windoze past Win7!...

I've ran a few lightweight distro's on USB's just for fun and to check things out, not because it was necessary. I've never tried your suggestion of LXLE, though I may now that you mentioned it. Puppy Linux is pretty cool.

[phd21]

Hi linuxmintmex,

I just re-read your post and some of the good replies to it. Here are more of my thoughts on this as well.

Regardless of whether you stick with Cinnamon or switch to Xfce, there are certain things you can do to speed up your system and to tweak certain settings. If you try the tweaks and Cinnamon is still too slow, try Xfce and that should work well,

First, you do not need to post your replies into a code box, it makes your text replies harder to read. It is recommended that when posting the lengthy results of console terminal commands to use the code box tags for that part.

Great Linux website with a lot of valuable information
Easy Linux Tips Project: Speed Up your Mint!
https://easylinuxtipsproject.blogspot.c ... -mint.html

- see - The absolute number one: decrease swap use 1.1.

Where are the movies you want to watch located? Digital video files (what types mp4, mkv, avi, etc...), DVD or Blu-Ray discs, streaming websites, etc...

Did you select to install 3rd party software during the installation of Linux Mint? If not you should have and that can be done afterwards. You might also consider trying other video (multimedia) players like installing SMplayer and MPV to play movies or the one in the menus. There are often settings within applications that can also be tweaked for better performance depending on video card and multi-core CPU's. I found that SMplayer often played better than VLC.

You might also check to see that ffmpeg, x264, x265, udftools (for discs created under MS Windows), mplayer, mencoder, are installed uing the "Synaptic Package Manager (SPM)" or use the command below.

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sudo apt install ffmpeg x264 x265 h264enc udftools mplayer mencoder mpv smplayer mediainfo mediainfo-gui

And contrary to some other comments, there is nothing wrong with suggesting relatively low-cost hardware improvements which would greatly improve Linux or MS Windows performance like adding more system memory if you can or using a Solid State Drive. I have an older dual-core computer and when I switched the old mechanical platter hard drive to an SSDrive the difference in overall system performance was literally incredible. A 128gb SSD is less than $30 us. You might also consider installing smartmon tools to check your current hard drive's health status as older drives may also cause slowness or worse are about to fail (pre-fail). GSmartControl is the desktop application front-end to smartmon tools.

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sudo apt install smartmontools gsmartcontrol

Hope this helps ...

[CtrlAltDel]

And contrary to some other comments, there is nothing wrong with suggesting hardware improvements which would greatly improve Linux or MS Windows performance like adding more system memory if you can or using a Solid State Drive. I have an older dual-core computer and when I switched the old mechanical platter hard drive to an SSDrive the difference in overall system performance was literally incredible. A 128gb SSD is less than $30 us.

Of course it would help to install a SSD. It would also help to install an i9-10900K processor. It would also help to install 64GB worth of RAM sticks along with a new motherboard to handle everything. Maybe throw in a new power supply to cope with the added requirements generated by the new components. Add a larger fan and plug in a dedicated and high powered GPU for any intensive gaming needs and he is going to be able to use Linux Mint Cinnamon with no problems. It'll be super fast and he'll love it.

Or, the user could maybe not be wanting to spend 30 or 40 dollars on a SSD for a 5 dollar computer and just wanted some suggestions on tweaks or another desktop environment that isn't a resource hog.

[MrEen]

Please people, let's stop the bickering and focus on helping the user.

I've not seen a mention of turning off the eye candy in Cinnamon nor fixing their software rendering issue:

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics
vendor: Dell Latitude D630 driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.8 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
resolution: 1280x800~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 9.0.1 128 bits) v: 3.3 Mesa 20.0.4
direct render: Yes

Those might be enough to get a decent experience here, although a lighter DE like Xfce might be a better fit.

Unfortunately, I don't know graphics issues very well, so cannot help on the software rendering issue.

EDIT: I now see phd21 did link to the same page on Pjotr's site.

[zcot]

Right, I think Celluloid is not fully taking advantage of hardware acceleration, but not sure how much it can use that on this setup. There's mention about it being upgraded for 20.1 in the current blog post https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=3969

I've been partial to Vlc for years myself so I tend to always use that, and actually there are speed options using the +/-/= keys. = resets to normal speed, not sure if maybe it was actually playing at half speed or something.


But for this setup, I think the llvmpipe is setting up for passthrough which isn't going to be as good for performance. Is there an external monitor port on the thing? There's some info here, exact same model mentioned (Dell Latitude D630 has the GM965/GL960). The test would be to add the parameter temporarily at boot and see if that is making a difference. If it's good, then you can make it a permanent setting later. Otherwise the effect goes away after you reboot again. You can take an example from the Release Notes page where it talks about "Solving freezes" but the main point is about being able to enter the temporary code, the example uses "nomodeset", but the interesting one for this setup would be "video=SVIDEO-1:d" and you can see some chatter about it here: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=218581&p=3 now, although this thread is mentioning a quite earlier version and using a 4.x series kernel it still might be a relevant tweak, it depends on how that kernel development has matured in relation to this particular hardware, and plus it's an easy test and doesn't make a difference if it has no effect. The Release Notes example video is here and you would follow along and remove quiet splash and add video=SVIDEO-1:d instead: https://www.linuxmint.com/rel_ulyana_cinnamon.php