• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

KDE 4 to use much less RAM

Polaris573

Senior Moderator
Joined
Feb 26, 2005
Messages
4,268 (0.59/day)
Location
Little Rock, USA
Processor LGA 775 Intel Q9550 2.8 Ghz
Motherboard MSI P7N Diamond - 780i Chipset
Cooling Arctic Freezer
Memory 6GB G.Skill DDRII 800 4-4-3-5
Video Card(s) Sapphire HD 7850 2 GB PCI-E
Storage 1 TB Seagate 32MB Cache, 250 GB Seagate 16MB Cache
Display(s) Acer X203w
Case Coolermaster Centurion 5
Audio Device(s) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music
Power Supply OCZ StealthXStream 600 Watt
Software Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Anyone paying the slightest attention to the Linux-on-the-desktop scene will have noticed that desktop environments are featuring more and more eye-candy with every release. While this has had the predictable effect of increasing processor usage and memory requirements (although the pretty things can always be turned off), it seems that the newest version of the K Desktop Environment graphical user interface will use nearly 40% less memory than current version 3.5 despite having a lovely composited windows manager (think Aero but free). The figure comes from a test run by German magazine Pro-Linux who ran tests comparing the performance and memory footprint of the second release candidate of KDE 4 compared to the latest version of KDE 3.5.

With further good news for those of you with older systems to support, KDE developer Will Stephenson announced in a post to his blog that he'd tried a pre-release build of KDE 4 with the 3D desktop effects enabled on a laptop running at 1GHz and with only 256MB of RAM. Rather than the single-frame-per-second slide show he was expecting, Will was pleasantly surprised to find the desktop completely usable even with all the glitz and glamour turned on.

It's also worth noting that Will had some KDE 3 libraries loaded for compatibility reasons, and that final optimisation of the code has yet to take place: in other words, there's room for still more performance gains.

The finished version of KDE 4 is due for release on the 9th of January 2008. If you can't wait that long, you can grab the source for the release candidate from the KDE website.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
1,178 (0.19/day)
Location
UK, Liverpool
System Name My Lovely PC :)
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz @3.12GHz - 1.35v/390fsb/8x multi
Motherboard Gigabyte P43-DS3L
Cooling Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme - MX2 paste
Memory 2GB, Team Value Ram 667 @ 780MHz
Video Card(s) ECS 8800GT 512MB @ 700/1720/2100
Storage 160GB Hitachi Deskstar/80GB Maxtor PY080L0
Display(s) Asus VH226H 22" 1920x1080
Case Eye-T
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD, AC888 8 channel audio
Power Supply 570 Watt, TRUST PSU
Software Windows 7 Beta
very interesting, would be awesome for users with low end pc's/laptops and maybe stick it on a ps3 too :)
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
6,771 (0.94/day)
Location
Republic of Asia (a.k.a Irvine), CA
System Name ---
Processor FX 8350 @ 4.00 Ghz with 1.28v
Motherboard Gigabyte 990FX-UD3 v4.0, Hacked Bios F4.x
Cooling Silenx 4 pipe Tower cooler + 2 x Cougar 120mm fan, 3 x 120mm, 1 x 200 mm Red LED fan
Memory Kingston HyperX DDR3 1866 16GB + Patriot Memory DDR3 1866 16GB
Video Card(s) Asus R9 290 OC @ GPU - 1050, MEM - 1300
Storage Inland 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD for OS, WDC Black - 2TB + 1TB Storage, Inland 480GB SSD - Games
Display(s) 3 x 1080P LCDs - Acer 25" + Acer 23" + HP 23"
Case AeroCool XPredator X3
Audio Device(s) Built-in Realtek
Power Supply Corsair HX1000 Modular
Software Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
Wow that means I can dump XP and install this on my PIII 850 with 256MB ram laptop and have all the goodies.
 

Jimmy 2004

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2005
Messages
5,458 (0.75/day)
Location
England
System Name Jimmy 2004's PC
Processor S754 AMD Athlon64 3200+ @ 2640MHz
Motherboard ASUS K8N
Cooling AC Freezer 64 Pro + Zalman VF1000 + 5x120mm Antec TriCool Case Fans
Memory 1GB Kingston PC3200 (2x512MB)
Video Card(s) Saphire 256MB X800 GTO @ 450MHz/560MHz (Core/Memory)
Storage 500GB Western Digital SATA II + 80GB Maxtor DiamondMax SATA
Display(s) Digimate 17" TFT (1280x1024)
Case Antec P182
Audio Device(s) Audigy 4 + Creative Inspire T7900 7.1 Speakers
Power Supply Corsair HX520W
Software Windows XP Home
How does KDE resource usage compare to GNOME anyway? Ubuntu uses GNOME, so that's what I use when I run Linux. Nice to see a a software developer cutting down on resources though.
 

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
47,233 (7.55/day)
Location
Hyderabad, India
System Name RBMK-1000
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory 2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s) Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s) BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s) ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard Gamdias Hermes E2
Software Windows 11 Pro
Linux has been such an underdog.

Thanks Polaris, for keeping neglect miles away.

It's high-time software developers wrote applications for Linux, I'm talking about the likes of Adobe, etc. At least for media-editing, business and scientific research, Linux is a far superior platform to the Vista+Aero bloatware. System resources are utilised with far greater efficiency. Afterall, getting the job done is what counts, not pretty transition effects or Genuine Advantage (that eats 2388 KB/month on the Microsoft Update + 11500 KB in the memory when loaded as WGAtray.exe, despite me using a legit copy.

EDIT: Oops I forgot we're talking KDE and not Linux. KDE runs on many OSes like BSD, Solaris and pretty much every *nix derivative.

I've always found KDE more appealing than the "extremely formal" Gnome. If anyone plans to flirt with Linux for the first time and is thinking about Ubuntu, I'd advice go for Kubuntu instead.
 
Joined
May 19, 2007
Messages
7,662 (1.20/day)
Location
c:\programs\kitteh.exe
Processor C2Q6600 @ 1.6 GHz
Motherboard Anus PQ5
Cooling ACFPro
Memory GEiL2 x 1 GB PC2 6400
Video Card(s) MSi 4830 (RIP)
Storage Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 GB Perpendicular Recording
Display(s) Dell 17'
Case El Cheepo
Audio Device(s) 7.1 Onboard
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software MCE2K5
How does KDE resource usage compare to GNOME anyway? Ubuntu uses GNOME, so that's what I use when I run Linux. Nice to see a a software developer cutting down on resources though.

get kubuntu
 

hacker111

New Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
332 (0.05/day)
Location
MA United States
Good but is it the same speed as the one without the saving electricty???
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
631 (0.09/day)
Location
Omaha, NE
System Name Media PC
Processor Intel Core-i5 4460
Motherboard Asus H97i plus
Cooling Noctua LH-9i with upgraded NF-A9, x2 Noctua NF-F12
Memory 8GB x2 Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz kit
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Super clocked GTX970 itx
Storage 1TB western digital black 2.5"
Display(s) Samsung 55" Plasma
Case Fractal Design Node 202
Audio Device(s) Onboard DSP, sound forwarded to Onkyo receiver in 2.1 mode
Power Supply Fractal Design 430w itx PSU
Mouse Logitech Wireless gaming mouse
Keyboard Logitech Wireless, Xbox One S controller
Software Windows 10 pro
sweet, im going to download rc2 once i get my gentoo box up and running , AGAIN!
 
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
1,192 (0.18/day)
Location
scotland
System Name spuds K8-X2
Processor amd athlon X2 4200+ toledo s939 2794mhz 254x11 1.4 vcore
Motherboard MSI K8N Neo4-F v1.0 (MS-7125) nforce4 sata2 mod, laptop cpu heatpipe copper nb cooler
Cooling akasa evo "blue" + 90mm fan, 2x120mm front, 250mm side, 120mm rear, 120mm in psu, pci slot exhaust.
Memory OCZ Platinum XTC DDR PC3200 4GB(4x1024) @254mhz 3-3-3-8 2T
Video Card(s) sapphire HD3870 512mb GDDR4 vf900cu, several ramsinks on components / nvidia 7300gt 256mb secondary
Storage hitachi 160gb (slightly fried) / hitachi 120gb ATA / Seagate 160gb / 2x ps3 seagate 60gb
Display(s) CTX EX1300F 20" flat CRT, 1280x1024@100hz / 19" benq FP91G X / 19" hanns-g (all free)
Case mesh server/gaming black case, 9x 5.25' drive bays, silvestone auto fan controller
Audio Device(s) onboard realtek alc850 7.1/soundblaster LIVE! ct4780 + kxaudio - sony home theatre surround
Power Supply winpower 650w, system draws around 470-500w under load(+all screens)
Software win7 64bit
Benchmark Scores ~16m trips/sec using mty trip generator. triple monitor gaming using SoftTH. 3840x1024
wonder if it'll work with backtrack2, hmmm
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Messages
1,065 (0.16/day)
System Name [Primary Workstation]
Processor Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield @ 3.8GHz/4.55GHz [24-7/Bench]
Motherboard EVGA X58 E758-A1 [Tweaked right!]
Cooling Cooler Master V8 [stock fan + two 133CFM ULTRA KAZE fans]
Memory 12GB [Kingston HyperX]
Video Card(s) constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer nVidia]
Storage constantly upgrading/downgrading [prefer Hitachi/Samsung]
Display(s) Triple LCD [40 inch primary + 32 & 28 inch auxiliary displays]
Case Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 [Mesh Mod, CFM Overload]
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar D1 + onboard Realtek ALC889A [Logitech Z-5300 Spk., Niko 650-HP 5.1 Hp., X-Bass Hp.]
Power Supply Corsair TX950W [aka Reactor]
Software This and that... [All software 100% legit and paid for, 0% pirated]
Benchmark Scores Ridiculously good scores!!!
Good news. KDE has gotten really, REALLY bloated over the years.
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
631 (0.09/day)
Location
Omaha, NE
System Name Media PC
Processor Intel Core-i5 4460
Motherboard Asus H97i plus
Cooling Noctua LH-9i with upgraded NF-A9, x2 Noctua NF-F12
Memory 8GB x2 Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz kit
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Super clocked GTX970 itx
Storage 1TB western digital black 2.5"
Display(s) Samsung 55" Plasma
Case Fractal Design Node 202
Audio Device(s) Onboard DSP, sound forwarded to Onkyo receiver in 2.1 mode
Power Supply Fractal Design 430w itx PSU
Mouse Logitech Wireless gaming mouse
Keyboard Logitech Wireless, Xbox One S controller
Software Windows 10 pro
Good news. KDE has gotten really, REALLY bloated over the years.

yeah, but if you download the base KDE system, no bloat. plus, ive never been a fan of gnome because its harder to customize, IMHO.
 

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
15,581 (2.37/day)
Location
Mid-Atlantic
System Name Desktop
Processor i5 13600KF
Motherboard AsRock B760M Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S
Memory 4x 16 Gb Gskill S5 DDR5 @6000
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Gaming OC 6750 XT 12GB
Storage WD_BLACK 4TB SN850x
Display(s) Gigabye M32U
Case Corsair Carbide 400C
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Mouse MX Master 3s
Keyboard Logitech G915 Wireless Clicky
Software The Matrix
that is good news! personally i use xfce cause i like the simple look. also, for those of you feeling adventurous try fluxbuntu out. it is a custom ubuntu build with fluxbox. you can download the image and go from there. i really like it on my 900mhz laptop!
 

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
15,581 (2.37/day)
Location
Mid-Atlantic
System Name Desktop
Processor i5 13600KF
Motherboard AsRock B760M Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S
Memory 4x 16 Gb Gskill S5 DDR5 @6000
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Gaming OC 6750 XT 12GB
Storage WD_BLACK 4TB SN850x
Display(s) Gigabye M32U
Case Corsair Carbide 400C
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Mouse MX Master 3s
Keyboard Logitech G915 Wireless Clicky
Software The Matrix
yeah, but if you download the base KDE system, no bloat. plus, ive never been a fan of gnome because its harder to customize, IMHO.

asphyxia i like your avatar. you into freebsd???
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
631 (0.09/day)
Location
Omaha, NE
System Name Media PC
Processor Intel Core-i5 4460
Motherboard Asus H97i plus
Cooling Noctua LH-9i with upgraded NF-A9, x2 Noctua NF-F12
Memory 8GB x2 Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz kit
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Super clocked GTX970 itx
Storage 1TB western digital black 2.5"
Display(s) Samsung 55" Plasma
Case Fractal Design Node 202
Audio Device(s) Onboard DSP, sound forwarded to Onkyo receiver in 2.1 mode
Power Supply Fractal Design 430w itx PSU
Mouse Logitech Wireless gaming mouse
Keyboard Logitech Wireless, Xbox One S controller
Software Windows 10 pro
yeah actually, eventually, after i get all the bugs worked out of my gentoo box, im totally setting up a freebsd distro. the installer scares me a bit though LOL
 

panchoman

Sold my stars!
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
9,595 (1.51/day)
Processor Amd Athlon X2 4600+ Windsor(90nm) EE(65W) @2.9-3.0 @1.45
Motherboard Biostar Tforce [Nvidia] 550
Cooling Thermaltake Blue Orb-- bunch of other fans here and there....
Memory 2 gigs (2x1gb) of patriot ddr2 800 @ 4-4-4-12-2t
Video Card(s) Sapphire X1950pro Pci-E x16 @stock@stock on stock
Storage Seagate 7200.11 250gb Drive, WD raptors (30/40) in Raid 0
Display(s) ANCIENT 15" sony lcd, bought it when it was like 500 bucks
Case Apevia X-plorer blue/black
Audio Device(s) Onboard- Why get an sound card when you can hum??
Power Supply Antec NeoHe 550-manufactured by seasonic -replacement to the discontinued smart power series
Software Windows XP pro SP2 -- vista is still crap
Top