RAM usage of various Linux desktop environments
I have spent the last few years jumping between various Linux distributions and desktop environments, searching for the ideal balance between resource efficiency (CPU and RAM) and eye candy.
For those new to Linux, a desktop environment is a set of programs/tools that sits on top of the base Linux distribution (e.g. Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat). Some desktop environments are:
- Gnome
- Unity
- Cinnamon
- MATE
- XFCE
- LXDE / LXQT
The following table shows the results of evaluating a number of different distribution / desktop environment combinations throughout June 2016, in order from highest RAM usage to lowest.
| Distribution | Desktop | Based Off | Kernel Version | RAM (MB) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Gnome 16.04 | Gnome 3 | Ubuntu 16.04 | 4.4.0-21-generic | 726 |
| Debian Gnome | Gnome 3 | Debian Stretch | 4.5.0-2-amd64 | 646 |
| Fedora 24 Beta | Gnome 3 | Fedora 24 | 4.5.2-302.fc24.x86_64 | 622 |
| Elementary OS 0.3.2 | Pantheon | Ubuntu 14.04 | 3.19.0-59-generic | 604 |
| Ubuntu Unity 16.04 | Unity 7 | Ubuntu 16.04 | 4.4.0-22-generic | 597 |
| LXLE | LXLE | Ubuntu 14.04 | 3.13.0.87-generic | 484 |
| Debian XFCE | XFCE 1.12 | Debian Jessie | 3.16.0.4-amd64 | 322 |
| Ubuntu Mate 16.04 | Mate | Ubuntu 16.04 | 4.4.0-21-generic | 321 |
| Lubuntu 16.04 | LXDE | Ubuntu 16.04 | 4.4.0-22-generic | 222 |
| Manjaro LXQT | LXQT | Archlinux | 4.4.11.1-MANJARO | 181 |
| Sparkylinux Minimal | Openbox | Debian Stretch | 4.5.0-1-amd64 | 179 |
| Debian LXDE | LXDE | Debian Stretch | 4.5.0-2-amd64 | 170 |
| Manjaro Openbox | Openbox | Archlinux | 4.0.8.1-MANJARO | 145 |
| Debian Custom Openbox | Openbox | Debian Stretch | 4.5.0-2-amd64 | 67 |
| Debian CLI only | None | Debian Stretch | 4.5.0-2-amd64 | 27 |
Note to self: productivity
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