I've gathered the RAM data (see screenshot), but still am not sure about things. (For one, Sysinfo makes it seem like I have more memory available than the terminal. And in that last command what's the difference between memory free and memory available?)

I'm wondering if I can improve the performance of my computer. Like, in GBs, how much memory can I add to this computer? And do you think adding it would speed things up?

My take is I currently have 1 1/2 GB or 2GB RAM installed and can add either 2GB or 1 1/2 GB.

And I've added RAM memory before but that was on a Windows computer (I'm on Xubuntu 15.10 now and it's a different computer.) I went to Crucial.com and they do this online test where they guarantee that the memory you buy will work, but they don't do the test for Linux.

So how (and where) would I go to get the right memory for my Xubuntu computer?

Thanks.

Attached Thumbnails

 

You seem to have 3.4GB (or, perhaps 3.5GiB*) of RAM showing as available which suggests to me you've really got 4GB in there but you're running a non PAE kernel as it's a weird figure but, then again, with the GB/GiB maths I could be wrong.

*Depends whether you count using 1024 and the like so the 3.5 and 3.4 you see are equivalent sorry, I can't ever recall enough to explain it clearly.

4 GB installed, some is used by integrated graphics perhaps. You have plenty of free memory, I'd say adding more RAM will not improve the performance of your computer.

Good call, could well be, I had forgotten about that despite typing on a machine with integrated graphics.

Thanks 273. I thought the way the numbers broke down was weird too.

Thanks Emerson but help me understand it a bit. So "free" memory basically equates to "unused" or "in reserve" memory? So since I've got so much free memory it would make no sense to install more RAM? So in other words all that extra free memory would be pointless?

Which leads to another question: How much RAM memory could I add to this computer?

You surmise correctly -- you've too much* RAM already .
To find out how much you could install you would need to look up the specifications of your motherboard and CPU. I'm also interested as to what you see when you type:
*Sorry, just a joke, I dare say with applications open you could use all that.

Hi...

Yes, that's correct. Free memory equates to the "unused" amount, waiting to be used, if needed. Purchasing more memory would only be beneficial if you find yourself consistently maxing out the 4 GB's you already have. If you're not doing that and memory usage stays consistently around what your attached thumbnail shows, then you don't need to purchase additional modules.

That might change if you install a heavier OS.

For that, we would need to know the brand and model (and model number) of the motherboard and/or system you're using. Let us know and we'll try to give you an answer.

Merry Christmas!

1 members found this post helpful.

Merry Christmas, Ardvark!

Thanks for the clarification. If I start getting closer to running out of free memory I'll check that info out and report back but for now I'm satisfied that things are good as is.

You're welcome, sounds good!

Regards...

Just to add in case it may help in understanding top memory stats.
While kinda cute, in a basic manner, explains RAM and swap usage.

http://www.linuxatemyram.com/

Hope that helps.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

All the best,
Tim

Thanks Tim. LOL Yeah, blame it on the ravenous penguin.