I have 4 GB of RAM in my laptop, but the terminal says only 807 MB is used. That's why the system is slow. Which settings should I change to use more RAM? I use Linux Mint Xfce.
You are missunderstanding this.
A system only uses as much RAM as it needs. However, the entire RAM is used (minus a little if you have an integrated graphics card). If there's a lot free, that's good.
It has nothing to do with speed. Why your system can be slow
The cause of the CPU is that it is processing tasks too slowly
on the hard drive / SSD so that the data is read out too slowly for programs.
That shouldn't really be because of that. 806 mb ram in idle are not terribly low. Forcing more RAM usage is not what I know.
PS: if you use Cinnamon as a surface, the use of Xfce can bring more perceived speed.
This is a sign that Linux is making effective use of RAM. With Windows, the hard drive would be really slow, with 4 gigabytes of RAM.
With a RAM of 4 gigabytes, Linux creates a swap partition during installation.
Which settings should I change to use more RAM?
easy, start more programs.
That is, of course, a stupid suggestion.
Your operating system takes the memory it needs. If the RAM is insufficient, it is transferred to the hard disk (SWAP), if available, and retrieved again if necessary. This of course reduces the speed.
But if free -h only shows 807MB as occupied, then there's absolutely no reason to change anything. What also?
That's why the system is slow.
how and where is this noticeable? When booting, user programs are mapped with a significant delay…
