Does Linux use less RAM?

Baseline RAM Usage [00:00:00]

• Microsoft's suggestion of 32GB RAM for Windows 11 gaming sparked controversy.
• Modern games and background applications significantly increase system memory demands.
• Windows 11 and Linux Mint systems were set up identically with fresh installs and latest drivers.
• Linux Mint was chosen for its reputation for low resource usage, user-friendliness, and stability.

  "And as for our choice of Mint, well, we went with it for its reputation for low resource usage, user friendliness, and stability."

Initial RAM Comparison [00:01:15]

• The baseline RAM usage for Linux Mint was observed to be half that of Windows 11.
• This initial difference suggests a significant advantage for Linux in memory management.

  "Oh, Microsoft. With that said, I do suspect that Mint's advantage is not going to get much wider."

Web Browsing Test [00:02:15]

• Light web browsing using Firefox showed a noticeable RAM usage difference.
• Windows 11 consumed nearly double the RAM compared to Linux Mint during browsing.
• Testing with Twitch, a demanding website, further widened the RAM usage gap.

  "Yours is almost double. I'm also more-er. So I was four and a half gigs more than you, but now I'm almost five."

Chrome and Discord Usage [00:03:30]

• Switching to Chrome, a known memory-intensive browser, exacerbated the issue on Windows.
• Chrome's tab-specific RAM usage indicator showed higher consumption on Windows.
• Adding Discord to the background and scrolling through it also showed higher RAM usage on Windows.

  "Chrome has a cool feature where you can hover over the tab and see exactly how much RAM that tab is using. 415 megabytes for me. 582."

Gaming Performance - Slay the Spire [00:04:45]

• Testing with the game Slay the Spire revealed a dramatic difference in RAM usage.
• Windows 11's RAM usage increased significantly even on the title screen compared to Linux Mint.
• The difference in RAM usage grew to 5.4GB more on Windows.

  "I'm up to 5.4 gigs more than you. I've only opened one tab, Discord, and play the Spire."

Gaming Performance - Heavier Titles [00:06:00]

• Further tests with more demanding games showed even greater RAM discrepancies.
• One system showed 13.6GB used on Windows versus 8.4GB on Linux Mint before rendering.
• The monetary cost of the extra RAM used by Windows was estimated at $45.

  "It's me. 13.6 versus 8.4. You've got to be kidding me."

In-Game Cinematic RAM Spikes [00:07:30]

• During in-game cinematics, Windows experienced a spike in memory usage.
• This occurred even in games that run natively on Linux, suggesting OS-level inefficiencies.
• Radeon game drivers on Linux were speculated as a potential reason for better efficiency.

  "If I had to guess, all I can really come up with is that while Radeon drivers are a bright point on Linux compared to Nvidia, the only thing I can come up with right now is that the Radeon game drivers are somehow more efficient on Linux."

Baldur's Gate RAM Usage [00:08:30]

• Baldur's Gate showed Windows using more RAM, but the difference was less pronounced than in previous tests.
• However, Windows still exceeded comfortable RAM limits for a 16GB system during cinematics.
• The experience on Windows was described as "miserable" and "awful" due to RAM issues.

  "Even now we're up to seven and a half, which is I think the biggest Delta we've seen."