http://www.pixelbeat.org/scripts/ps_mem.py
I compared these OS's (MiB number is total mem after boot and starting a terminal):
Debian 7.7 Xfce edition booting to fluxbox: 80.6 MiB **
Debian 7.7 (logout fluxbox, login to xfce): 139.2 MiB
Mint 17.1 KDE (default settings): 493.6 MiB
Mint 17 xfce edition, but login to fluxbox: 135.7 MiB
The Mint 17 (last in list) has had a lot of startup apps disabled (mintUpdate, printer, bluetooth, etc), and is the only one with nvidia drivers installed - they add about 20-30MB Xorg memory use over the nouveau drivers.
** My (old and gone) Arch install with a "pure" fluxbox install (NO xfce) used about the same memory as Mint16 Xfce running fluxbox (about 120-130MB)- so the Debian install uses considerably less memory than Arch!
Details:
Code: Select all
Debian_fluxbox:
...
2.9 MiB + 643.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB fluxbox
3.3 MiB + 1.9 MiB = 5.2 MiB volumeicon
5.2 MiB + 2.2 MiB = 7.4 MiB xfce4-terminal
7.1 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 8.7 MiB nm-applet
19.7 MiB + 647.5 KiB = 20.3 MiB Xorg
---------------------------------
80.6 MiB
Debian_xfce (logout fluxbox, login to xfce):
...
5.3 MiB + 374.0 KiB = 5.6 MiB xfce4-volumed
4.4 MiB + 1.4 MiB = 5.8 MiB xfce4-panel
4.6 MiB + 1.4 MiB = 5.9 MiB xfce4-terminal
4.4 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 6.0 MiB xfdesktop
5.9 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 7.5 MiB nm-applet
14.6 MiB + 1.9 MiB = 16.5 MiB system-config-p
30.8 MiB + 1.4 MiB = 32.2 MiB Xorg
---------------------------------
139.2 MiB
Mint17.1_KDE (default settings):
...
12.5 MiB + 3.2 MiB = 15.7 MiB akonadi_agent_launcher (3)
14.0 MiB + 2.9 MiB = 16.9 MiB kded4
14.5 MiB + 2.4 MiB = 16.9 MiB kmix
22.0 MiB + 3.1 MiB = 25.1 MiB krunner
24.1 MiB + 2.2 MiB = 26.3 MiB mintUpdate
19.1 MiB + 7.3 MiB = 26.5 MiB Xorg
33.6 MiB + 131.5 KiB = 33.7 MiB mysqld
28.4 MiB + 6.2 MiB = 34.6 MiB kwin
78.7 MiB + 8.6 MiB = 87.2 MiB plasma-desktop
---------------------------------
493.6 MiB
Mint17_fluxbox:
...
2.9 MiB + 529.0 KiB = 3.4 MiB fluxbox
3.4 MiB + 342.0 KiB = 3.8 MiB console-kit-daemon
2.8 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 4.0 MiB conky
4.3 MiB + 72.0 KiB = 4.4 MiB bash
4.3 MiB + 394.0 KiB = 4.7 MiB polkitd
3.8 MiB + 1.9 MiB = 5.7 MiB volumeicon
3.1 MiB + 3.4 MiB = 6.5 MiB smbd (2)
6.1 MiB + 2.4 MiB = 8.5 MiB xfce4-terminal
9.7 MiB + 1.7 MiB = 11.4 MiB nm-applet
46.1 MiB + 566.0 KiB = 46.6 MiB Xorg [w/nvidia drivers].
---------------------------------
135.7 MiBCode: Select all
...
7.0 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 8.6 MiB nm-applet
49.4 MiB + 492.5 KiB = 49.8 MiB Xorg
---------------------------------
109.9 MiBEdit2: Re-install of Debian -> 7.8,
from "minimal install"; no Xfce or other DE, but xorg+fluxbox running. Nouveau drivers.
Down to 60.5 MiB total. (!)
Code: Select all
...
1.4 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 2.5 MiB lightdm (2)
1.6 MiB + 879.0 KiB = 2.5 MiB bash (2)
3.0 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 4.1 MiB fluxbox
9.8 MiB + 1.4 MiB = 11.2 MiB roxterm
23.0 MiB + 563.0 KiB = 23.5 MiB Xorg
---------------------------------
60.5 MiB