Are You Running Ubuntu on Raspberry Pi 4? Here’s How to Boost Performance

Tech Explorers
3 min readFeb 1, 2022

fatima khan January 25, 2022 2 min read

If you’re using Ubuntu on an unconfigured Raspberry Pi, you can activate the zswap kernel feature to increase performance of the desktop.

Raspberry Pi 4 is a tiny device with valuable features, including support for dual monitors and a speedy ethernet connection. If you’re looking for an easy yet reliable option for any DIY projects, then a Raspberry Pi could be the ideal base. Additionally, you can quickly run Ubuntu desktops with the Raspberry Pi 4, even with 2GB of RAM.

Find out how you can improve the performance of Ubuntu on the Raspberry Pi 4 with only 2GB RAM. You can utilize this method to set up a complete Ubuntu environment with access to the keyboard, mouse, and network.

Set Up Ubuntu Desktop on Raspberry Pi 4

Ubuntu officially supports Raspberry Pi 4 Model B with 8GB and 4GB RAM modules. You can, however, operate Ubuntu using Raspberry Pis equipped with 2GB memory. It will require a handy Linux kernel feature known as Zswap to accomplish this.

Swap compresses all processes before shifting them into the swap file. It also checks whether the more petite, compressed size can fit into the RAM. Compressing a zswapped web page is much faster than using the swap. This will give you a smooth user experience, even after installing the top Raspberry Pi apps.

Additionally, you don’t have to wait until the following LTS release to take advantage of this feature. Zswap can be enabled in any existing Ubuntu installation and get the performance boost straight away. Launch a terminal on the Ubuntu-powered Raspberry Pi 4 and enter the following command:

sudo sed -i -e 's/$/ zswap.enabled=1/' /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt

COPY

Please reboot the computer after the command has completed its work and test the improvement in performance for yourself. You will notice things like browsing and navigating quicker than before.

Configure Ubuntu on Raspberry Pi 4 With 2GB of RAM

zswap can make running Ubuntu more accessible on devices with lower configurations like Raspberry Pi 4. Raspberry Pi 4. Canonical has also been working on additional mechanisms such as z3fold and LZ4 compression to help Ubuntu run faster on these devices.

If you’re not happy with the performance, consider installing a light Operating System on your Raspberry Pi.

fatima khan

A brand new writer in the fields, fatima has been taken under the my electric spark’s RGB- rich and is ensuring she doesn’t engaged in excessive snark on the website. It’s unclear what command and Conquer is, however she is able to talk for hours about the odd rhythm games, hardware, product reviews and MMOs that were popular in 2000s. She is been creating various announcements, preview and other content while here, but she particularly enjoys writing regarding Products , latest news in the market she’s currently addicted too. It’s likely that she is talking to an additional blogger with her current obsession right now

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