- snip -
Run top from a terminal to see your true memory usage - Task Manager doesn't report it properly.
From my testing, if you want to browse the web on a 512MB device there are some extra steps that need to be taken.
* Use the 32-bit version Bookworm. The 32-bit versions consume less memory.
* Chromium currently uses less memory than Firefox.
* Gnome Web (epiphany-browser) uses a bit less memory than both of the above, if you are willing to make some compromises (limited settings, lack of webextension support, etc).
Two options next:
* Increase the swap size to at least 250MB and accept that your SD card life will be shortened.
OR
* Setup zram, use zstd compression set size to 60% and disable the swap file. There are guides for this and it works well.
So yes, it can technically be done, the above steps will allow you to fire up a browser and peruse these forums for example - but I don't recommend it. It's a lot of faff for a compromised experience. The 512MB devices are best suited for headless work as forgoing the desktop saves about 100 MB or so of memory.
The 1GB 3B and 3B+ will do let you browse the web using Chromium out of the box and let you have a few tabs open. Double the RAM gives a lot more breathing room. I'd still recommend the 32-bit OS for these devices personally as the memory savings are still worth it in my opinion.
Of course, the Pi 4 will do the same things but quite a bit faster and since there is the option to do so, I'd spring for a 2GB one at least.
Statistics: Posted by JimJamJamie — Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:11 am