Re: System on a chip - performance relative size and setup (how can the (Debian) setup make a difference?)

[songbird <songbird@anthive.com>]

Erik Josefsson wrote:
...
> I don't really know how swap works on a standard computer, even less how 
> it works when the whole computer runs from/on a SD card.
>
> Swap is supposed to be make your computer pretend that you have more RAM 
> than it actually has, but if the whole computer is running from/on RAM 
> (or is it?), then what does swap mean?
>
> On Teres-I with redpill RC2 (now there is a RC3 that I have not yet 
> installed) an unfortunate website with pop up commercials (like dn.se) 
> can eat all performance there is and freeze the mouse for hours. I would 
> guess that could have been fixed on a normal computer with "more RAM", 
> i.e., "more swap"? But is the same true for e.g. Teres-I?
>
>
> Second question is if it is meaningful to buy a "super duper blazing 
> fast" SD card for the task to run a whole Debian system?
>
> There is a very expensive 64GB SD card from SanDisk that is called 
> Extreme Pro that costs twice as much as same size Extreme Plus. Specs 
> say it is "super duper blazing fast" for video in "Ultra HD 4K", but 
> would Pro also be faster than Plus for the task of running Thunderbird 
> and Firefox at the same time?

  so much would depend upon the IO bus design for all
of these questions.

  swap is just a place for tasks to be paged out if
your system runs out of memory.

  the contention between swap and the rest of the IO
on the channels would be the deciding factor as to
how much it makes a difference.

  some people now run without any swap space at all
(memory isn't that expensive and so why not).  i don't
because at times i edit large pictures and so the
extra memory space is needed.


  songbird