Linux is now better than ever, offering stability and great flexibility, but one of the reasons I keep running it on my desktops is how much control it gives me over performance. It is not a black box, and with a few changes, you can tune it to match the way you actually use your machine.
Over the years, I have gravitated toward a handful of built-in features that, when set up thoughtfully, make my system feel quicker and more consistent. They are not hidden tricks, but are a part of the kernel and the tools every distribution ships.
Use the performance governor
Get the best performance out of your CPU
Most distributions ship with a conservative CPU governor that raises the CPU speed only after it detects load. That saves energy, but it means there is always a micro pause while the processor ramps up. On my plugged-in desktop, it makes the interface feel less snappy. I prefer switching to the “performance” governor that keeps the CPU at its highest frequency all the time.
The difference is huge. I see windows open quickly, apps launch as if they are preloaded, and heavy tasks no longer stutter at the beginning. It draws more power and generates more heat, but on a desktop, that trade-off is worth it. When I am on a laptop, I script a switch back to the on-demand governor on battery and return to performance mode when I plug in, which gives me the best of both worlds.
Tuning swappiness
Don't stick to the default settings
By default, Linux will start swapping out idle pages for disk long before RAM is actually full. That behavior is controlled by a parameter called swappiness. The default value of sixty is a compromise between responsiveness and keeping more cache in memory.
Lowering it makes the kernel hold on to data in RAM for as long as possible. If you have a system with plenty of memory, this one change can improve how the system behaves under load. I typically set swappiness to ten and then monitor with free -h or vmstat to see how often the swap is actually touched.
Keeping things fast under load with ZRAM
When you need more RAM
Even with lower swappiness, memory pressure happens. That is where ZRAM comes in. It creates a compressed swap device in RAM, so instead of writing pages out to disk, the kernel stores them compressed in memory. This effectively gives you more usable RAM and a far faster swap input and output.
On my machines, ZRAM has made a noticeable difference whenever RAM fills up. Rather than the system grinding to a halt because of slow disk swapping, it slows down much more gracefully. Apps remain responsive, and solid-state drives see less wear because there are fewer writes. Most modern distributions have ZRAM packages or systemd generators that make it a one-line configuration. I usually allocate about half my RAM to ZRAM and raise swappiness, so the kernel prefers this fast compressed swap before touching any disk swap at all.
Using Terminal as much as possible
Terminal is your best friend
I was slow to adopt Linux because the Terminal seemed intimidating at first. The idea of typing commands into a black window felt unnecessary and complicated. And honestly, for most everyday users, it really isn’t required. Modern distributions like Ubuntu or Linux Mint let you browse the web, check email, edit documents, and stream videos without touching a single command.
But the moment you start exploring Linux seriously, the Terminal quickly becomes your best friend. It’s not just a tool but also a gateway to understanding your system and controlling it in ways the graphical interface cannot offer. Want to install software quickly, manage processes, monitor system performance, or tweak configurations? The Terminal is faster and often more powerful than any GUI alternative. Plus, if you don't like the terminal as it is, there are tools you can use to customize it.
Learning it may feel like a steep climb at first, but the benefits are enormous. Suddenly, you are not just using Linux, you are commanding it. You can automate repetitive tasks, manage files efficiently, and even troubleshoot issues that would leave GUI users frustrated.
Enable Huge pages
For better memory management
Another feature I like to enable is transparent huge pages. Normal pages are four kilobytes, while huge pages are two megabytes or even a gigabyte. When an application allocates gigabytes of RAM, the kernel has to track millions of tiny pages. With huge pages, it tracks far fewer, which cuts down on bookkeeping and reduces translation lookaside buffer misses.
Transparent Huge Pages are enabled by default on most distributions, so the kernel automatically tries to use them when possible. The benefit is not dramatic, but for large apps such as virtual machines, databases, and big Java programs, it is a few percent of performance for zero effort.
Make the most out of Linux
Using Linux in 2025 is more viable than you might think. In fact, there are plenty of things about the operating system that may surprise you. For example, you do not need to touch the terminal at all because most of it just works out of the box. You may also want to explore some underrated Linux apps that can add to the experience.
Source: https://www.xda-developers.com/linux-features-for-maximum-performance/
