So, I just did a fresh install of Ubuntu 24.04 on my HP EliteBook 8440p, which has an i7 processor, and I’m running into some issues that I can’t seem to sort out. First off, the installation went pretty smooth, but ever since I booted up for the first time, things have not been quite right.
For starters, the system feels sluggish; I expected it to be snappy given the hardware specs. Even opening basic applications like Firefox or the terminal takes longer than it should. The lag is pretty frustrating, especially when I’m trying to multitask. I’ve checked to make sure that I’m not running a bunch of background processes hogging the CPU, but nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Then there’s the whole graphics thing. The display looks fine when the OS loads, but whenever I try to play videos or do anything graphically demanding, I notice a lot of stuttering and dropped frames. I haven’t messed with any drivers yet because I thought Ubuntu would handle that automatically, given that it’s a pretty common laptop. I did some digging online and saw conflicting advice about using proprietary drivers versus the open-source ones, but I really don’t want to dive into that unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Also, the laptop’s fans seem to rev up quite a bit even when I’m doing light tasks. I mean, it’s not unbearable, but it makes me wonder if the system is actually under heavy load when it shouldn’t be. I’m a bit tech-savvy, so I’ve checked the system monitor to see if anything was spiking, but everything looks normal.
Has anyone else run into similar issues after installing Ubuntu on this model? I could really use help troubleshooting this. What should I check or try? Any tips or suggestions would be super appreciated—I’m not ready to give up on Ubuntu just yet, but this is making it tough to enjoy! Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
1. Sluggish Performance
– First, check if you have the correct CPU governor set. Sometimes, the default governor might not be optimized for performance. You can use the command:
sudo apt install cpufrequtils
And then check settings with:
cpufreq-info
Try setting it to “performance” with:
sudo cpufreq-set -g performance
2. Graphics Issues
– Regarding video playback and graphics stuttering, you might need to install some proprietary drivers. You can check for available drivers using:
ubuntu-drivers devices
Then install the recommended driver using:
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
Restart your laptop after installing any new drivers.
3. Fan Noise
– For the fan revving up, it could be related to the CPU usage or maybe just a sensor issue. Consider installing
lm-sensors
to monitor your hardware sensors:sudo apt install lm-sensors
Then run:
sudo sensors-detect
Follow the prompts and then check the temperature readings with
sensors
. High temps could cause the fans to kick in more.4. General Cleanup
– Lastly, try cleaning up your system a bit. You can run:
sudo apt autoremove
and
sudo apt clean
to remove unnecessary packages and free up some space.Hope this helps you get things running better! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need more tips. Good luck!
It sounds like you’re experiencing a mix of performance and graphical issues after your fresh Ubuntu 24.04 installation on the HP EliteBook 8440p. Given the potential for sluggishness, the first thing I’d recommend is checking your system’s resource utilization. You can use tools like `top` or `htop` in the terminal to monitor CPU and memory usage. If there are background processes consuming resources that you haven’t noticed, this could be contributing to the lag. Consider checking for any power management settings in BIOS or Ubuntu that may be throttling your CPU. Installing `tlp` can optimize power settings further, especially for laptops. Ensuring that your system is up-to-date with the latest patches and updates from Ubuntu can also help enhance performance and resolve potential bugs.
As for the graphics issues, the stuttering when playing videos might indeed be linked to driver discrepancies. While Ubuntu should automatically select the appropriate drivers, it’s worth checking if proprietary drivers for your graphics card are available. You can do this by navigating to “Software & Updates” and then checking the “Additional Drivers” tab to see if you have an option to switch from open-source to proprietary drivers. The fan behavior you mentioned could indicate that the CPU is running at a higher temperature, which might be related to the graphics issue or potentially inefficient resource management. If switching drivers doesn’t help, consider installing `mesa-utils` and running `glxinfo | grep “OpenGL renderer”` to verify which graphic driver is currently in use. Troubleshooting driver concerns and resource utilization should significantly enhance your experience with Ubuntu.