So I am super new, not only to ubuntu, but also to VirtualBox. I have Linux/Unix experience, though I would not call it particularly strong experience. I have recently installed ubuntu using VirtualBox on my windows 8 home machine. I used all of the default download settings. It unfortunately runs supppper slowly.

While trying to figure out my problem, I am reading a lot of similar posts that offer that the problem is a game engine called Unity 2D/Unity 3D, but most of the time, when someone mentions that it is the cause of the problem the person asking the question says "OF COURSE, good answer." Which isn't particularly helpful to me, as a new user. Otherwise I have read that it could be my graphics card, VGA driver, memory allocation or something to do with guest admissions AND Unity. I really have no clue which of these could actually be causing me trouble so I was hoping someone could walk me through common problem solving tasks.

I installed Ubuntu through VirtualBox. Base memory 512 MB, video memory 12 MB. My computer: Surface Pro 4 GB of installed mem, 64 bit operating.

Note: Changing base mem to 1000MB did not allow for much faster speeds.
Can anyone guide me through some steps to solve this matter?