Memory normally refers to RAM. Temporary, high-speed storage used to keep frequently accessed information available for use and helps keep the computer running smoothly
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What does it mean if I have lots of “Inactive” memory at the end of a work day?
After a day's of work at my MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.6.5, Activity Monitor shows that the majority of my computer's 8 GB of memory is "Inactive", and only a tiny sliver of the pie chart is ...
16
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5answers
6k views
What is wired memory?
I'm trying to figure out what is using all of the memory in my Macbook Pro running OS X Lion. I have 8 GB of memory total. When I quit all active programs except Finder and Activity Monitor, then run ...
23
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2answers
8k views
What's the difference between Real, Virtual, Shared, and Private Memory?
The different columns in Activity Monitor are a little confusing
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2answers
668 views
Trouble Understanding Inactive Memory in MacOSX
I thought that I understood how MacOSX manages memory, but recently I’ve become baffled by its performance. Here is the situation:
I have a brand new Core i7 system with 8GB of physical memory ...
11
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2answers
2k views
Can I force my Mac to make better use of the inactive memory?
I use mysql and it takes up to 2.5 GB of my ram. I checked activity monitor and saw that I have 1GB of inactive memory but it never changes even if I have only 10MB active free memory. Is there any ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Using memory with a higher MHz rating?
Can MacBook Pro's successfully support and fully exploit RAM of a higher MHz rating than that which they ship with?
For example, take my 15" MacBook Pro (Late 2011) that ships with 4GB of 1333MHz ...
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2answers
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Isn't Inactive memory a waste of resources?
I'm looking for explanation of memory usage on my machine especially in light of the example in this screenshot below:
I understand what is Free and Active means
But what are the meanings of Wired ...
4
votes
6answers
4k views
Macbook Pro Upgrade - 16GB RAM or 128GB SSD
I am asking myself which constellation is better: should I stock up my RAM up to 16GB (from 8GB), or should I buy a SSD with 128GB??
I really dont know :/
Cheers!
BTW: My macbook supports 16GB ...
3
votes
2answers
500 views
Why might more memory be wired in safe mode than in normal mode?
Maybe more noticeable in Lion and Mountain Lion, than in Snow Leopard and earlier versions of the operating system:
in safe mode, an unexpectedly large amount of wired memory.
Question
Why ...
7
votes
2answers
386 views
How can virtual memory be greater than the total available space?
Why does my MBP sometimes report VM Size: 300+ GB in Activity Monitor under System Memory tab, when my hard disk size is only 250 GB (total) and RAM is 4GB? I know it can't magically get that extra ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Why does Finder use 59GB of swap space?
My new retina MacBook Pro(with 16GB RAM) keeps receiving this "Your Mac OS X startup disk has no more space available for application memory" message. I have 300 GB of free space on my hard drive, and ...
2
votes
1answer
148 views
How to prevent OSX from allocating as much virtual memory as there is space available on the hard drive?
I recently had data loss because the hard drive was completely used up by virtual memory and some programs couldn’t handle zero free space on the hard drive. How can I prevent this from happening ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
Apple-Certified RAM?
I'm planning to upgrade my RAM in my MacBook Pro (Late 2008) from the base 2GB to 4GB. I'm planning to buy RAM from Kingston.
There's two types of Kingston 1066 2GB RAM here. (Laptop-sized RAM)
...
3
votes
1answer
631 views
MacBook Pro Memory
This relates to my previous question regarding my MacBook Pro. http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/1450/macbook-pro-will-not-start-or-quits
I need to replace one of my 2G DIMMs and in shopping ...
1
vote
2answers
222 views
Can an 2009 iMac have an odd total amount of RAM?
I have an iMac 20-inch early 2009 model. There is 2 GB of RAM (2 x 1 GB sticks).
Can I upgrade the amount of memory to 3 GB, replacing just one of the two RAM sticks?
7
votes
1answer
928 views
Why is it that my Mac would rather swap than clear inactive memory?
Why is it that my Mac would rather swap than clear inactive memory? I know people say that the Mac OS manages itself and whatever, but there is a serious performance dip when my MacBook starts ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Disable inactive memory swapping
Background:
OSX keeps some information in RAM that is no longer used, but was recently used. This is called inactive memory, and is intended to improve user experience by speeding up some actions:
...
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votes
2answers
4k views
Why do Apple's latest MacBook Pros cap the RAM limit at 8GB?
According to apple's latest documentation (at the time of writing), the cap on the newest MacBook Pros is 8GB RAM.
The Mac Pros, however, can take up to 32GB RAM.
So, why do the MacBooks have this ...
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votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a real benefit to removing applications from the iOS multitasking bar?
Sometimes, if my iOS device (ipad or ipod touch) is acting sketchy or slow, I will bring up the multitasking bar (double-press the home button) and then remove items from that multitasking bar (do a ...
23
votes
2answers
5k views
Does the new Macbook Pro with Retina display have user-upgradeable RAM?
I'm interested in purchasing the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, but it's not clear from the tech specs page whether the RAM is user-upgradeable or not.
Do I need to take into account future RAM ...
3
votes
4answers
733 views
Where are good places to buy RAM (memory) for a Mac?
What reputable stores exist for purchasing RAM for a Mac?
2
votes
2answers
942 views
Is it a problem if kernel_task is routinely above 130MB on mid 2007 white MacBook?
In trying to get the best performance possible out of this old guy, I've been looking into Activity Monitor more and more. kernel_task is usually above 130MB (142.9MB right now). Is this abnormal? If ...
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votes
2answers
2k views
Can the mid-2010 Macbook support more than 4GB of RAM?
I know of sites that sell 8GB sets for the MacBook. Apple states that they can have up to 4GB. One of my co-workers got her first gen MacBook to 6GB. Can anyone confirm that 8GB is recognized in last ...
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votes
2answers
2k views
Can I use 16 GB RAM with my MacBook Pro 7,1?
I just picked up 16GB of RAM for my MacBook Pro, running the newest OS X. According to the NewEgg reviews, it should work in it. However, once I boot up, it shows the Apple logo and, after a few ...
5
votes
2answers
855 views
Way to limit how much RAM an arbitrary process can take up?
Lets say we have a OS X machine running with 4 GB of RAM. Is it possible to set it up so no single process can take up more than say, 3 GB, so no matter how memory hogging a process is, there's always ...
5
votes
6answers
10k views
Can I use 16GB DDR3-1600MHz RAM in an early Macbook Pro 8.2?
I found Macs which had:
16GB RAM installed
8GB RAM installed, but running on 1600MHz instead of 1333MHz (link in dutch)
Question
Is it possible to put 16GB running at 1600MHz in my Mac?
If ...
5
votes
4answers
13k views
Startup disk has no more space available for application memory?
I purchased a new Macbook Pro (8,3) last April, and have been using it heavily for xcode development, and little else.
This morning a message popped up:
"Your Mac OS X startup disk has no more space ...
4
votes
4answers
9k views
Is it ok to mix 2 GB and 4 GB DIMMS in an iMac (mid 2011)?
I've been told it is important to use matching DIMMs when installing memory to take advantage of the 128 bit throughput. I'm looking to buy a new 27" iMac (mid 2011) which has 4 memory slots. If I put ...
3
votes
2answers
844 views
How to determine how much RAM I can put in my Mac Pro
I have a Mac Pro 4,1 (Dual 2.66Ghz, 6GB Ram). I want to increase the RAM, possibly adding 8GB to my existing 6GB. The RAM slots are used as follows:
SLOT1: 1GB
SLOT2: 1GB
SLOT3: 1GB
SLOT4: OPEN
...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Mac Pro Memory - Should I use 8 RAM slots in dual-channel mode or 6 RAM slots in triple-channel mode?
I have a Mac Pro tower with a 2 x 2.66 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon chipset, and 8 RAM slots. I have been told because of the processor's triple-channel memory capability that I should be installing RAM ...
2
votes
2answers
618 views
OS X Lion: 8GB of RAM, 20MB free
I have a Macbook Pro (early 2011) running OS X Lion and while running a few apps that only take up, say, 200 MBs of space each (Xcode, Spotify, and Photoshop), my wired memory shoots up to 1.4GB, my ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Why is my inactive memory not getting free?
When my MacBook Pro (13" 2010, Intel C2D 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM 1067 MHz DDR3, running Snow Leopard) runs out of free memory, instead of releasing inactive memory (which is mostly about 500 - 1000 MB), it ...
1
vote
4answers
5k views
MacBook Pro RAM upgrade is causing beeping sound?
I just upgraded the RAM in my MacBook Pro (15" 2 GHz Intel Core i7 - early 2011 model) from two 2gb modules to two 4gb modules. Started up just fine and ran great for about 10 minutes. Then the screen ...
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vote
2answers
397 views
Why is my memory still inactive after purging?
I'm trying to understand how memory is allocated on my machine. I have read, and believe I understand, these posts and associated links:
Trouble Understanding Inactive Memory in MacOSX, Inactive ...
