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
39
votes
13answers
25k views
Is there a Mac OS X Terminal version of the “free” command in Linux systems?
On Linux, I often use the free command to see the current amount of free and used memory in the system. For example:
$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
...
29
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 ...
23
votes
2answers
9k views
What's the difference between Real, Virtual, Shared, and Private Memory?
The different columns in Activity Monitor are a little confusing
18
votes
2answers
7k views
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 ...
17
votes
1answer
3k views
Why ever does Parallels 8 recommend max 4 GB RAM for a VM?
I'm a VMware Fusion user and am trying out Parallels since VMware has some quirks that are annoying on Mountain Lion on a retina MacBook Pro (16 GB RAM).
I'm wondering about the baffling Parallels ...
16
votes
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 ...
16
votes
5answers
5k views
Is RAM upgrade worth it if I have an SSD already?
I recently purchased a Macbook Pro. I had an SSD from my last computer which I formatted, installed into my Mac, and used as my one and only HD (I don't need that much space so I didn't opt to do the ...
14
votes
2answers
4k views
kernel_task using *way* too much memory
I have a 2008 Mac Mini with 4 GB of RAM. Recently (post installation of Lion), it started to behave extremely sluggishly, so I used Activity Monitor to see what was using up the system resources. ...
13
votes
4answers
6k views
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 ...
13
votes
2answers
5k 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 ...
11
votes
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 ...
11
votes
2answers
3k views
What does FreeMemory actually do?
There's a highly-rated app on the Mac App Store called FreeMemory. It claims to be able to "increase your free memory with a simple click." Although it's free right now, I believe it normally goes ...
9
votes
2answers
325 views
Recover in-memory Pages data from failed hibernation wakeup
My girlfriend's Macbook crashed while attempting to restore from a hibernated file. The progress bar stopped at ~10%, after which we restarted the computer for a normal startup.
This hibernated ...
8
votes
3answers
361 views
How do I automatically kill processes that leak memory?
I have problems with processes that leak memory. They cause my hard drive to be filled with swap files in /private/var/vm.
I would like leaking processes to be killed at sight by the OS. I’m not ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
How does memory management work in Mac OS X?
I am a university student who has been trying to write a compare and contrast paper between how Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X manage memory. For instance, with Windows, it's physical memory (RAM) and ...
7
votes
3answers
375 views
Why is my RAM nearly fully used?
I bought a Macbook Pro 15 inches 3 months ago. It's running on Mac OS X Snow Leopard and it has 4GB of RAM.
I consider having a fair use of this computer :
- surfing (Chrome)
- developing (Fraise)
- ...
7
votes
4answers
6k views
Safari is using too much RAM. How can I reduce its memory footprint?
I'm finding Safari (Latest - v5.0.2) to be even more of a memory hog than usual. (Currently using 465mb of RAM with only this tab open, but having been running for a while)
Closing it and ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Can I put more than 8GB of Ram in a MacBook Pro 5.1
I have a 5.1 MacBook Pro (5.1 Model Late 2008) with 4GB of Ram. All the apple documentation I can find that the maximum supported for this model is 8GB of RAM (2 x 4GB). Has anyone tried to put bigger ...
7
votes
2answers
414 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 ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Why is it that my Mac would rather swap than clear inactive memory?
Why is it that my Mac (running 10.8 Mountain Lion) 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 ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
Can I install 16GB RAM on quad-core MacBook Pro?
I'm planning to buy a new MacBook Pro with quad-core. And I want to install 16GB on it. But there is only 8GB options on Apple's website. Is this possible?
6
votes
4answers
2k views
How much RAM can I add to my macbook
I have a 2008 macbook with a 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.
I am in the process of upgrading to Lion.
I currently have 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
What's the maximum amount of RAM I can put in and it have an ...
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)
...
6
votes
2answers
2k 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:
...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Glitches in OS X - memory or ssd?
My laptop is Macbook pro 15', Early 2011, with an SSD drive - OCZ Agility 3 240GB. I changed my memory too to 16GB (Corsair from Amazon).
I experience glitches:
Also Skype refuses to launch. I ...
6
votes
1answer
610 views
Why does OS X use virtual memory when I still have free RAM?
I have this awesome MacBook Pro with 8 GB of RAM. When I open up Activity Monitor it would seem that I have plenty of RAM available, but my computer seems to prefer to use virtual memory for many ...
6
votes
2answers
688 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 ...
6
votes
1answer
5k views
Why is mds using so much Real Memory?
I notice that mds is almost always on top for use of Real Memory. I wouldn't mind if this wouldn't be also the case when Free Memory runs out.
Usually mds uses over 600MB on a system with 4GB (I ...
5
votes
3answers
8k views
Why can Mac OS X 32-bit access all 4GB of memory, while Windows 32-bit can't?
I don't understand why Mac OS X 32-bit kernel can access all 4GB of memory (and even more) while Windows 32-bit can only work with ~ 3,3 GB, and for using more than 4GB you need 64-bit Windows. Even ...
5
votes
2answers
711 views
The free vs. inactive memory ratio on a Mac with 16 GB RAM has me concerned
I am looking for clarification since I am seeing large allocations of RAM on my Mac. I have 16 GB of RAM and recently installed Windows 7 on Parallels. When the machine runs, I see 3.55 GB Free memory ...
5
votes
5answers
4k views
How can I increase command line memory_limit for PHP with MAMP PRO?
I've edited every single php.ini on my mac (at least all the ones found by "locate") and still can't seem to increase the "memory_limit" directive for PHP.
I'm using MAMP PRO and running PHP scripts ...
5
votes
2answers
573 views
Did they increase RAM in iPad 2?
Since there was no hint about more RAM during the presentation yesterday, did anyone find out if they stay with 256 or (like iPhone 4) increased it at least up to 512?
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
1answer
261 views
Do I need to do anything after upgrading my RAM?
I just replaced a 1GB RAM stick in my 2007-era Macbook Pro with a 2GB RAM stick. It already had Mountain Lion installed on it.
Is there anything I need to do like configuring something in System ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
Will Early 2009 iMac accept faster-than-spec RAM?
I am looking to upgrade the RAM on my Early 2009 iMac from 4GB to 8GB. According to the memory specifications it accepts PC3-8500 204-pin SO-DIMMs. However, will the iMac accept faster RAM (e.g. ...
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 ...
5
votes
1answer
743 views
Mixing memory sizes
I'm looking at upgrading the memory in my mid-2011 iMac. Is there any problem with sticking in 2 4GB modules alongside the existing 2GB modules?
5
votes
1answer
672 views
Intel Mac mini - maximum RAM Upgrade
I have a Mac mini with a Core 2 Duo processor (2.4 Ghz). I plan to upgrade the RAM in my Mac mini. Currently, it has 2GB right now, 1GB per slot (2 slots total). I would like to buy a new 4GB for a ...
5
votes
1answer
3k views
Testing a MacBook Pro's RAM upgrade
What are the best possible RAM tests that can be run on a MacBook Pro (Early 2011 running Mountain Lion) after upgrading RAM from 4 GB to 16 GB?
I see there a quite a few tools out there and the ...
5
votes
2answers
922 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
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
6answers
5k 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
How do I check how many RAM slots I have in use?
I own a 2010 13" macbook, and I'd like to do a RAM update from 2gb to 4gb.
Before I buy brand new 2x2gb ram, I'd like to make sure that my macbook has 2x1gb or 1x2gb ram slots. I mean, if both slots ...
4
votes
3answers
744 views
What is a trustworthy 2x4GB RAM for MacBook Pro 15" 2.4Mhz Core i5?
I'm looking to upgrade memory from 4GB to 8GB on my MacBook Pro 15" 2.4Mhz Core i5.
I've been looking at Mushkin 8GB RAM on NewEgg, but it's been getting bad reviews lately for not working properly ...
4
votes
2answers
8k views
Can I use 1333 MHz RAM in a 1067 MHz MacBook Pro?
I've got a MacBook Pro from mid 2010 (6,2) and there is 2GB DDR3 RAM at 1067 MHz installed. I want to upgrade to 8GB but with 1333MHz as speed. Is this possible? Can my Mac support this kind of speed ...
4
votes
2answers
127 views
Is there a way to receive a warning if memory is running low?
Sometimes I get tab happy with Google Chrome which chews up a lot of memory and slows down the system. Is there a way to get a warning when free memory falls below a certain threshold? That way I can ...
4
votes
2answers
727 views
What should I do with my original RAM after an upgrade?
I just upgraded my 13" MacBook Pro (mid-2009) from 2 GB of memory to 8 GB of RAM. What a difference!
I'm wondering what I can/should do with the old sticks.
4
votes
4answers
457 views
Does it make sense to Quit apps before Sleep?
Will quitting (Cmd+Q) large apps before closing the MacBook lid make getting up and running again faster?
I have the impression that my MacBook needs more time to recover from sleep if I have large, ...
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 ...
