2GB not enough? Screenshot Inside

[crisito]

I have the new 13 inch Air with 4GB but I'm going to switch to 11 inch. The only thing is, I don't know whether I need 2GB or 4GB. Any time I look at the Activity Monitor it says I'm using over 2GB of RAM, even though I'm not doing that much the MacBook.

Am I correct in saying that only the 'Active' memory is actually being used?

Though even 1.5GB being used seems like a lot for the few things that I have running.

 

[neteng101]

Ditch Chrome - although Firefox is another memory hog.

 

[bcaslis]

Can't see all the programs running but yes you are using over 2GB. Assuming you want to run the same number on the 11" then you should get 4GB.

 

[shootingrubber]

I have the new 13 inch Air with 4GB but I'm going to switch to 11 inch. The only thing is, I don't know whether I need 2GB or 4GB. Any time I look at the Activity Monitor it says I'm using over 2GB of RAM, even though I'm not doing that much the MacBook.

Am I correct in saying that only the 'Active' memory is actually being used?

Though even 1.5GB being used seems like a lot for the few things that I have running.

Get 4GB of RAM.

 

[T4R06]

what are those chrome renderer? id rather use safari. those are killing your system. use safari and install clicktoflash

 

[crisito]

Not sure what they are - they just open when Chrome is open. I can see now that Chrome uses over 500mb more than Safari.


I'd like to use Safari but I hate the fact that there are two bars, instead of an omnibar like on Chrome, it improves productivity a lot.

 

[NotAHater]

Another vote for STOP USING CHROME and it all gets better for you....

 

[crisito]

I've just done a reboot, and opened all the usual apps that I use, but opened Safari instead of Chrome and now I'm only using 1.4GB.

Looks like I can stick with 2GB afterall.

I just wish Safari had a Omnibar.

 

[hleewell]

Safari+ Mac OS X + ClicktoFlash = The Way Forward

Personally, I have nothing against Flash. They look great
in those customized corporate websites promoting
their brand or product. You know you are expecting elegant
slideshow, and tasteful music when you click in. But I have a
problem with those super-loud, tacky Ads that come bursting
into my private sanctuary without warning in every blog or
free website I visit. ClickToFlash has come to my aid.
If you want longer battery life while surfing outside your home,
disable Flash completely with this plug-in.

 

[mulo]

what are those chrome renderer? id rather use safari. those are killing your system. use safari and install clicktoflash

safari is an extreme memory hog too, like most all browsers.
had it use over 3.2GB before.

Not sure what they are - they just open when Chrome is open.

chrome opens a new rendering engine every time you open a new tab, the advantage to this is that if one page crashes (Flash) then it doesnt crash the whole browser.

 

[NotAHater]

I've just done a reboot, and opened all the usual apps that I use, but opened Safari instead of Chrome and now I'm only using 1.4GB.

Looks like I can stick with 2GB afterall.

I just wish Safari had a Omnibar.

Glad to hear it! You have to understand that Google and Apple are market competitors, and Google HATES Apple. They want to offer you a product that *looks* good, but it's gonna make your Mac run poorly. And when it does where else can you look? Perhaps at an Android powered device??

 

[T4R06]

I've just done a reboot, and opened all the usual apps that I use, but opened Safari instead of Chrome and now I'm only using 1.4GB.

Looks like I can stick with 2GB afterall.

I just wish Safari had a Omnibar.

man, you wont regret the 11" its like ipad with keys. if you fold its super portable.

i have the 2GB only 128ssd and i ran a lot of stuff but there is no slowing down!

 

[nfl46]

Google Chrome is the issue. It's known.

 

[The Toddfather]

Safari+ Mac OS X + ClicktoFlash = The Way Forward

+1, plus 4G RAM

 

[EspressoLove]

I've just done a reboot, and opened all the usual apps that I use, but opened Safari instead of Chrome and now I'm only using 1.4GB.

Looks like I can stick with 2GB afterall.

I wouldn't think so, 1.4GB is only to load your config to start with.
But do yourself a favor - watch Activity Monitor (while not touching Chrome) - you'll see it quickly creep past 2GB

And remember, you don't have 2 or 4 gigs, you stuck with 1.75 or 3.75GB respectively.

 

[teerexx52]

I have the new 13 inch Air with 4GB but I'm going to switch to 11 inch. The only thing is, I don't know whether I need 2GB or 4GB. Any time I look at the Activity Monitor it says I'm using over 2GB of RAM, even though I'm not doing that much the MacBook.

Am I correct in saying that only the 'Active' memory is actually being used?

Though even 1.5GB being used seems like a lot for the few things that I have running.

I never had that much memory used with my 13" that had 2GB of memory. On my 11" with 4gb I'm using 1.33 right now

 

[EspressoLove]

BTW, it would be interesting to see what 2GB configs show under Memory tab in System Profiler - does it show like you have two banks of RAM?
because if it shows only one, you get one channel only - and it being shared with 320M - sucks big time!

 

[xlii]

You are using 2.58 GB. But you are not really using that much. The OS doesn't free up memory until it needs to, so it just keeps pages that were recently used but are no longer being used in memory... just in case.

Now do you need 2 or 4 GB? Harder to answer. A light user only needs 2 GB. I would get 4 GB as that is the standard size machines come with today. Programs being written today assume you have 4 GB.

 

[crisito]

BTW, it would be interesting to see what 2GB configs show under Memory tab in System Profiler - does it show like you have two banks of RAM?
because if it shows only one, you get one channel only - and it being shared with 320M - sucks big time!

Yes it shows 2.

 

[crisito]

I'll keep an eye on Activity Monitor up until I get the 11-inch then I'll decide what I need, 2 or 4GB.

I think it will stay under 1.75 using Safari.

 

[fyrefly]

I've just done a reboot, and opened all the usual apps that I use, but opened Safari instead of Chrome and now I'm only using 1.4GB.

Looks like I can stick with 2GB afterall.

I just wish Safari had a Omnibar.

Would you really sacrifice your day-to-day usability for the ~$100 or less that it costs to upgrade to 4GB of RAM? Over two years of owning the machine, you'll be spending less than 14 cents a day. Is that worth it?

And as other posters have said - wait till you start watching videos in Safari, and multiple tabs, etc... You'll see that memory creep back up.

The big thing to watch for is "Page Outs" - that's the RAM writing to the SSD (or HD in many other laptops) 'cause it's full. You have no page-outs in your system right now... but go down to 2GB and you will. I certainly did on the 11" I had before I returned it. And that was with minimal programs (Word, Final Draft, Safari)

 

[justaregularjoe]

Glad to hear it! You have to understand that Google and Apple are market competitors, and Google HATES Apple. They want to offer you a product that *looks* good, but it's gonna make your Mac run poorly. And when it does where else can you look? Perhaps at an Android powered device??

I struggle to find the logic in this post.

If a company wanted to promote themselves to users of another system, why would they create software such that use of it causes poor performance? Especially when they do not actually have a system on which it runs particularly fast to turn to?

Example: iTunes. Apple made iTunes available for PCs and streamlined the experience as much as possible so that Windows users could see what they were missing out on. Now what if Apple had made iTunes nice and fast for Mac OS, but then made it nice looking but slow as molasses on Windows? Windows users would not only not buy iPods, they would avoid Mac OS like the plague, thinking that it as slow as software.

Do I have a point here, or am I just insane?

 

[EspressoLove]

I'll keep an eye on Activity Monitor up until I get the 11-inch then I'll decide what I need, 2 or 4GB.

I think it will stay under 1.75 using Safari.

The big thing to watch for is "Page Outs" - that's the RAM writing to the SSD (or HD in many other laptops) 'cause it's full. You have no page-outs in your system right now... but go down to 2GB and you will. I certainly did on the 11" I had before I returned it. And that was with minimal programs (Word, Final Draft, Safari)

I have a hunch (didn't had time to research thoroughly) - that repeated page-outs will stress SSD quite hard.
I assume it would make few gigs (I have 3.86GB over 3 days - even having 4GB RAM) difference every day or unnecessary stress on SSD.

It's true that page-ins happen times faster on SSD, almost to a point of no perceptible difference, but you pay with page-outs that eat away at your SSD for that.

 

[zub3qin]

I have a hunch (didn't had time to research thoroughly) - that repeated page-outs will stress SSD quite hard.
I assume it would make few gigs (I have 3.86GB over 3 days - even having 4GB RAM) difference every day or unnecessary stress on SSD.

It's true that page-ins happen times faster on SSD, almost to a point of no perceptible difference, but you pay with page-outs that eat away at your SSD for that.

This makes sense to me. But are ANY page-outs bad, or is there a ratio of Pageins to Pageouts one needs to look at? On my Macbook, my ratio is about 4:1. So it makes me think 2GB RAM may be enough. Or is that not true?

 

[SidBala]

Just get 4GB.