Macbook RAM use

[flyguy451]

I've had my Macbook for about 10 days and I've noticed something that seems odd about the RAM use. I bought a standard 1.83 and ordered/installed 2GB RAM from OWC. It was very straight forward to install and the new RAM immediately showed up in the system profile.

So anyway, it seems that the machine is not using all the memory. I don't use any professional video editing software but I have tried to load the system by simultaneously running several games, Safari, iTunes, Google Earth and AstroGrav (an astronomy simulator) and I just can't get the machine to use more than 1 GB of RAM. The processor speed steps up to 1.83, the temp goes 85 degrees, the CPU use shows 100% but I still have 1 GB (or more) of "Free" RAM.

I read all the threads here on Macrumors and I remember there was some discussion after the Macbook first came out about how much of the system RAM could be allocated for graphics use. It would seem that there is a hard limit and I am really wondering now if it was a waste of money to buy more than 1 GB of RAM if it can't be used efficiently, or at all, by the machine.

Can anyone suggest a combination of programs to run that would force the system to use more of the RAM - is it even worthwhile having it?

Here's a picture of Activity Monitor and CoreDuoTemp. Just seconds before I snapped it the CPU usage was at 100% and Free RAM was 1.02 GB but it's hard to capture that exact moment.

 

[brbubba]

I wonder what the status is on one of those sticks in the system profiler. You sure one of them isn't loose?

 

[flyguy451]

They are both functional as far as system profiler goes. Both are seated properly, I believe.

 

[Heb1228]

They are both working if they show up in Activity Monitor.

It will use all of your memory if you give it some time. Here are some suggestions to take full advantage of your available memory.

1. Don't restart your computer. Just put it to sleep when not in use.

2. Don't quit apps. If you're done using Safari, just close the window, don't quit Safari altogether. Plus, you won't have to wait for apps to load. I lleave Address Book, iCal, Mail, Safari, Firefox, Photoshop, Word, iPhoto and several others open constantly on my machine. No waiting for those apps to load when I need them.

Those are more general use suggestions. To really try and push your memory:

Open up several tabs in Safari.
Open some very large image files in Photoshop, or Preview.
Render some video files.
Load up Dashboard with plenty of Widgets.