so i've got a rev D 12" powerbook with 1.25GB RAM. in activity viewer, it says there is generally b/t 150-500MB of physical RAM free. why, then, do i have a virtual memory total that is consistently over 5GB? id like to use my hard drive for, you know, files and stuff. anyone?
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virtual memory...?
- Thread starter freeorangeshoes
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Don't worry about how much space virtual memory takes (or seems to take).
Generally, only a fraction of it is actually used.
If you have enough files on your drive that you go below 5 GB free on your main drive, perhaps you might consider getting another one.
Generally, only a fraction of it is actually used.
If you have enough files on your drive that you go below 5 GB free on your main drive, perhaps you might consider getting another one.
well except its a powerbook, so i cant really just toss another one in there. i just would kind of like to know what my 1700 dollar computer is doing. i searched google, and nothing really popped up. could anyone explain this in a little more detail for a recent switcher like myself.
The total amount of Virtual Memory reported by Activity Monitor is not the same as the amount of VM swap space being used on your drive. The Activity Monitor is the combined VM space of all the running programs. In general they will be using a lot less RAM than their VM space. To see how many swap files you are using open the terminal and take a look in /var/vm (iirc, on a PC at work at the moment).