Using up all my RAM?
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- freedom
My computer seems slower lately so I downloaded a program called CleanMyMac and it says I'm using about 90% of my RAM. I only have PS and Chrome open and a few notes.
Activity monitor doesn't show anything unusual but everything is slow. What is using my RAM? Is this a glitch?
- utopian0
I had a similar problem last year with my Mac. I downloaded and installed the latest OS and my RAM problem was resolved.
- VectorMasked2
Avoid installing that kind of crappy software like CleanMyMac.
They don't do much at all, and they are just simply more garbage you have to store on your hard drive making your system even slower. Some of them even have malware and files you won't be able to delete even if if you think you completely removed them.The only software I would recommend is Onyx. It's just for basic maintenance. Doesn't slow down the OS. A lot of the things it does can also be done in Utilities (Disk utility, etc...).
Check "Activity Monitor". You might see what is using a lot of ram.
I'd do 2 things...
1) Make sure you have a backup of all your files. You never know if this is sign that the hard drive is starting to fail.
2) Download "Tidy Up!" and start by cleaning your hard drives. It'll find duplicates of files, empty folders, empty files... Get rid of all the crap you don't need. You might gain a few GB by deleting duplicates and empty files. I would then Repair disk permissions and execute maintenance scripts and I would also install Onyx to get delete Cache, logs, etc... You'd free a couple of GB after doing this.
See how the system performs after this for a couple of days.
If your system is still slow, I'd would just do a clean install and start fresh again.
- Don't install clean my mac. i thought it's a malware isn't it?pango
- go to your terminal and type in "sudo purge" it's the same thing. and safer.pango
- well not exctly the same thing but same as "FreeMyRam" apppango
- If you hold down D while your mac is booting it will go into diagnostic mode and you can tell if your hard drive if failing.zarkonite
- mekk0
Chrome uses a lot of ram recently, try another browser before going deeper in your system's settings..
- i use onetab in chrome for this very reasonjaylarson
- Yeah, I dumped Chrome after it started causing merry hell when I had C4D and Photoshop running. Safari runs at a whisper in comparison,face_melter
- jaylarson1
use terminal. "sudo purge" is your friend. i've found yosemite does an amazing job old machine and its 16gb or ram. i rarely have to purge the ram anymore.
- zombee0
Had the same problem with my Mac at work. Slow as hell, constantly running out of RAM, yet Activity Monitor showed no problems.
Turned out it was from when I 'upgraded' my 2009 Mac Pro from Mavericks to Yosemite, rather than doing a clean install.
After much swearing, I decided to do a clean install of the system, and everything been as smooth as butter ever since. Might be worth a shot.
- pango1
terminal -> sudo purge
- vaxorcist0
If chrome, or any user is hogging RAM, try a flash block and an ad block plugin, as often some badly written scripting in an ad is slowly using up more and more RAM
- kona1
I downloaded and installed a program called TotallyNotMalware MacBlaster to increase it's speed.
Since then it's changed my curser into a set of DDD milk jugs and has changed all my computer folders to naked women.
I'm not complaining. I highly recommend.
- Gnash0
i've been using an app called "memory clean" (avail in the app store)it frees up memory and. more importantly, show you the real hogs.
no jugs, though
- section_0140
Try clearing your PRam too.
You may have a bad RAM stick too. I know that any Linux live disk has memory check software built in. Not sure if OSX has something similar though.
- zarkonite0
How much RAM do you have installed on your computer?
- ArchitectofFate0
4gb with new ps cc, nice...
whattabout getting 8gb more and switch that old rotating hd which i guess by now could wake the dead when used? for a standard sized ssd?I'm running:
a mid 2010 Imac of the bigger kind
2,93 GHz Intel Core i7
12 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 5750 1024 MB
with a 250ssd, and shit is running smooooth ( and virtually silent)
- nb0
I had the same problem.
1. Get another 4GB of RAM and an SSD. Costs money, but everything will work better.
2. Use Safari or Firefox instead of Chrome. Chrome on Mac is shit. No browser is worth the resources that it uses.
- Safari uses a gig of memory too!monospaced
- On my machine it's using less than 0.35 GBnb
- jaylarson0
can you replace the ram on a 21"?
- raf1
Since about Mavericks the OS is optimised to make the apps take up all the RAM they can so none of it is left unused. This approach makes the apps work faster and limits swaps to virtual memory to a necessary minimum. If an app needs more RAM or a new one gets launched, only then the memory is getting freed up for it.
So, if you have an app that monitors RAM usage and all of your RAM is in use, don't panic, it is how it is supposed to be.
- ok_not_ok0
Disable Filevault if you have it on