4 ms·

That is a sensible approach, to be honest. RAM is there to be used, not to increase the stats when the computer is idle. Doesn’t Windows do more or less the sam

That is a sensible approach, to be honest. RAM is there to be used, not to increase the stats when the computer is idle. Doesn’t Windows do more or less the same thing? I know my Linux workstation is caching a lot of stuff in the available memory as well.

Dalewyn 2y ago
>Doesn’t Windows do more or less the same thing? Yes, since at least Windows Vista it's been very aggressive about caching into free RAM. It isn't complained about that often because Windows counts that RAM as "standby" RAM together with free RAM.
gruez 2y ago
If you check the screenshot, you'll clearly see that "cached files" is reported separately and doesn't count towards "memory used".
- boomboomsubban 2y ago
  >doesn't count towards "memory used". Where does it indicate that?
  - gruez 2y ago
    1. there's a notch to the right of "memory used", indicating that what's to the right of it makes up "memory used" 2. "app memory", "wired memory", and "cached files" added together exceeds "memory used", suggesting that not all of them can make up "used memory". 3. apple's own docs: https://web.archive.org/web/20200415041837/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201464 https://web.archive.org/web/20200415041837/https://support.a...
    - boomboomsubban 2y ago
      For 1 and 2, "cached" could refer to a portion of app and/or wired memory used that is available to be reused. It's not clear from the screenshot what cached means. 3 isn't in the screenshot, but does vaguely imply cached and app memory are different. It doesn't directly say whether cached is counted in memory used though. The linked "for more information" makes it less clear. For example, how does purgeable memory fit into the "app memory" "wired memory" and "cached files" distinction? In another post you mention having ten tabs opening and the system freezing. If that's happening, there's probably a memory issue. I'm not sure Mac's resource monitor showing ~half your memory "used" means there is a problem.
      - gruez 2y ago
        >The linked "for more information" makes it less clear. For example, how does purgeable memory fit into the "app memory" "wired memory" and "cached files" distinction? I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "purgeable memory", because it hasn't been referenced earlier in this comment chain, and it's not in the OP either. My guess is that of the things listed, only "cached files" can be quickly freed if more memory is needed. You can technically "purge" app memory by compressing/swaping out to disk, but that's much more expensive.
        boomboomsubban 2y ago
        From your link, >For more information about memory management, refer to the Apple Developer website. http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Performance/Conceptual/ManagingMemory/Articles/AboutMemory.html http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Perform...

Dalewyn 2y ago

>Doesn’t Windows do more or less the same thing? Yes, since at least Windows Vista it's been very aggressive about caching into free RAM. It isn't complained about that often because Windows counts that RAM as "standby" RAM together with free RAM.

gruez 2y ago

If you check the screenshot, you'll clearly see that "cached files" is reported separately and doesn't count towards "memory used".

boomboomsubban 2y ago
>doesn't count towards "memory used". Where does it indicate that?
- gruez 2y ago
  1. there's a notch to the right of "memory used", indicating that what's to the right of it makes up "memory used" 2. "app memory", "wired memory", and "cached files" added together exceeds "memory used", suggesting that not all of them can make up "used memory". 3. apple's own docs: https://web.archive.org/web/20200415041837/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201464 https://web.archive.org/web/20200415041837/https://support.a...
  - boomboomsubban 2y ago
    For 1 and 2, "cached" could refer to a portion of app and/or wired memory used that is available to be reused. It's not clear from the screenshot what cached means. 3 isn't in the screenshot, but does vaguely imply cached and app memory are different. It doesn't directly say whether cached is counted in memory used though. The linked "for more information" makes it less clear. For example, how does purgeable memory fit into the "app memory" "wired memory" and "cached files" distinction? In another post you mention having ten tabs opening and the system freezing. If that's happening, there's probably a memory issue. I'm not sure Mac's resource monitor showing ~half your memory "used" means there is a problem.
    - gruez 2y ago
      >The linked "for more information" makes it less clear. For example, how does purgeable memory fit into the "app memory" "wired memory" and "cached files" distinction? I'm not sure what exactly you mean by "purgeable memory", because it hasn't been referenced earlier in this comment chain, and it's not in the OP either. My guess is that of the things listed, only "cached files" can be quickly freed if more memory is needed. You can technically "purge" app memory by compressing/swaping out to disk, but that's much more expensive.
      - boomboomsubban 2y ago
        From your link, >For more information about memory management, refer to the Apple Developer website. http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Performance/Conceptual/ManagingMemory/Articles/AboutMemory.html http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Perform...