Why does windows use almost all the ram?

Edwin · Jul 24, 2023

martik777 said:
... 200 tabs open

I'm curious as to what these 200 tabs consist of and why you need them all open at the same time?
I assumed most people open a few tabs, investigate and/or harvest the necessary information then close them and move on to something else.

hdmi · Jul 24, 2023

glasskuter said:
Then you have no organization

Organization = overrated.

Auto Tab Discard

The 'Auto Tab Discard' extension is designed to automatically discard inactive tabs after a specified amount of time to reduce memory usage and prevent background scripts from consuming computational resources when it is not in use. This extension uses the native method for tab discarding, which...

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OneTab extension for Google Chrome and Firefox - save up to 95% memory and reduce tab clutter

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glasskuter · Jul 24, 2023

hdmi said:
Organization = overrated.

Just like with everything else it depends on the user's personal views. Being organized in computing can be nothing but beneficial to a computer user if one gets in the habit. I hate to veer @martik777 thread off into left field with this discussion but I think it applies since many people just don't know how to use good file management to make their computing life easier. (Think a desktop with a gazillion shortcuts and no rhyme or reason...shiver) Just makes no sense to me if one sits at his computer as much as I do every day.

Guess it depends on how one looks at it and the habits one forms with the first computer he gets. You may find my closets and kitchen drawers with things thrown in all willy nilly, but never my computer where I spend most of my time. But managing browser bookmarks (and especially the Bookmarks bar which is my daily user) is as easy as keeping ones files organized. Giving them meaningful names is as beneficial as using them. We should encourage users to use the native tools Windows and apps gives us. I believe that most who come here are interested in learning how.

Regarding extensions,there's one for just about every purpose these days. Using one to handle areas where one is lax is better than having 150 tabs, but extensions can sometimes hurt you more than they can help. The more extensions one uses, the more resources are used, they sometimes conflict with each other and butt heads, and they sometimes cause unforeseen results that can make a user chase his tail trying to troubleshoot. Many times the extension developers do not keep their extensions updated to coincide with the changes in the browser. So extensions are not always the end all, be all answer. The user is.

I use only 3 in Edge; Roboform, IDM, and Color Links. (I wouldn't use the latter if Edge would get on board with other browsers and offer the user a means to change his visited links to a different color). In FF I have only Roboform and IDM. Having a reasonable amount of 6-8 tabs and 2 browsers open at once my total system ram use normally runs around 8-9 gb. That's a far cry from the 28 gb use this poster reported.
Just my opinion and I'm stickin' to it, but I will concede, to each his own.

barman58 · Jul 24, 2023

I've always worked to a limit for open tabs in my browsers, but this is more about memory usage than numbers of tabs. I've done this for many years, but of course these days a high proportion of used memory is that used by the browser.

When designing a build I always look at my current memory usage, over a time, and where possible install twice as much memory into the new build, as I regularly find myself using, [this includes Browser and regular desktop programs] I Currently I have 64GB of ram which means that I can open most applications quickly when I need them without having to shut down other apps or Tabs in the browser

Just checked Task manager and I'm currently using 49% of my RAM - looks like I'm doing OK today

imanlien2020 · Jul 24, 2023

martik777 said:
Same 2 browsers open with ~200 tabs open + Firefox and tonight my RAM usage is 14.8GB (5GB for the 3 browsers) , very strange.

This was the typical RAM usage before I posted this thread a couple days ago. Maybe a Canary update or win11 update fixed it?

I get what you are doing, but just once, just once man, Close ALL your tabs and clear cache etc from all your browsers, restart you pc then open all your browsers to the main homepage without opening 200 tabs and lets see your memory/ram stats then. I think maybe do a screenshot side by side of before and after. I think alot of people here would enjoy seeing the results.

GavinH40 · Jul 24, 2023

martik777 said:
View attachment 65339

I think chrome over the years has become worse. Don't get me wrong, still way better than Firefox (just way too many sites dont like FF at the moment) but I personally find Edge to be better in many ways than Chrome. If you want a really efficient browser and not too worried about support, Dolphin browser could be a good idea.

hsehestedt · Jul 24, 2023

hdmi said:
No, an app that is─or that could be considered to be─well suited to run many threads is going to rely on shared memory between threads so as to avoid using more RAM than the required/recommended spec that (due to it actually matching what's intended by the design of the software in question), should be engendered by it being well suited, anyway to begin with.

But, different hardware combinations cry for different optimizations in software (and also in hardware). If, for example, a process has to keep lowering its CPU utilization to let the storage device or I/O catch up on time, then as long as the inherent conditions of this specific type of bottleneck can't be changed rapidly in any way that could be a more feasible method/approach/strategy, it might make sense to let additional memory be allocated by the process and/or other processes that can pass on the data (i.e between that I/O resource and it) with some actions─and that can be either temporarily or more permanently─like increasing the alotted cache size in memory, re-tuning the buffer depth and choosing larger pools of data that reside in memory, etc.. These complex variables can change at runtime so they can be monitored (and results can be analyzed, and can be analyzed on multiple different time scales over both short-term and long-term periods) in both hardware and software so various optimizations can, and are, engineered to attempt to uplift performance, with the added inclusion of uplifting it also dynamically on-the-fly.

Then again, in a typical/modern multi-tasking environment you also have to factor in performance of other processes that belong to other apps running on the system. They can be paused/resumed or some of them can be, BUT... in situations where pausing them also means that a part of the memory that they currently have in use will be freed up first so other tasks will have more available memory to work with, resuming them also means that some data might have to be loaded into memory again after. So, switching back to such a specific task can still be instant, but such a task might or might not─depending on factors─be a little less responsive and/or resource intensive during the first few moments from recovering in some ways (either gradually or boosted, that may also depend) after the switching event that causes the task to be resumed.

Heavier multi-threading also tends to increase software complexity level a lot. Which, in turn, makes it harder for software devs to build an app with better optimization/customization features, i.e., ones that don't use up all the RAM long before people can go to the pub on the corner to get a tab.

Good info.

pparks1 · Jul 24, 2023

Yikes, when I get more than about 10 tabs open, I get overwhelmed and have to close the browser out or at least close all the tabs. Not sure why i feel so overwhelmed with all those browser tabs, but I just don't like it.

barman58 · Jul 24, 2023

I start with 10 Tabs [For "work" purposes] that are all pinned plus I will open several more related tabs as the day passes, plus I will open the occasional tab to check something that's come to my attention on TV etc - it's never more than about 25 tabs and I do close the "extra" tabs as I finish with them

martik777 · Jul 24, 2023

imanlien2020 said:
I get what you are doing, but just once, just once man, Close ALL your tabs and clear cache etc from all your browsers, restart you pc then open all your browsers to the main homepage without opening 200 tabs and lets see your memory/ram stats then. I think maybe do a screenshot side by side of before and after. I think alot of people here would enjoy seeing the results.

I can't close all those tabs because it would take too much effort to recover them so I captured the processes at startup and with the 200 open tabs with 3 active browsers. They are only using an extra 6GB. For some reason my total memory usage has dropped to this normal 15-16GB from 28GB a few days ago. Clearing cache made no difference. Also, attached my "clean" desktop

Flashorn · Jul 24, 2023

Seems Vivaldy is serving you well. Glad you like it. I certainly do.

As for your clean desktop, I like the backdrop but, why not make a folder
and put all relevant icons in that folder. You can customize the folder
by Right clicking on the folder and choose Properties then Customize.
This way you can have an even cleaner desktop with all relevant icons
in one place.

hdmi · Jul 25, 2023

glasskuter said:
Just like with everything else it depends on the user's personal views. Being organized in computing can be nothing but beneficial to a computer user if one gets in the habit. I hate to veer @martik777 thread off into left field with this discussion but I think it applies since many people just don't know how to use good file management to make their computing life easier. (Think a desktop with a gazillion shortcuts and no rhyme or reason...shiver) Just makes no sense to me if one sits at his computer as much as I do every day.

Guess it depends on how one looks at it and the habits one forms with the first computer he gets. You may find my closets and kitchen drawers with things thrown in all willy nilly, but never my computer where I spend most of my time. But managing browser bookmarks (and especially the Bookmarks bar which is my daily user) is as easy as keeping ones files organized. Giving them meaningful names is as beneficial as using them. We should encourage users to use the native tools Windows and apps gives us. I believe that most who come here are interested in learning how.

Regarding extensions,there's one for just about every purpose these days. Using one to handle areas where one is lax is better than having 150 tabs, but extensions can sometimes hurt you more than they can help. The more extensions one uses, the more resources are used, they sometimes conflict with each other and butt heads, and they sometimes cause unforeseen results that can make a user chase his tail trying to troubleshoot. Many times the extension developers do not keep their extensions updated to coincide with the changes in the browser. So extensions are not always the end all, be all answer. The user is.

I use only 3 in Edge; Roboform, IDM, and Color Links. (I wouldn't use the latter if Edge would get on board with other browsers and offer the user a means to change his visited links to a different color). In FF I have only Roboform and IDM. Having a reasonable amount of 6-8 tabs and 2 browsers open at once my total system ram use normally runs around 8-9 gb. That's a far cry from the 28 gb use this poster reported.
Just my opinion and I'm stickin' to it, but I will concede, to each his own.

What I really meant was that the lay user (and even those who might think that they are experienced enough) can spend all day and all of the night trying to figure out how to organize various stuff and be successful at it, only to find out later that the features that they used to achieve it can suddenly be changed by some kind of conspicuous object that came attached to a weather balloon the presumed purpose of which is to test people's organizational skills by measuring the time it takes before it gets shot from the sky. With fighter jets. For example, if your Windows 7/8/8.1/10 taskbar has a feature called Taskbar Toolbars that you can use like a steering wheel to organize your navigation on Windows, then some Microsoft employee might come up with the similar idea of─in Windows 11─replacing this steering wheel with a slice of cabbage. The consolation prize being, that it is a native cabbage. Just sayin'...

Auto Discard Tabs is an addon the only goal of which is the exact opposite of what you describe when you say that using more addons causes the browser to use more resources. What's more, the two addons that I linked to in my reply are on Mozilla's list of recommended addons.

Does the extension function at an exemplary level? All Recommended extensions should not only function as they promise, but function at an extremely high level. For instance, there are many ad blockers out there, but not all ad blockers are equally effective.
Is the extension safe? Firefox is committed to helping protect you against third-party software that may inadvertently compromise your data —or worse— breach your privacy with malicious intent. Before an extension receives Recommended status, it undergoes rigorous technical review by staff security experts.
Does the extension offer an exceptional user experience? Recommended extensions should be delightful to use, so curators look for content that is easy to manage and well designed.
Is the extension relevant to a general, international audience? The tightly-curated nature of Recommended extensions means we may only feature up to a few hundred, or less, at a time. We try to select content that will be relevant to Firefox users around the globe.
Is the extension actively developed? Developers of Recommended extensions must maintain their content to ensure it evolves with the needs of Firefox users.

No one has said that addons are always the be-all and end-all. Out-of-the box, Chrome also has an efficiency setting, and there are other things that can additionally be done to further reduce the memory footprint of Chrome.

Reduce high Chrome Memory usage & make it use less RAM

If Chrome browser displays high Memory or RAM usage while browsing the Internet normally on Windows computer then here's how you can reduce memory usage.

www.thewindowsclub.com

So, if Chrome is using a ton of memory and people wonder why that is, then multiple answers can be found by looking. I.e, as opposed to blindly organizing the answers and inviting people to jump to all sorts of ridiculous conclusions.

ShamrockRig · Jul 25, 2023

hdmi said:
What I really meant was that the lay user (and even those who might think that they are experienced enough) can spend all day and all of the night trying to figure out how to organize various stuff and be successful at it, only to find out later that the features that they used to achieve it can suddenly be changed by some kind of conspicuous object that came attached to a weather balloon the presumed purpose of which is to test people's organizational skills by measuring the time it takes before it gets shot from the sky. With fighter jets. For example, if your Windows 7/8/8.1/10 taskbar has a feature called Taskbar Toolbars that you can use like a steering wheel to organize your navigation on Windows, then some Microsoft employee might come up with the similar idea of─in Windows 11─replacing this steering wheel with a slice of cabbage. The consolation prize being, that it is a native cabbage. Just sayin'...

Auto Discard Tabs is an addon the only goal of which is the exact opposite of what you describe when you say that using more addons causes the browser to use more resources. What's more, the two addons that I linked to in my reply are on Mozilla's list of recommended addons.

Does the extension function at an exemplary level? All Recommended extensions should not only function as they promise, but function at an extremely high level. For instance, there are many ad blockers out there, but not all ad blockers are equally effective.

Is the extension safe? Firefox is committed to helping protect you against third-party software that may inadvertently compromise your data —or worse— breach your privacy with malicious intent. Before an extension receives Recommended status, it undergoes rigorous technical review by staff security experts.

Does the extension offer an exceptional user experience? Recommended extensions should be delightful to use, so curators look for content that is easy to manage and well designed.

Is the extension relevant to a general, international audience? The tightly-curated nature of Recommended extensions means we may only feature up to a few hundred, or less, at a time. We try to select content that will be relevant to Firefox users around the globe.

Is the extension actively developed? Developers of Recommended extensions must maintain their content to ensure it evolves with the needs of Firefox users.

No one has said that addons are always the be-all and end-all. Out-of-the box, Chrome also has an efficiency setting, and there are other things that can additionally be done to further reduce the memory footprint of Chrome.

Reduce high Chrome Memory usage & make it use less RAM

If Chrome browser displays high Memory or RAM usage while browsing the Internet normally on Windows computer then here's how you can reduce memory usage.

www.thewindowsclub.com

So, if Chrome is using a ton of memory and people wonder why that is, then multiple answers can be found by looking. I.e, as opposed to blindly organizing the answers and inviting people to jump to all sorts of ridiculous conclusions.

I love you're posts sometimes man!

TM21 · Jul 26, 2023

If an employee of mine, ever overloaded one of my PC's, like that, I'd fire them on the spot!
That would be akin to trying to load 10 tons of steel in a 1/4 ton pickup.

Laziness is no excuse for operating a PC poorly.

And 'Chrome'? It has NO Place on any of my 13 PC's. And I've had to remove it from many of my customer's PC's, because it snuck in uninvited, and tried to take over. To me it's no better than a freakin' Virus!

martik777 · Jul 26, 2023

TechnoMage2021 said:
If an employee of mine, ever did that to one of my PC's, I'd fire them on the spot!
That would be akin to trying to load 10 tons of steel in a 1/4 ton pickup.

Laziness is no excuse for operating a PC poorly.

If I had a narrow minded "boss" like you I'd quit ASAP but I don't have to work I'm retired lol

Perceived disorganization is not an indicator of Intelligence, creativity, resourcefulness etc

Einstein's desk photographed a day after his death, 1955 - Rare Historical Photos

bobkn · Jul 26, 2023

martik777 said:
If I had a narrow minded "boss" like you I'd quit ASAP but I don't have to work I'm retired lol

Perceived disorganization is not an indicator of Intelligence, creativity, resourcefulness etc

Einstein's desk photographed a day after his death, 1955 - Rare Historical Photos

(snip)

Are you aware of the forum's "ignore" feature?

Flashorn · Jul 26, 2023

So Martik, how you getting along now. Any new info on your situation?
Memory use still acceptable ?
You know you can talk to us right?

hdmi · Jul 26, 2023

bobkn said:
Are you aware of the forum's "ignore" feature?

Of course we are, but we use a different name for it... we call it the "condemnation before investigation" feature.

martik777 · Jul 27, 2023

Flashorn said:
So Martik, how you getting along now. Any new info on your situation?
Memory use still acceptable ?
You know you can talk to us right?

Memory is stable around 20GB with the 3 browsers - Chrome,Canary and Vivaldi. I've setup some tab groups, workspaces and reading lists to reduce my tab "addiction" and improve organization.

I may even start organizing my garage shop - you don't want to know :)

Thanks for the help!

Flashorn · Jul 27, 2023

martik777 said:
Memory is stable around 20GB with the 3 browsers - Chrome,Canary and Vivaldi. I've setup some tab groups, workspaces and reading lists to reduce my tab "addiction" and improve organization.

I love seeing a plan come together. Just keep asking questions. Eventually, you'll find the one that suits you.
How else are we to learn if we don't take advantage of others knowledge.

martik777 said:
I may even start organizing my garage shop - you don't want to know :)

Thanks for the help!

Your welcome but, as far as that garage goes well, I think your on your own for this one.
And yes, I know far to well what you are talking about. Kids and 40 years in the same house
will take it's toll.

Why does windows use almost all the ram?

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