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Forkjulle

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 1, 2012
211
1
I'm interested to know some working habits of others. If all my windows are open, then does performance take a knock? Is it better than windows are minimised when not in use?

I understand that apps that have been quit frees up memory, but I'm more interested in open windows versus minimised windows.

What has been your experience (and what do you find more efficient)?
 

Attonine

macrumors 6502a
Feb 15, 2006
744
58
Kent. UK
I keep my apps hidden, unless they can be run full screen, in which case I use spaces (?) and keep them full screen. I've just checked activity monitor and the majority of apps are registering negligible memory usage. There are a few apps that eat up the memory; Aperture 3, Safari and web processes, mail. If I am going to do something like play a fairly intensive game (COD4, Bioshock...) I may quit Aperture.

I don't think it matters how you keep your windows; hidden, minimised, open, full screen..as long as you have sufficient RAM. If you notice you are trying to do something and the RAM is paging out, then maybe look at closing an app that is not being used but using RAM. For day to day tasks; internet, email, word processing, playing around with iPhoto, iTunes it really should not be an issue. If you are doing something heavy in photoshop, 3D animation, video editing, some gaming, then maybe closing unused apps will help out by freeing up some extra memory.
 
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