1GB of Wired Memory?

[ali815]

I have a fairly new Macbook Pro (Dec. 2012) with 4GB of ram and prior to this only had pc's, so please bear with me as I'm still learning terms and commands.

I don't have much loaded: I think one downloaded app and maybe 10-12 cd's on itunes, though I do have Lightroom 3 and a good 1000 pictures from my Canon 60d but have had this loaded since day 1.

I noticed that in the last week I started have issues scrolling in terms of lag as well as lag between when I type and when letters show up on my screen. I haven't used Lightroom or added new photos since then so not sure if anything is related there.

I tried to do some research and it looks like I have about 200ish MB of 'free' space and am using over 1GB of 'wired' space which I guess is really high? Not sure what I can do or if this is the direct correlation to the lag I'm seeing. I've attached a screenshot with "active processes" shown, not sure if that was the right choice from the drop down menu.

Any help in as simple language as possible for this Mac newbie would be fantastic.

 

[Jessica Lares]

That's normal. Be more concerned about page outs. If they get into the gigabytes, that's an indication that you should consider doing a RAM upgrade.

Looks like Safari is eating a lot of the memory. That's been the case since Mountain Lion. Frequently rebooting will help with the sluggishness, that's how I deal with it. Click on "Real Mem" and see what's using the most.

I'm sure it's a problem that will be less of an issue in 10.9 when it comes out.

 

[ali815]

Thank you!!

I wasn't sure what was going on - do you think it's Safari alone that is contributing to the lag? It says that Safari Web Content is using 82.9% CPU, 24 Threads, and 1.30 of Real Mem, followed by Safari at 250mb of Real Mem. I hardly ever reboot (usually only when I have to on system updates) so will try that to see if it helps.

And this will ideally be fixed with an upgrade? That's simple enough

 

[throAU]

4GB of ram for what you are doing will be limiting.

Upgrade to at least 8 GB and performance will improve significantly - 16 GB is even better.

I bought my 2011 with 4 GB fully intending to upgrade as soon as I bought it (apple ram = rip off) and went to 8 GB first, and then 16 GB when the price dropped (when I went to 8 GB, 16GB of ram was worth $1500!).

I've seen improved performance both times, but the biggest jump is from 4 GB to 8 GB. Having 4 GB in a new machine these days (either windows or OS X) is like driving around in a v8 with half the plug leads taken off.

16 GB is so cheap right now though that if you're going to bother upgrading you may as well just go to 16 GB and be done with it for the life of the machine...

 

[ali815]

Good to know! I will definitely do some research and look into upgrading. Thanks for the info!