Free RAM ~16-17mb What wrong?

[PhillOS]

Open Programs:
Adium, Safari, VLC, Finder, (naturally)

RAM usage as i write: (according to istatpro)
Wired:243mb
Active: 509mb
Inactive 269mb
Free 17mb (???)

Specs: 2.0ghz dual core MB with 1gig RAM.

Aren't those values awfully low for just two open apps? Secondly, can anyone explain what the difference between inactive and free is?, and lets assume that free and inactive are the same, the number still seems really low for just those 3 apps..

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Open Programs:
Adium, Safari, VLC, Finder, (naturally)

RAM usage as i write: (according to istatpro)
Wired:243mb
Active: 509mb
Inactive 269mb
Free 17mb (???)

Specs: 2.0ghz dual core MB with 1gig RAM.

Aren't those values awfully low for just two open apps? Secondly, can anyone explain what the difference between inactive and free is?, and lets assume that free and inactive are the same, the number still seems really low for just those 3 apps..

Here are the definitions of the 4 types of memory, as I understand them:
Wired: Allocated, and in use
Active: Allocated, not currently in use but reserved for applications that may need it
Inactive: Allocated, not currently in use, reserved for operating system caches and other such things that might be used later
Free: Not allocated

Having little free RAM is normal under Mac OS X, even with just 3 applications open. However, if you are experiencing slowdowns due to frequent paging in and out, you need more RAM. The way to check this is to open Activity Monitor and look at the Memory tab. If you're paging out more than 1/4 of what you're paging in, you are frequently exhausting your RAM supply, forcing the system to use virtual memory.

 

[PhillOS]

thanks for your answer, my current page in/out is ~50k/~14k, so everything should be fine!

 

[Macula]

Here are the definitions of the 4 types of memory, as I understand them:
Wired: Allocated, and in use
Active: Allocated, not currently in use but reserved for applications that may need it
Inactive: Allocated, not currently in use, reserved for operating system caches and other such things that might be used later
Free: Not allocated

Having little free RAM is normal under Mac OS X, even with just 3 applications open. However, if you are experiencing slowdowns due to frequent paging in and out, you need more RAM. The way to check this is to open Activity Monitor and look at the Memory tab. If you're paging out more than 1/4 of what you're paging in, you are frequently exhausting your RAM supply, forcing the system to use virtual memory.

That's a thoughtful response. At the same time, though, I would suspect a Safari memory leak, especially if it has been running for quite some time.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

That's a thoughtful response. At the same time, though, I would suspect a Safari memory leak, especially if it has been running for quite some time.

Yes, you make a good point... Safari may not be releasing memory when it really should. It's been known to do that ever since Apple created it.