Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Google Chrome Browser for Desktop Gains New Performance Controls

I stopped using Chrome awhile back but use other browsers and they all seem to suffer when they hit upon certain pages that are just miserable memory hogs. I have also seen pages start eating up memory if certain ad blockers were used or even Safari's individual page settings set to block or force an action to allow. This is terrible. Last I recall, Opera's lil browser had some setting that would limit how much memory could be gobbled up by a page. Apple should be the one to fix this or allow users to make some adjustment/settings that make sense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: burgman
The memory settings I see on the latest Chrome (130.0.6723.92) are labeled Moderate, Balanced, and Maximum, not Standard, Balanced, and Advanced.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DutchApplePie
icanhazmac said:
Does it save memory by not spying on you and reporting back to the mothership?

View attachment 2444042View attachment 2444043
Click to expand...
This is ridiculously misleading, or just lying, as this mode worked the same in all other main browsers at the time. It only got attention because users can't read the description on how it works, and sued google.

These modes tradtionally protects the client, and doesn't have anything to do with the servers.
 
  • Angry
  • Disagree
Reactions: icanhazmac, Chuckeee and Victor Mortimer
Darajavahus said:
Why would anyone choose Chrome over Safari?
Click to expand...
Personally because I have a PC running Linux and Windows and a Pixel 8 running Android. So if I use Safari I'd not be able to sync all the stuff between the 3 devices (Macbook macOS, Desktop PC Win/Linux, Phone Android).

Firefox is a good alternative, but its performance in Android is not as good as Chrome (is still very good for 95% stuff). On Android Chrome can handle 120Hz scrolling perfectly while Firefox sometimes it stutters when it is loading a big page.

That being said, if Chrome kills Ublock origin (on Desktop / laptops), I'm going back to Firefox as default browser. I still use Firefox on my phone quite a lot because it supports addons, but haven't moved all the passwords, etc.
 
Last edited:
dialogos said:
Unfortunately Safari doesn’t work well with many websites. It’s also a bit slower but I could live with that if that were the only issue.
Click to expand...
Do you have any specific examples I can test? I’ve never had a problem with Safari, but to be honest, I use Firefox the most. I refuse to use Chrome because I don’t want my web browsing tracked by Google.
 
Radeon85 said:
Because not everyone uses a Mac and a gaming PC with a 4090 and 7950X3D is my primary system, so Chrome it is. Tried Firefox again on my system after ditching it around 10yrs ago, and it's still quite a bit slower than Chrome when it comes to loading regular pages, and this on a 1Gbps connection.
Click to expand...
So use Firefox or Edge (eww) or Opera or Brave.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Victor Mortimer
russell_314 said:
Do you have any specific examples I can test? I’ve never had a problem with Safari, but to be honest, I use Firefox the most. I refuse to use Chrome because I don’t want my web browsing tracked by Google.
Click to expand...



I’m not keeping a log of every site that didn’t work properly with Safari because I don’t need to; I’m a user, not a developer. When something doesn’t work with Safari, I switch to Brave or Firefox. However, to give you an idea based on what I remember:


• elcorteingles .es: Sometimes this site gives an error ( when logged in trying to buy something ) though it’s inconsistent.


• www.aegeanairlines.com: When logged in, the site often doesn’t refresh or gives error messages ( happens frequently when redeeming miles ) I’ve spoken with the airline about this and they’re aware.


• My bank’s website: This site has issues in Safari as well.


• GDPR cookie consent: Many times, if you use a blocker, the site freezes in Safari. This never happens with Brave or Firefox.
 
  • Like
Reactions: russell_314
russell_314 said:
Do you have any specific examples I can test? I’ve never had a problem with Safari, but to be honest, I use Firefox the most. I refuse to use Chrome because I don’t want my web browsing tracked by Google.
Click to expand...



I’m not keeping a log of every site that didn’t work properly with Safari because I don’t need to; I’m a user, not a developer. When something doesn’t work with Safari, I switch to Brave or Firefox. However, to give you an idea based on what I remember:


• elcorteingles .es: Sometimes this site gives an error ( when logged in trying to buy something ) though it’s inconsistent.


• www.aegeanairlines.com: When logged in, the site often doesn’t refresh or gives error messages ( happens frequently when redeeming miles ) I’ve spoken with the airline about this and they’re aware.


• My bank’s website: This site has issues in Safari as well.


• GDPR cookie consent: Many times, if you use a blocker, the site freezes in Safari. This never happens with Brave or Firefox.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckeee and russell_314
philosoraptor1 said:
Firefox + uBlock Origin. Browsing without an ad blocker is intolerable.
Click to expand...
This so much. Maybe that’s why I’m not noticing slowness with Firefox because I can’t remember the last time I’ve used Firefox without this. Loading ads does slow down the webpage.


dialogos said:
I’m not keeping a log of every site that didn’t work properly with Safari because I don’t need to; I’m a user, not a developer. When something doesn’t work with Safari, I switch to Brave or Firefox. However, to give you an idea based on what I remember:


• elcorteingles .es: Sometimes this site gives an error ( when logged in trying to buy something ) though it’s inconsistent.


• www.aegeanairlines.com: When logged in, the site often doesn’t refresh or gives error messages ( happens frequently when redeeming miles ) I’ve spoken with the airline about this and they’re aware.


• My bank’s website: This site has issues in Safari as well.


• GDPR cookie consent: Many times, if you use a blocker, the site freezes in Safari. This never happens with Brave or Firefox.
Click to expand...
I wasn’t asking for a developer log, just a few sites that you were having problems with. I’ve heard people say this so it’s not like I don’t believe you. Safari isn’t my main browser on my Mac so I haven’t tried a whole bunch of websites. The funny thing is you mentioned your bank website. My main use for Safari is for banking and paying bills. It would be annoying if I had to use a different browser for one of my banks.

I mostly use Firefox and so far I haven’t found any issues. I like it because to my knowledge other than Safari, it’s the only web browser that’s not from Google. IMO if Firefox goes away, you can kiss ad blockers goodbye because Google will stop them from working.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Victor Mortimer
dialogos said:
I’m not keeping a log of every site that didn’t work properly with Safari because I don’t need to; I’m a user, not a developer. When something doesn’t work with Safari, I switch to Brave or Firefox. However, to give you an idea based on what I remember:


• elcorteingles .es: Sometimes this site gives an error ( when logged in trying to buy something ) though it’s inconsistent.


• www.aegeanairlines.com: When logged in, the site often doesn’t refresh or gives error messages ( happens frequently when redeeming miles ) I’ve spoken with the airline about this and they’re aware.


• My bank’s website: This site has issues in Safari as well.


• GDPR cookie consent: Many times, if you use a blocker, the site freezes in Safari. This never happens with Brave or Firefox.
Click to expand...
i also had issues with my banks website when first using Apple Silicon and Safari. It just wouldn’t work and a few other sites too. It was a real pain at the time and I didn’t notice things get resolved well into a year afterwards. It was bizarre but at least most sites I use now work on that architecture with Safari.

But in any case, as with all tech. It’s good to have a backup, another option incase one thing doesn’t work. So on most my systems I mostly have at least two browsers incase one has any issues,.. I just switch over.
 
Don’t forget they also deprecated uBlock Origin with their last update. They are going to force those ads down your throat whether you like them or not. I migrated everything to Firefox and couldn’t be happier with a browser that is also aligned with my values.
 
russell_314 said:
This so much. Maybe that’s why I’m not noticing slowness with Firefox because I can’t remember the last time I’ve used Firefox without this. Loading ads does slow down the webpage.



I wasn’t asking for a developer log, just a few sites that you were having problems with. I’ve heard people say this so it’s not like I don’t believe you. Safari isn’t my main browser on my Mac so I haven’t tried a whole bunch of websites. The funny thing is you mentioned your bank website. My main use for Safari is for banking and paying bills. It would be annoying if I had to use a different browser for one of my banks.

I mostly use Firefox and so far I haven’t found any issues. I like it because to my knowledge other than Safari, it’s the only web browser that’s not from Google. IMO if Firefox goes away, you can kiss ad blockers goodbye because Google will stop them from working.
Click to expand...

I've noticed issues with a couple of banking sites, though I'll avoid mentioning the specific banks here.

The most frustrating part is that sometimes I’ll log in, navigate through the site, spend time there doing my research, and just as I’m about to complete a task, Safari won't continue or will freeze or will give an error message. This forces me to restart the entire process in another browser.

Example 1: I once tried redeeming my miles on an airline’s site (aegean airlines); after logging in, searching for flights, and selecting one, Safari wouldn't go through. I would keep loading the page forever. There was no error message suggesting I switch browsers, so I assumed the problem was with the airline's site. After calling customer support, they advised me to use a different browser.

By the time I retried, the flight was no longer available, and I ended up paying around €300 for a ticket to Crete during peak season—a flight I could have booked for free with miles.

Example 2: Another example that just came to mind, which I didn’t mention earlier but it just occurred to me. I frequently encounter an issue when visiting my child’s school website to check the daily menu and see how he ate. The page simply won’t load, and I’m not sure why. Interestingly, when I use Brave, it works perfectly.

Why would I trust Safari when with browsers like Brave, Firefox, or Chrome, I’ve never had these issues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: russell_314
Which iOS browser besides Safari supports adblocks? I know Brave does but what else?
 
I use several browsers - they seem to go through phases where one performs better. Currently, Chrome is good and I'm tending to use it more than Safari (which is slow and doesn't load some sites), Opera and Firefox.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back