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lagging videos and pin wheel? HELP!!

CBillups1

CBillups1

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 1, 2008
685
37
Michigan
as of late my computer has been lagging while watching videos and loaded lots of tabs. ill even get the pinwheel a bunch of times a long with the stop script stuff.

my laptop never use to lag/pause on youtube videos.

anyway i can fix it?

the Macbook is the 2008 unibody aluminum 13 macbook.
 
10.6.8
2gb of ram

not sue what to do with activity monitor. shows stuff open that im using and a bunch of stuff i dont even know..
 
CBillups1 said:
10.6.8
2gb of ram

not sue what to do with activity monitor. shows stuff open that im using and a bunch of stuff i dont even know..
Click to expand...

Does the guide I linked to not help? Here it is again, and it should at least show you how to use it properly and read CPU and RAM usage:
Can you make a screenshot and attach it to your next post?

And again, what browser and Flash version do you use?

Adobe Flash Player is CPU intensive, thus more power is needed to feed the CPU, which results in higher temperatures and often higher fan speed(s) on mobile computers. As more power is used due to Flash, the battery life of mobile computers is shortened by a good bit.
To check, if Adobe Flash Player is responsible for less battery time or the heat, go to Applications / Utilities / Activity Monitor and select to show ALL PROCESSES and sort by CPU.

There are a variety of Flash blockers for all the four major browsers available.
A Flash blocker does what it says, it blocks Flash content, but via a click on the marked Flash object, the Flash object can be activated and used.

  • Safari: ClickToFlash, for which there is an extension and a plug-in; CTF allows you to download YouTube and other kinds of MPEG-4 encoded video too.
  • Opera: has a built-in Flash blocker
  • Firefox: Flashblock is an add-on to block Flash
  • Chrome: FlashBlock is an extension to block Flash

Also make sure to have the latest Adobe Flash Player version running, you can get it here.​
Click to expand...
 
i dont have money or want to open up my macbook :(

not sure why its using so much RAM, i only have Firefox open that i use and sometimes itunes.

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Last edited:
CBillups1 said:
i dont have money or want to open up my macbook :(

not sure why its using so much RAM, i only have Firefox open that i use and sometimes itunes.

----------




Image
Click to expand...

As you can see from your screenshot, Firefox is using 768.6 MB of RAM, which is 37.5 % of your available RAM*. That is due to lots of tabs, as you mentioned in your original post.

Depending on what MacBook you have, you can get 4 GB (two 2 GB modules) for less than 30 USD or can get 8 GB (two 4 GB modules) for less than 50 USD.
You might also just get one 4 GB module and have 5 GB RAM, as many older MacBooks can support 6 GB of RAM.

To find out, what exact Mac model you use, click :apple: > About This Mac > More Info > Hardware Overview:
IDyourMacModel.png
To see a more elaborate image explaining the above steps, click here.
To see a more detailed video tutorial showing the above steps, click here (2 MB, 23s, .mp4).​


*
What is RAM? - measured again in MB and GB
Random Access Memory (RAM) is the "working memory" in a computer. Additional RAM allows a computer to work with more information at the same time which can have a dramatic effect on total system performance.
Click to expand...


PS: For images wider than 800 pixel, please use the TIMG tags instead of the IMG tags by just adding a T in front of the [IMG] and closing [/IMG] tag, like [img] and [/img] to prevent horizontal scrolling.
You can use the
edit.gif
to edit your images and add the Ts.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
As you can see from your screenshot, Firefox is using 768.6 MB of RAM, which is 37.5 % of your available RAM. That is due to lots of tabs, as you mentioned in your original post.

Depending on what MacBook you have, you can get 4 GB (two 2 GB modules) for less than 30 USD or can get 8 GB (two 4 GB modules) for less than 50 USD.
You might also just get one 4 GB module and have 5 GB RAM, as many older MacBooks can support 6 GB of RAM.

To find out, what exact Mac model you use, click :apple: > About This Mac > More Info > Hardware Overview:
To see a more elaborate image explaining the above steps, click here.
To see a more detailed video tutorial showing the above steps, click here (2 MB, 23s, .mp4).​


For images wider than 800 pixel, please use the TIMG tags instead of the IMG tags by just adding a T in front of the [url= and closing ]Image[/url] tag, like [img] and [/img] to prevent horizontal scrolling.
You can use the Image to edit your images and add the Ts.
Click to expand...



says macbook 5,1
 
simsaladimbamba said:
Then it is an Aluminium MacBook and can take at least 6 GB of 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM RAM RAM, with a boot room update it can take up to 8 GB.
Take a look at the RAM guide I linked to and do again:

And why did you remove the screenshots?
Click to expand...


didnt think they were needed.

why is my computer using all this ram now? especially firefox? i see a lot fo stuff open but i dont know what any of it is aside from 3-4

----------

anywhere i can find the ram for cheap for my macbook? i want 6gb
 
CBillups1 said:
didnt think they were needed.
Click to expand...
But you refer to them, thus they are needed, as they are now only accessible via my quotes of your post and clicking the Image link.

why is my computer using all this ram now? especially firefox?
Click to expand...
Probably due to an update or using more tabs?
i see a lot fo stuff open but i dont know what any of it is aside from 3-4
Click to expand...
Since you did not select to show "All Processes", you only see a third or half of all the running processes.
Many processes are needed by the OS, some can be turned off via Login Items and other preferences (see the "Performance Tips" link I provided earlier).
You could also sort by CPU and Real Mem to see, what application uses the most CPU and RAM, since sorting by name does not provide you with an easy view to the resource hungry applications, especially when you only view "My Processes" instead of "All Processes" (as recommended in that Activity Monitor guide.
anywhere i can find the ram for cheap for my macbook? i want 6gb
Click to expand...
Newegg and eBay, but know, to get to 6 GB you have to get one 2 GB and one 4 GB module, as your Mac comes with two 1 GB modules.
 
CBillups1 said:
im scared with which one to buy, is this any good?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Mem...1626706?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item5d37699c52
Click to expand...
You should probably check here first to make sure, any RAM will work (the RAM you linked to has a CL of 11).
Also know, that the Mac you have uses 1066 MHz RAM, thus it might not work with 1600 MHz RAM, though my 2009 MBP came with 1066 MHz RAM and now uses 1333 MHz RAM without problems.

id prefer 6 but i cant find..
Click to expand...
Then you have to look for one 4 GB and one 2 GB module, though the item you linked to, does not make it clear, if it is one 4 GB module or 4 GB RAM via two 2 GB modules, though a search seems to point to the former (one 4 GB module).

sorry for all the posts and qustions. im a newb with computers and i want this thing to run perfectly. im actually scared to even do this :(
Click to expand...
Unless you cannot operate a screwdriver, you should not be worried. It is quite easy and over soon. You can also check YouTube for many, many "macbook change RAM" videos to get yourself acquainted with the procedure.

To learn more about Mac OS X: Helpful Information for Any Mac User by GGJstudios​
 
i have no idea about which one to chose? ill even buy one on new egg, ill take a 4gb as long as its not expensive.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
Seems to be okay, but you do not need Apple specific RAM, thus the links to the non Apple RAM in my earlier post.

Again, you can get to 8 GB for the price of what the article you link to costs.
This thread from post #88 onwards talks about 8 GB RAM in a MacBook like yours.
Click to expand...

nevermind the found i found, i will be buying either of those you posted but was just gonna buy the 8gb. i assume with my boot rom, im good to go?
 
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