Why does windows 7 use so much ram?

Goldfingers

Goldfingers

Goldfingers

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I have 4gb on a fairly new install, and while doing nothing it uses up almost 1gb!

WTH surely that isn't right. Yes I haven't got random background processes running, or antivirus. Unless windows 7 has some wierd anti virus crap going on?

Any help?
 
This old chestnut again! lol!.

Win7 tends to second guess what your usage habits are and preload certain things into memory for faster access.
If you load up something that requires a lot of memory then the preloaded stuff is cleared out to make way for the new program.

It is fine and nothing to worry about and is designed to work that way.
It is *not* like XP where you had to clear as much space as possible.
 
I just looked and using 3gb, for watching Jimmy Carr (from HDD) on external screen and browsing web. That does seem like a lot actually.
 
its using 1gb and you have 4gb, i fail to see a problem?? is it somehow good to not use that ram that the pc was designed to use? if it was using 2.5gb that would be a different matter.
 
Using 2.54GB atm total of 4GB
- runing 2x firefox's one steamimg bbc 1extra and 2 youtube vides steamed > 1x outlook > 1x Itunes
 
eggcup said:
its using 1gb and you have 4gb, i fail to see a problem?? is it somehow good to not use that ram that the pc was designed to use? if it was using 2.5gb that would be a different matter.
Click to expand...

As when I load up crysis I want the game to use up as much of my ram as possible like xp does. I don't want a whole gb being wasted by windows 7.



I didn't really get what you mean bloody.
 
Sigh.

It is called SuperFetch. Windows 7 learns the kinds of applications you use most often and preloads them into RAM. So, in the likely event you need one of those said applications it will load much faster than if it had to go find the data from your slow-arse HDD.

You pay lots of money for lots of RAM, why are you complaining about Windows making use of it to make your system faster and more responsive? Give it a while, on my last system 7 would use all 4GB and I never suffered any ill effects. This is because Windows will freely give up any RAM to a currently running application as and when it needs it.

When you boot up Crysis, it will clear all the space it needs to run.

In your Task Manager click the Performance tab and then the Resource Monitor. Now click the Memory tab. This coloured bar will show you what Windows is up to.

The green section is the amount being used by running applications - i.e, stuff you have explicitly opened such as your browser and also background processes. The dark blue section is Standby, this is the stuff Windows has decided to put into RAM just in case. If you open a program with the monitor open, you will see the green section get larger, and the blue smaller. This is Windows giving up RAM for the new application [or if that application was already loaded in RAM, changing state from Standby to In Use.].

In short, it is a good thing. Stop moaning! :p
 
SiriusB said:
Sigh.

It is called SuperFetch. Windows 7 learns the kinds of applications you use most often and preloads them into RAM. So, in the likely event you need one of those said applications it will load much faster than if it had to go find the data from your slow-arse HDD.

You pay lots of money for lots of RAM, why are you complaining about Windows making use of it to make your system faster and more responsive? Give it a while, on my last system 7 would use all 4GB and I never suffered any ill effects. This is because Windows will freely give up any RAM to a currently running application as and when it needs it.

When you boot up Crysis, it will clear all the space it needs to run.

In your Task Manager click the Performance tab and then the Resource Monitor. Now click the Memory tab. This coloured bar will show you what Windows is up to.

The green section is the amount being used by running applications - i.e, stuff you have explicitly opened such as your browser and also background processes. The dark blue section is Standby, this is the stuff Windows has decided to put into RAM just in case. If you open a program with the monitor open, you will see the green section get larger, and the blue smaller. This is Windows giving up RAM for the new application [or if that application was already loaded in RAM, changing state from Standby to In Use.].

In short, it is a good thing. Stop moaning! :p
Click to expand...

This should be stickied tbh, such a common question.
 
I simply dont understand this question when it comes up again and again.

You have bought 4GB of RAM, so why are you concerned that Windows is using 1GB of it? Its there to be used, not look pretty!

In a perfect world all 4GB of your 4GB of RAM should be used all the time, but with the applications you are currently using getting the amount they need at all times! Having 3GBs doing nothing is just wasted space.
 
Speaking of RAM, how come in task manager/performance, my available memory and cached memory is more than my total physical memory? For instance,

Total physical memory 4094
Cached 2282
Available 2295

I assume 'available' is meant to be the remainder of my physical ram that isn't cached?
 
Skeeter said:
I simply dont understand this question when it comes up again and again.

You have bought 4GB of RAM, so why are you concerned that Windows is using 1GB of it? Its there to be used, not look pretty!

In a perfect world all 4GB of your 4GB of RAM should be used all the time, but with the applications you are currently using getting the amount they need at all times! Having 3GBs doing nothing is just wasted space.
Click to expand...

Because most people probable make the same (i.m.o) logical assumption that the more ram windows uses the less ram available for the applications you bought the ram for be that games/photoshop whatever.

Thanks for clearing this up, I googled it but it didn't really help.
 
Because it's there! Surely it's better to use the available RAM to increase performance than have it all say there doing nowt?

Google cacheing.
 
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