Where's all my RAM going?!?!?

[Beitzel15]

I just put a new system together, specs: E8500, Vista 64bit, GTX285, 4 gigs of ram, 640gig HD, Gigabyte UD3R mobo..

Now, my cpu usage is about 3%, however, my ram stays at 28% used, why is this much being used? I checked my task manager, and it says "Total: 4093" Cached: 3198" Free: 38"


How can I get my computer to stop using so much ram?!

 

[WR2]

Why do you think RAM being used is a "bad thing"?
It's actually a "good thing" It means less "stuff" will need to be pulled from the slow HDD to feed the fast & data hungry E8500.

How many processes does Task Manager show running?
You probably have unnecessary programs/processes running that you could shut down if you wanted.

 

[WR2]

Coding Horror: Why Does Vista Use All My Memory?

 

[Beitzel15]

Should I spend $45 and get 4 more gigs for 8gigs of ram total? Im willing to do it if it'd help.

There's 45 running. I just built it last night, installed 4 games & thats it... I dont know why there's so many proc. running. My computer isnt slow at all, I was just curious why my ram usage is staying at a steady 27-28%... It's Vista isnt it?

 

[WR2]

Honest - you don't need 4GB more RAM - it will do very little in the way of improvement for most of us.
It will cause Vista to boot a bit more slowly (more RAM to fill up, dontcha know? )

2GB / 4GB / 8GB compared

 

[jlvitt]

vista uses about 1gig of ram to operate smoothly

so a fluctuation of ram usage from 20-30% should be expected.

 

[WR2]

vista uses about 1gig of ram to operate smoothly

The amount of RAM Vista uses to operate smoothly depends on the amount of installed RAM and which version (32/64bit) is being used. There are also differences between Vista Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate.

Anything above those amounts is often related to other programs & processes. (like AV & Anti-Spyware programs)
Turning off SuperFetch will increase the amount of "free RAM" but will also probably result in a slower PC. Why pay for RAM that's not being used?

 

[jlvitt]

if you look at those statistics anyone who has over the recommended (not required) amount of ram in a system falls into the range or near it of my 20-30%

 

[WR2]

Really? What is the "recommended" amount of RAM for Vista?