Since I upgraded to BigSur earlier this year, my machine has been lagging and the ram constantly overloaded/maxed. Had to put Chrome in the backseat and opt for Safari just to get a little more out of it. Should I downgrade the OS? Any recommendations to improve the operation.
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.7
My default recommendation is the penultimate supported version (Catalina for a mid 2014), but I would second the suggestion of finding an alternative browser and ditching CMM first. That may be enough.
One-size-fits-most solutions are never optimal, and CMM has a notorious reputation for making slow systems slower.
I wouldn't bother looking for a replacement. RAM management has/had some nitch use in the old days when with HDD and slow swap memory a ram limited user might want to purge cached stuff after closing one ram intensive application before opening a different ram intensive application. Today SSDs swap speed improvements and MacOS memory optimization improvements make manual control not only unnecessary but generally counter productive.
For the internet dump chrome. I'd suggest Firefox with an ad-blocker. Chrome is a hog and the internet has gotten so script heavy that an ad-blocker will improve internet performance.
My default recommendation is the penultimate supported version (Catalina for a mid 2014), but I would second the suggestion of finding an alternative browser and ditching CMM first. That may be enough.
One-size-fits-most solutions are never optimal, and CMM has a notorious reputation for making slow systems slower.
I wouldn't bother looking for a replacement. RAM management has/had some nitch use in the old days when with HDD and slow swap memory a ram limited user might want to purge cached stuff after closing one ram intensive application before opening a different ram intensive application. Today SSDs swap speed improvements and MacOS memory optimization improvements make manual control not only unnecessary but generally counter productive.
For the internet dump chrome. I'd suggest Firefox with an ad-blocker. Chrome is a hog and the internet has gotten so script heavy that an ad-blocker will improve internet performance.
By far the easiest way to cause poor performance, instability, overheating and crashing is to install ANY third-party speeder-uppers, Cleaners, Optimizers, or Virus scanners, Bit Torrent, or a VPN that you installed yourself. They are relentless in scanning your files, non-stop, looking for virus-like patterns in Everything, or looking for files that have changed. When completed, they do it all again.
are you running any of those?
if you have MalwareBytes set to scan at all times, stop it!
Set it to scan only on demand.
MacOS shares a lot of the lock-down mechanisms developed for the iPhone. Applications are all sand-boxed with a list of the resources they require, and they cannot ask for anything outside their sandbox without crashing. Signed Applications are checked that they are from legitimate Developers, and Notarized Applications are delivered with the assurance that they have NOT been modified since their release by the Developer.
Recent versions of MacOS completely changed how you should think about malware protection.
From MacOS 10.15 Catalina onward, the system is on a Separate, crypto-locked System Volume, which is not writeable using ordinary means. Any unauthorized differences that appear to the crypto-locked volume are quickly detected and you are alerted.
So you could store just about every malware known to mankind on your Mac, and your Mac would not get infected spontaneously. Scanning for virus-like patterns might make you feel a little better now, but it is outdated nonsense.
Nothing can become Executable Unless/Until you supply your Admin password to "make it so".
CleanMy Mac is the closet thing you can get to paid malware. it has no place on your Mac.
if you are using Chrome Browser, that is the biggest resource hog that is not obvious malware. Switching to ANY other Browser will use fewer resources and produce better results.
With only 8 GB of RAM, you should make certain that you QUIT unused apps when done with them, and NOT leave them open in the the background. Even with no windows active, they still consume resources. For Browser windows, use bookmarks instead and CLOSE background web pages.
The "cleaning" that Clean My Mac does is to discard caches. Caches are used to speed up up your Mac, and while it may seem fresher to have more memory free, "Unused RAM is wasted RAM", that could be used to Cache files so that they of not have to be reloaded when needed again.
Not sure which exact model-year Mac you have or whether you can even think about running MacOS 13 Ventura. MacOS Ventura seems to demand a step up in RAM and compute power. it is "a bridge too far" for older, memory-limited Macs. Ventura seems to need more than 8GB.
Give thanks Grant. I initially used it because I found that my memory was continuously getting maxed out and all browser functionality was coming to a grindingly slow pace. I thought that the CleanMy Mac would allow me to manage the memory, storage and functionality a little easier.
If I am to get rid of it or replace it, what would you suggest to help the functionality of the machine and reduce the overloading of the RAM issue (other than upgrading the machine)? From your explanation it sounds a bit like Apple has now considered a lot of these scenarios and has built it in to the operation of the iOS.
I’ve got the CleanMyMac application and Malware Bytes. I usually run CleanMyMac
the highest MacOS you can run on Mid 2014 MacBook Pro is MacOS 11 Big Sur.
Great advice, thanks a mill. I will apply these techniques. Much appreciated.
Best OS for MacBook Pro Mid 2014 8GB 2.6Ghz
