Inactive memory is huge hit on performance

I wouldn't expect you to have gotten the humorous side to that statement, since it was a bit barbed and pointed at you. The point is that saying you work in IT gives you absolutely zero additional credibility, because nearly everyone here has had experience with IT folks who don't know what they're doing, and even those who do are not usually experts at low-level memory management. So you might as well say you're a barber or a mortician. If you were a systems engineer with expertise in memory management schemes, then that would be worth mentioning.

Your problem is poor performance. You have chosen to blame that on a memory-related bug in the OS. That is unlikely to be the case, but if you remain insistent that it is, nobody here can help you further. You will have to wait and hope for Apple to fix it. If you would prefer to try some troubleshooting to fix it on your own, you will need to be more cooperative. Though your use of "retard" as a perjorative term will likely prejudice some here aginst helping you, so you'll probably benefit from a brand new topic.

I also would like to know why the computer of Joasousa reports 5 GB of active memory whith the listed active processes given.

Do the "experts" know the answer ?

I would second that.I would like to know what I'm seeing here. Is this because it's assigned memory to previously open applications as previously opined in this thread?

@Joel Bruner1:

Thank you for reminding me of that X11 command (purge). I had already forgotten it was there (or that I had actually installed X11 long ago when I was still on SL).

I have 12GB of RAM installed. I don't run into this inactive memory problem very often but I do sometimes. I don't have a real memory problem. RM usage is ok, as it always was. But I can confirm that sometimes - when inactive memory makes up about 75%(!) of my 12GB - everything gets sluggish and slow, beach balls... purge helps.

It might be a problem of some applications. The other day I tried to convert some CDs to AAC 256 that I had accidentally ripped as ALAC to my HDD. I used XLD and it filled up that blue inactive memory section pretty quickly.

I wouldn't know what's causing this but it sure is annoying when it happens. If there is nothing I can do about it myself (pls let me know if there is), I hope Apple or the 3rd party developpers are working on it.

P.S. Is there a way to find out exactly which process is responsible for this quick increase in inactive memory when it happens?

I have similar problems. Late 2011 MBP with 4GB. I only use very basic apps: Chrome, MS Word, Preview. Why I should have any spinning balls or 2.75 GB of Swaps is beyond me. I am not a programmer at all, so I have no insight, but something is amiss. This is a 2 month old machine, and I recently did a complete fresh reinstall of Lion.

I just ordered an additional 8GB of RAM thinking this would solve the problem. From some comments here, I am concerned it won't.

Anyway... I did submit feedback to Apple.

Ken

There are evident problems in memory management in os x ...

please, take a look at my post: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3899357

also, i recorded a screen video, where the system starts to hang when all the free memory is gone, and inactive memory is 4-5 GB ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5wZwZh61_4&feature=player_embedded

Any ideas here - would be grateful for any assistance (as this cannot be normal):

Background info- boot with no open windows about 4 hours ago, used all the standard office programs, some photoshop. Thats all.

Late 2011 mac book (higher spec)

PS: this problem starting coming up recently (no issues before a week ago, bought it the second it came out with 8GB ram)

Whatever you may read here, it is not normal for Lion not to give inactive memory free. When it is not given free it could be the application "not fitting well". Anyway:

Start Terminal (Applications/Utilities),

to the line with the $-sign at the end type "purge" (without the quotes) then hit the enter key.

Type "Exit" on the next line, hit the enter key;

Nothing else...

QUIT Terminal (from the menu).

Read the inactive memory in Activity Monitor.

You still need to find out why the inactive memory is not freed when necessary: for that you need some of the real professors here.

😎

Thanks for the speedy reply!

Purge works and does free up the inactive memory - but the question then becomes why am i doing this in the first place 🙂

It doesnt ruin my day or take too long; it can even be automated with a simple script@ http://www.icoretech.org/2011/07/how-to-recover-memory-on-mac-os-x-lion-for-free /

And I hope I dont step on any toes here - but this is something I believe I should not have to do and am completely perplexed as to why lion does not realize that 24mb of RAM is detrimental to my user experience!

Best and thanks again Lex

As I said, this is not the usual memory "trick" of Lion (or SL for that matter). Let's hope someone who can help you find the cause jumps in here.

This is a problem that is becoming very annoying.

I love Apple products and definitely my Macbook Pro, but an expensive machine with 4gb of memory should not slow down this much, because of (insanely) growing inactive memory. I also did an upgrade to 8gb, but the same thing is happening.

Compared to my 3 year old Dell laptop with Windows 7 on it, my Macbook Pro sometimes seems incredebly slow.

My colleagues at work appear to have the same problems...

Not that good for the Apple image I think.

Anyways:

The purge command helps, but we should not have to do it.

Hope they will come up with a solution.

Agree 100%.

So many people on the board argue that it "shouldn't" happen or that something else is the cause, but the fact is, it's happening to tons of people, and it's not just some random app that we've installed. Apple should take responsibility and fix this.

I added 8 GB to my late 2011 MPB, for a total of 10 GB RAM. It has helped quite a lot, but as you said, one should not have to add a huge amount of memory to "fix" this. I hardly use any memory-hogging apps. Except for Apple's, I should say (iTunes, iPhoto). But I had these memory problems with just Chrome, Word and Preview open.

Even with my 10 GB, you can see when you boot up that Kernel_Tast starts at about 700 MB of Real Mem. As I write this now, it's up to 981, which is a personal best (haven't hit 1 GB yet but I'll bet it gets there).

The Apple apps really are memory hogs. I am so fed up with the bloated slowness of iTunes, I am using Spotify now, and so much more delighted. Apple is genius with its innovation, user interfaces, etc., but its applications are becoming intolerable and the OS seems to have some issues that are not being addressed. I am a huge fan of Apple, so I hope that they might come around and fix these things.