MBP App Memory Clean showing a total of only 3.38GB RAM, although my MAC should have a total of 4?

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MBP App Memory Clean showing a total of only 3.38GB RAM, although my MAC should have a total of 4?

Hello all,

Perhaps a question more for the tech-experts (I'm not one 🙂) :

I have been running the (well-known) App Memory Clean for a while, and have been quite satisfied with its "Auto-Clean" function, as it saves me up on the Disk swapping.

However, as I open the App, there are a few options that can be seen:

Active

Wired

Inactive

Free

Used

Total

My MBP Retina (late '13) has a 4GB RAM installed- and yet the "Total" RAM memory that Memory Clean displays is a mere 3.41 GB and fluctuating. I have checked Activity Monitor as well as About this Mac>More Info>System Report> Memory, showing me that all slots are "OK".

Is this an app "bug"? If so, that would be relieving, but nonetheless brings me to a more deep-rooted question:

Is constantly "cleaning" the RAM bad for it and for the MBP's performance?

(I have heard that Memory Clean runs by "dumping disk cache"- which is supposedly bad for system performance...?)

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013), iOS 7.0.6

Posted on Mar 2, 2014 11:51 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 2, 2014 11:55 AM in response to mfdmjavier

Memory Clean is worthless.

I suggestion that you uninstall it.

Allan

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Answer 2

mfdmjavier Author

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Mar 2, 2014 11:57 AM in response to Allan Eckert

How come?

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Answer 3

Mar 2, 2014 11:59 AM in response to mfdmjavier

It is not necessary on a Mac.

Allan

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Answer 4

mfdmjavier Author

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Mar 2, 2014 12:02 PM in response to Allan Eckert

Perhaps you could kindly go into a little more detail? How come it is unnecessary?

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Answer 5

Mar 2, 2014 12:03 PM in response to mfdmjavier

your mac manages its memory itself.

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Answer 6

mfdmjavier Author

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Mar 2, 2014 12:10 PM in response to shldr2thewheel

What about disk swapping? Is frequent swapping onto the hard disk bad?

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Answer 7

John Galt

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Mar 2, 2014 12:17 PM in response to mfdmjavier

mfdmjavier wrote:

Is constantly "cleaning" the RAM bad for it and for the MBP's performance?

It's a waste of time. Your Mac is specifically designed to maximize use of finite resources.

"Cleaning" is utter nonsense. Erasing RAM that doesn't happen to be in use at the moment will only require it to reload data from slower mass storage when it is needed, which only adds to a system's workload. RAM that goes unused is a waste of resources that you paid for.

There are plenty of garbage "cleaning" utilities available in and out of the App Store. To meet Apple's low bar of entry to the App Store requires that an app do no harm. It does not have to provide any benefit at all.

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Answer 8

Mar 2, 2014 12:35 PM in response to mfdmjavier

If your Mac is swapping to disk that is usually an indication for the need to increase RAM and not useless software.

Allan

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Answer 9

Mar 2, 2014 12:37 PM in response to mfdmjavier

I also have your concerns. I have a first gen rMBP with 16 GB of RAM and I often see every bit of RAM being used!

So far I’ve been too chicken to upgrade my mid ’11 MBA since it only has 4 GB. I understand Mavericks utilizes RAM differently, but I’m still skeptical. Mavericks hasn’t been as stable as most initial releases so I’m waiting until 10.9 doesn’t seem so much like a beta.

I’d like to see a good explanation of Mavericks memory management system vs prior versions of the OS. Apple’s quick explanation was ok but far from comprehensive.

BTW, I switched to FreeMemory when I upgraded to Mavericks. It has all the same functions as Memory Clean but has the added benefit of having a menu bar icon with the familiar pie chart that Activity Monitor once had for a dock icon but lost in the upgrade.

For now I'll disable the auto clean feature and see how the system behaves, but I'll keep it installed just for it's monitoring capabilities.

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Answer 10

Mar 2, 2014 12:38 PM in response to Mark Piaskiewicz1

I have found that 10.9.2 to be an improvement over anything before it.

Allan

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Answer 11

Mar 2, 2014 12:44 PM in response to mfdmjavier

Oh, and the reason your memory is not showing up as the full 4 GB is probably because the integrated GPU has some RAM allocated for its use.

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