microbarny
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: RAM Question On MacBook Pro

I have a mid-2012 MacBook Pro with a 2.3 GHz with an i7 Intel processor and 8GB of RAM running OX 10.9.4.  I seem to be running up against the 8GB memory limit a lot of the time, despite making sure I don't have many applications opened (and checking using the Activities Monitor).  I am not running a lot of heavy video or photos or streaming or memory hogging applications that I know of.  More just basic stuff. The kernel task is by far the biggest user of memory.   I thought 8GB would be more than plenty for my needs/work, but I get 90%+ memory pressure readouts a lot more than one would think and I get the spinning color wheel a lot too.

 

I know I can technically upgrade my MacBook to 16GB.  I already upgraded from 4GB to 8GB.  Does it make sense for me to go to 16GB or is there something else that I'm doing or should look at to mitigate the memory consumption?  I am a fairly new Mac user.  All else is great with the device.

 

Thanks for any guidance.

 

Scott B.

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9.4)

Posted on Aug 8, 2014 10:43 AM

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microbarny

Q: RAM Question On MacBook Pro

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Aug 8, 2014 10:49 AM in response to microbarny
    Level 9 (52,793 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2014 10:49 AM in response to microbarny

    Read this Apple support article:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5890

     

    You will note that Mavericks will use as much RAM as possible.  The criteria is the Memory Pressure color.  If it is green, all is well.  What is your MBP showing?

     

    Ciao.

  • by microbarny,

    microbarny microbarny Aug 8, 2014 10:55 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 8, 2014 10:55 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Thanks for the reply - O.  Right now the Activity Monitor Memory Pressure Bar is green - using 6.4GB out of 8GB, but I'm not running much of anything.  Only Outlook, Safari, Finder and the Activities Monitor is open.  Once I start to do more activities, open more applications I get into the 7GB's of memory used.

     

    Does this make sense?

  • by OGELTHORPE,Helpful

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Aug 8, 2014 11:02 AM in response to microbarny
    Level 9 (52,793 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2014 11:02 AM in response to microbarny

    Yes, that is the way Mavericks utilizes RAM.  GREEN is the operative criteria.  The amount of RAM used is pre-Mavericks thinking.  If the Memory Pressure starts changing color, then perhaps additional RAM will be required.

     

    Ciao.

  • by microbarny,

    microbarny microbarny Aug 8, 2014 11:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 8, 2014 11:22 AM in response to OGELTHORPE

    Thank you!  Much appreciated.

  • by OGELTHORPE,

    OGELTHORPE OGELTHORPE Aug 8, 2014 11:27 AM in response to microbarny
    Level 9 (52,793 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2014 11:27 AM in response to microbarny

    You are welcome.

     

    Ciao.

  • by CT,

    CT CT Aug 8, 2014 11:54 AM in response to microbarny
    Level 6 (17,883 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 8, 2014 11:54 AM in response to microbarny

    One thing to consider is that some third party software is causing you some difficulties.  If you post the output of EtreCheck here, somebody might be able to spot something.

  • by microbarny,

    microbarny microbarny Aug 8, 2014 1:53 PM in response to CT
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 8, 2014 1:53 PM in response to CT

    Thanks CT.  Here's what EtreCheck came up with on my system.  Perhaps there is something unusual that should be removed that a newbie like me can't see.  Much appreciated.


    EtreCheck version: 1.9.12 (48)

    Report generated August 8, 2014 at 1:48:23 PM PDT

     

    Hardware Information:

      MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) (Verified)

      MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,1

      1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4 cores

      8 GB RAM

     

    Video Information:

      Intel HD Graphics 4000 - VRAM: (null)

      NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - VRAM: 512 MB

      DELL 1908WFP 1440 x 900 @ 60 Hz

     

    System Software:

      OS X 10.9.4 (13E28) - Uptime: 0 days 4:46:0

     

    Disk Information:

      APPLE HDD HTS545050A7E362 disk0 : (500.11 GB)

      EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

      Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 499.25 GB (444.5 GB free)

      Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB

     

      MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8 

     

    USB Information:

      Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

      Dell B1165nfw Mono MFP

      Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

      Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

      Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

      Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

      Logitech USB Receiver

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

      Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper:

      Anywhere

     

    Kernel Extensions:

      [not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_netpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6) Support

      [not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6) Support

      [not loaded] com.BlackBerry.driver.USBCDCNCM (1.0.6 - SDK 10.7) Support

      [loaded] com.Logitech.Control Center.HID Driver (3.9.1 - SDK 10.8) Support

      [loaded] com.Logitech.Unifying.HID Driver (1.3.0 - SDK 10.6) Support

      [not loaded] com.RemoteControl.USBLAN.usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.7) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMS (1.0.0 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMTP (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSB (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLAN (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLANMerge (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBSwch (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (2.2.7 - SDK 10.7) Support

      [loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryVirtualPrivateNetwork (1.0.18 - SDK 10.8) Support

      [loaded] com.webroot.driver.WebrootSecureAnywhere (105 - SDK 10.9) Support

     

    Launch Daemons:

      [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

      [running] com.crashplan.engine.plist Support

      [running] com.dll.faxdb.plist Support

      [loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support

      [running] com.motorola-mobility.mmcfgd.plist Support

      [loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support

      [loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support

      [running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist Support

      [not loaded] com.rim.nkehelper.plist Support

      [running] com.rim.tunmgr.plist Support

      [running] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist Support

      [running] com.webroot.security.mac.plist Support

      [running] com.webroot.webfilter.mac.plist Support

     

    Launch Agents:

      [running] com.Logitech.Control Center.Daemon.plist Support

      [loaded] com.motorola.MDMUpdater.plist Support

      [running] com.motorola.motohelper.plist Support

      [loaded] com.motorola.motohelperUpdater.plist Support

      [loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support

      [running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist Support

      [running] com.rim.blackberrylink.BlackBerry-Link-Helper-Agent.plist Support

      [running] com.rim.PeerManager.plist Support

      [running] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist Support

      [running] com.webroot.WRMacApp.plist Support

     

    User Launch Agents:

      [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support

      [loaded] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist Support

      [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support

      [running] com.microsoft.LaunchAgent.SyncServicesAgent.plist Support

     

    User Login Items:

      iTunesHelper

      CrashPlan menu bar

      Dropbox

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

      WidevineMediaOptimizer: Version: 6.0.0.12757 - SDK 10.7 Support

      FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 14.0.0.145 - SDK 10.6 Support

      npwebroot: Version: 2.0.15 Support

      AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.07 - SDK 10.6 Support

      AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.07 - SDK 10.6 Support

      Flash Player: Version: 14.0.0.145 - SDK 10.6 Support

      Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9

      QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

      SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.3 - SDK 10.6 Support

      JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 67 Check version

     

    Safari Extensions:

      webfilter: Version: 1.0.1.40

      LastPass: Version: 3.1.51

     

    Audio Plug-ins:

      BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9

      AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9

      AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9

      iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9

     

    iTunes Plug-ins:

      Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9

     

    User Internet Plug-ins:

      CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 Support

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

      Flash Player  Support

      Java  Support

      Logitech Control Center  Support

      Trusteer Endpoint Protection  Support

     

    Time Machine:

      Time Machine not configured!

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

          10% WindowServer

          9% Microsoft Word

          2% Microsoft Outlook

          1% Safari

          1% LCCDaemon

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

      270 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

      270 MB Microsoft Outlook

      261 MB Safari

      229 MB Finder

      229 MB CrashPlanService

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

      1.22 GB Free RAM

      3.93 GB Active RAM

      1.88 GB Inactive RAM

      985 MB Wired RAM

      1.21 GB Page-ins

      0 B Page-outs

  • by CT,

    CT CT Aug 8, 2014 4:46 PM in response to microbarny
    Level 6 (17,883 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 8, 2014 4:46 PM in response to microbarny

    I would toss all the webroot stuff and see if that helps.

  • by microbarny,

    microbarny microbarny Aug 8, 2014 4:53 PM in response to CT
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 8, 2014 4:53 PM in response to CT

    Will do.  Thanks.  Probably just a paranoia left over from my PC days...

     

    Webroot is taking up about 32MB, as an FYI

  • by CT,Helpful

    CT CT Aug 8, 2014 4:59 PM in response to microbarny
    Level 6 (17,883 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 8, 2014 4:59 PM in response to microbarny

    Yeah, I understand.  It's probably a bit of an overgeneralization, but lots of "performance problems" you read about here can be traced back to "protection" software mucking up the system. And, currently on the mac - where the principle threat is user-installed malware, one has just to be discriminating in what one chooses to install in order to avoid problems.

     

    You might also test to see how things run without the blackberry stuff.

  • by microbarny,

    microbarny microbarny Nov 15, 2014 5:35 PM in response to CT
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 15, 2014 5:35 PM in response to CT

    I am still having performance issues.  Constantly getting the color wheel and sluggishness.  I re-ran EtreCheck and got the following report.  Anyone see a need to delete certain files.  I tried to delete old Webfoot and Blackberry files but still some leftover and Finder says I can't delete them.

     

    EtreCheck version: 2.0.11 (98)

    Report generated November 15, 2014 at 5:21:09 PM PST

     

     

    Hardware Information: ℹ️

      MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012) (Verified)

      MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro9,1

      1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4-core

      8 GB RAM Upgradeable

      BANK 0/DIMM0

      4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

      BANK 1/DIMM0

      4 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

      Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

      Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

     

     

    Video Information: ℹ️

      Intel HD Graphics 4000 -

      NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - VRAM: 512 MB

      DELL 1908WFP 1440 x 900 @ 60 Hz

     

     

    System Software: ℹ️

      OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 2 days 18:3:24

     

     

    Disk Information: ℹ️

      APPLE HDD HTS545050A7E362 disk0 : (500.11 GB)

      S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified

      EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

      Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

      Macintosh HD (disk1) /  [Startup]: 498.88 GB (431.02 GB free)

      Core Storage: disk0s2 499.25 GB Online

     

     

      MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8 

     

     

    USB Information: ℹ️

      Dell B1165nfw Mono MFP

      Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

      Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

      Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

      Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

      Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

      Logitech USB Receiver

     

     

    Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️

      Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

     

    Gatekeeper: ℹ️

      Mac App Store and identified developers

     

     

    Kernel Extensions: ℹ️

      /Library/Extensions

      [loaded] com.Logitech.Control Center.HID Driver (3.9.1 - SDK 10.8) Support

      [loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (2.2.7 - SDK 10.7) Support

      [not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryVirtualPrivateNetwork (1.0.18 - SDK 10.8) Support

      [loaded] com.sophos.kext.sav (9.2.50 - SDK 10.8) Support

      [loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.2.50 - SDK 10.8) Support

      [loaded] com.webroot.driver.WebrootSecureAnywhere (105 - SDK 10.9) Support

     

     

      /System/Library/Extensions

      [not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_netpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6) Support

      [not loaded] com.Belcarra.iokit.USBLAN_usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.6) Support

      [not loaded] com.BlackBerry.driver.USBCDCNCM (1.0.6 - SDK 10.7) Support

      [loaded] com.Logitech.Unifying.HID Driver (1.3.0 - SDK 10.6) Support

      [not loaded] com.RemoteControl.USBLAN.usbpart (3.1.1 - SDK 10.7) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSB (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecDriverCore (5.2.6 - SDK 10.4) Support

     

     

      /System/Library/Extensions/MotMobileUSB.kext/Contents/PlugIns

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMS (1.0.0 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileMTP (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLAN (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBLANMerge (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.motorola-mobility.driver.MotMobileUSBSwch (1.2.2 - SDK 10.5) Support

     

     

      /System/Library/Extensions/Seagate Storage Driver.kext/Contents/PlugIns

      [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_4 (5.2.6 - SDK 10.4) Support

      [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.PowSecLeafDriver_10_5 (5.2.6 - SDK 10.5) Support

      [not loaded] com.seagate.driver.SeagateDriveIcons (5.2.6 - SDK 10.4) Support

     

     

    Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️

      [failed] com.apple.ctkd.plist

      [failed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist

      [failed] com.apple.softwareupdated.plist

      [failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist

      [running] com.seagate.TBDecorator.plist Support

     

     

    Launch Agents: ℹ️

      [loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support

      [running] com.sophos.uiserver.plist Support

      [running] com.trusteer.rapport.rapportd.plist Support

     

     

    Launch Daemons: ℹ️

      [loaded] com.absolute.rpcgeo.plist Support

      [running] com.absolute.rpcnet.plist Support

      [loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support

      [running] com.crashplan.engine.plist Support

      [loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support

      [running] com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist Support

      [running] com.trusteer.rooks.rooksd.plist Support

     

     

    User Launch Agents: ℹ️

      [loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support

      [not loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support

      [invalid?] com.citrixonline.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist Support

      [loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support

      [failed] com.seagate.dashboard.plist Support

     

     

    User Login Items: ℹ️

      iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

      CrashPlan menu bar UNKNOWN (missing value)

      Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

      CrashPlan Application (/Applications/CrashPlan.app)

      CrashPlan menu bar Application (/Applications/CrashPlan.app/Contents/Helpers/CrashPlan menu bar.app)

     

     

    Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

      Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

      npwebroot: Version: 2.0.15 Support

      AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 1.0.0.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

      FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support

      AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support

      WidevineMediaOptimizer: Version: 6.0.0.12757 - SDK 10.7 Support

      Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support

      QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

      Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 Support

      SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.5 - SDK 10.6 Support

      AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support

      JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 8 Update 25 Check version

     

     

    User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️

      CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 Support

     

     

    Safari Extensions: ℹ️

      LastPass

      Awesome Screenshot

      Save to Pocket

     

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️

      Flash Player  Support

      Java  Support

      Logitech Control Center  Support

      Seagate Dashboard for Mac OSX  Support

      Trusteer Endpoint Protection  Support

     

     

    Time Machine: ℹ️

      Skip System Files: NO

      Mobile backups: OFF

      Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off

      Volumes being backed up:

      Macintosh HD: Disk size: 498.88 GB Disk used: 67.86 GB

      Destinations:

      Seagate Backup Plus Drive [Local]

      Total size: 999.49 GB

      Total number of backups: 13

      Oldest backup: 2014-10-18 22:23:08 +0000

      Last backup: 2014-10-21 09:29:43 +0000

      Size of backup disk: Adequate

      Backup size 999.49 GB > (Disk used 67.86 GB X 3)

     

     

    Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️

         87% Find Any File

         45% Microsoft Outlook

          5% WindowServer

          3% Safari

          2% com.apple.WebKit.Networking

     

     

    Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️

      498 MB firefox

      292 MB Microsoft Outlook

      249 MB CrashPlanService

      232 MB Safari

      186 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

     

     

    Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️

      204 MB Free RAM

      3.83 GB Active RAM

      2.87 GB Inactive RAM

      1.19 GB Wired RAM

      51.24 GB Page-ins

      1.54 GB Page-outs

     

    Thanks for any assistance...

  • by stedman1,

    stedman1 stedman1 Nov 15, 2014 5:41 PM in response to microbarny
    Level 9 (74,310 points)
    Apple Watch
    Nov 15, 2014 5:41 PM in response to microbarny

    Your latest post shows you are running Sophos, which may be causing issues. There are also 2 separate Apps using a very percentage of the CPU. Quit "Find any File" and "Microsoft Outlook". Any improvement?