Rusty K
Level 1 (7 points)
Audio

Q: Memory Question

I have only Firefox open and my available memory is 1.48G of 4G max.  What is using so much of my memory? 

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), 3.06 GHz Intel

Posted on Sep 21, 2015 12:50 PM

by rkaufmann87,Solvedanswer
rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87
Level 9 (58,184 points)
Photos for Mac
A:

Rusty K wrote:

 

Ok just to clarify.  To get the RAM up to 16GB I would have to replace some my current RAM plus fill the empty slots? Is this memory interchangeable with all models or do I need to get specific?

That is correct, however you first need to get rid of CleanMyMac2, that is considered malware by many experienced users and not only is 100% unnecessary but potentially harmful to your system.

 

RAM is specific to the model of iMac, in other words a 2011-2014 iMac uses completely different RAM then your late 2009 iMac.

Posted on Sep 21, 2015 3:52 PM

Close
Rusty K

Q: Memory Question

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 of 3 last Next

  • by rkaufmann87,Helpful

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 21, 2015 2:20 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 9 (58,184 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 21, 2015 2:20 PM in response to Rusty K

    Open Activity Monitor (Applications - Utilities - Activity Monitor) and click the Memory tab and it will tell you what processes are using the most amount of RAM. To be honest 4GB of RAM is a very small amount, it may be wise to just upgrade. If you decide to do that please use Crucial (buy direct) or OWC (www.macsales.com.

     

    Good luck.

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 21, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 10 (270,391 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 21, 2015 12:55 PM in response to Rusty K

    Open Activity Monitor in your Utilities folder to see what uses memory on the computer. Most of it is taken by Yosemite in order to have better memory management. Are you running out of memory? Is the computer slowing down and the drive is constantly grinding away? If not, then don't worry. Otherwise, put in more memory.

  • by Rusty K,

    Rusty K Rusty K Sep 21, 2015 2:22 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Audio
    Sep 21, 2015 2:22 PM in response to Kappy

    Kappy, yes very slow...the spinning beach ball and typing lags.  Of course I've had this computer for some time but perhaps the memory upgrade is what I should do.

  • by Rusty K,

    Rusty K Rusty K Sep 21, 2015 2:25 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Audio
    Sep 21, 2015 2:25 PM in response to Rusty K

    I've opened the the activity monitor before and was amazed at the number running programs/processes.  Of course they're not all using a lot of memory.

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 21, 2015 2:28 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 10 (270,391 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 21, 2015 2:28 PM in response to Rusty K

    When you have Activity Monitor open click on the Memory tab at the top. Then note the status display at the bottom. Looks somewhat like this:

     

    Screen Shot 2015-09-21 at 2.26.14 PM.png

     

    Make a screen snapshot of yours and post it here.

     

    To post screen shot do this:

     

    1. Press COMMAND-SHIFT-4 which will change the cursor to crosshairs.
    2. Hold down the mouse button and use the crosshairs to select the part of the screen you wish to capture.
    3. Release the button and the image will be saved to your Desktop.
    4. Click on the Camera icon in the toolbar of the forum message editor.
    5. Drag the image onto the Choose File button and click on the Insert button.

  • by Rusty K,

    Rusty K Rusty K Sep 21, 2015 2:28 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Audio
    Sep 21, 2015 2:28 PM in response to Rusty K

    At Crucial I tried to download the system scanner but wasn't able to open.  Should I just look for the memory card that I need myself i.e. match the two I have installed already?

  • by rkaufmann87,Helpful

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 21, 2015 2:51 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 9 (58,184 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 21, 2015 2:51 PM in response to Rusty K

    Rusty K wrote:

     

    At Crucial I tried to download the system scanner but wasn't able to open.  Should I just look for the memory card that I need myself i.e. match the two I have installed already?

     

    Post what year iMac you have. You can easily find out by clicking About this Mac which is located by clicking the Apple symbol in the upper left of your display. Find the OS X version and build number on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    Once we know exactly what iMac you have then we can tell you the RAM specifications to look for.

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 21, 2015 2:34 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 10 (270,391 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 21, 2015 2:34 PM in response to Rusty K

    Yes, you can do that. Or try finding what you need elsewhere such as OWC or DataMem. These are both vendors I have used for years and can recommend confidently.

  • by Rusty K,

    Rusty K Rusty K Sep 21, 2015 3:33 PM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Audio
    Sep 21, 2015 3:33 PM in response to rkaufmann87

    <Image Edited by Host to Remove Serial Number>

  • by Rusty K,

    Rusty K Rusty K Sep 21, 2015 2:50 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Audio
    Sep 21, 2015 2:50 PM in response to Rusty K

    Did I send the correct info?

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Sep 21, 2015 2:52 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 10 (270,391 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 21, 2015 2:52 PM in response to Kappy

    This is the memory specs you need to look for:

    Maximum Memory32 GB (Core i5 or Core i7 Actual) 16 GB (Apple)
    Memory Slots4 - 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM

  • by Old Toad,

    Old Toad Old Toad Sep 21, 2015 2:57 PM in response to Rusty K
    Level 10 (140,928 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 21, 2015 2:57 PM in response to Rusty K

    Download and run Etrecheck.  Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here (and recommended by Apple Support personnel) in the ASC to help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.

    OTsig.png

  • by Rusty K,

    Rusty K Rusty K Sep 21, 2015 3:12 PM in response to Old Toad
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Audio
    Sep 21, 2015 3:12 PM in response to Old Toad

    Problem description:

    slow performance

     

    EtreCheck version: 2.4.2 (142)

    Report generated 9/21/15, 5:08 PM

    Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Hardware Information: (What does this mean?)

        iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) (Technical Specifications)

        iMac - model: iMac10,1

        1 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core

        4 GB RAM Upgradeable

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                Empty  

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                Empty  

            BANK 0/DIMM1

                2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM1

                2 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported

        Wireless:  en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n

     

    Video Information: (What does this mean?)

        NVIDIA GeForce 9400 - VRAM: 256 MB

            iMac 1920 x 1080

     

    System Software: (What does this mean?)

        OS X 10.10.5 (14F27) - Time since boot: about 11 days

     

    Disk Information: (What does this mean?)

        ST3500418ASQ disk0 : (500.11 GB) (Rotational)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 499.25 GB (92.73 GB free)

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

     

        OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5680H   ()

     

    USB Information: (What does this mean?)

        BUFFALO HD-PCTU2 500.11 GB

            AUDIO STORAGE II (disk1s1) /Volumes/AUDIO STORAGE II : 500.11 GB (398.56 GB free)

        Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

        Seagate Expansion 1 TB

            BACKUP (disk2s1) /Volumes/BACKUP : 500.24 GB (6.50 GB free)

            IMAGE STORAGE I (disk2s2) /Volumes/IMAGE STORAGE I : 499.97 GB (467.39 GB free)

        Apple Inc. Built-in iSight

        Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver

     

    Firewire Information: (What does this mean?)

        Apogee Electronics Duet 400mbit - 400mbit max

     

    Gatekeeper: (What does this mean?)

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions: (What does this mean?)

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [loaded]    com.Apogee.driver.DuetFWOverideDriver (1.4.4 - SDK 10.8) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.digidesign.usb.elevenrack.driver (1.0.1) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.m-audio.usb.midisupport.driver (1.1) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.nike.sportwatch (1.0.0) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.master (5.7.2) [Click for support]

     

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

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.leopard (5.7.2) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.panther (5.7.2) [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.snowleopard (5.7.2) [Click for support]

        [not loaded]    com.paceap.kext.pacesupport.tiger (5.7.2) [Click for support]

     

    Startup Items: (What does this mean?)

        M-Audio Firmware Loader: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio Firmware Loader

        PACESupport: Path: /Library/StartupItems/PACESupport

        Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

     

    Problem System Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

        [killed]    com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.cloudd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.cloudphotosd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.cmfsyncagent.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.EscrowSecurityAlert.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.gamed.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.Maps.pushdaemon.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.photolibraryd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.printtool.agent.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.rcd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.telephonyutilities.callservicesd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.warmd_agent.plist

        16 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    Problem System Launch Daemons: (What does this mean?)

        [killed]    com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.ctkd.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.emond.aslmanager.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.GSSCred.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.ifdreader.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.nehelper.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.periodic-daily.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.periodic-weekly.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.softwareupdate_download_service.plist

        [killed]    com.apple.wdhelper.plist

        11 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

        [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.ApogeePopup.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.nike.nikeplusconnect.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.sony.SonyAutoLauncher.agent.plist [Click for support]

     

    Launch Daemons: (What does this mean?)

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.digidesign.elevenrack.helper.plist [Click for support]

        [running]    com.DuetDaemon.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    PACESupport.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Launch Agents: (What does this mean?)

        [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]

        [loaded]    com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist [Click for support]

     

    User Login Items: (What does this mean?)

        Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

        CleanMyMac 3 Menu    Application  (/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app)

        AdobeResourceSynchronizer    Application Hidden (/Applications/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/Support/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app)

        DuetPopUp    UNKNOWN  (missing value)

        Kodak Share Button Agent    Application  (/Applications/Kodak Share Button App/Kodak Share Button.app/Contents/MacOS/Kodak Share Button Agent.app)

        HP Product Research    UNKNOWN  (missing value)

        HPEventHandler    UNKNOWN  (missing value)

     

    Internet Plug-ins: (What does this mean?)

        FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 19.0.0.185 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3

        AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.12 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.12 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        Flash Player: Version: 19.0.0.185 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]

        Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10

        Silverlight: Version: 4.0.50524.0 [Click for support]

        iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0

     

    Safari Extensions: (What does this mean?)

        serfsearch

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes: (What does this mean?)

        Digidesign Eleven Rack  [Click for support]

        Flash Player  [Click for support]

     

    Time Machine: (What does this mean?)

        Skip System Files: NO

        Auto backup: YES

        Volumes being backed up:

            Macintosh HD: Disk size: 499.25 GB Disk used: 406.52 GB

        Destinations:

            BACKUP [Local]

            Total size: 500.24 GB

            Total number of backups: 52

            Oldest backup: 2015-05-18 19:59:05 +0000

            Last backup: 2015-09-21 21:22:15 +0000

            Size of backup disk: Too small

                Backup size 500.24 GB < (Disk used 406.52 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU: (What does this mean?)

             4%    WindowServer

             1%    fontd

             0%    taskgated

             0%    askpermissiond

     

    Top Processes by Memory: (What does this mean?)

        670 MB    kernel_task

        455 MB    firefox

        119 MB    iconservicesagent

        115 MB    Finder

        111 MB    mds_stores

     

    Virtual Memory Information: (What does this mean?)

        550 MB    Free RAM

        3.46 GB    Used RAM (1.16 GB Cached)

        250 MB    Swap Used

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 22, 2015 11:41 AM in response to Rusty K
    Level 9 (58,184 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 22, 2015 11:41 AM in response to Rusty K

    Rusty K wrote:

     

     

    Your 2009 /2010 machine needs  PC8500 DDR3 1066MHz 204 Pin RAM. It can accommodate up to 16GB, I would recommend 8GB or more. Your machine has 4GB currently, you can get it to 8GB by adding 2 x 2GB DIMMs. As recommended use OWC or Crucial to get the correct RAM.

     

    <Image Edited by Host to Remove Personal Information>

Page 1 of 3 last Next