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Why is chrome eating up so much of my physical memory

Tags:
  • Chrome
  • Physical Memory
  • RAM
  • Memory
Last response: in Memory
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February 23, 2014 5:04:45 PM

I have a relatively new Toshiba laptop with 4 mgs of RAM. It is running very slow. I have Chrome and Excel open now and the physical memory usage is at 95%. Granted I have 15 tabs open in chrome but some of the tabs are using much more memory than others, Yahoo mail for instance. Beside changing browsers or buying more ram, is there anything I can do to lower the RAM usage?

More about : chrome eating physical memory

February 23, 2014 5:38:34 PM

What is your OS?
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February 23, 2014 5:44:36 PM

Windows 7

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February 23, 2014 5:53:16 PM

I advise to test if the same thing happens with other browsers. If that doesn't happen the same is something that you put in Chrome for sure.
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February 23, 2014 5:59:10 PM

I will do that.

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February 23, 2014 6:04:46 PM

Could be memory leaks. you could try a reinstall of chrome. sometimes a messed up installation can cause memory leaks.
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February 23, 2014 6:56:40 PM

15 tabs depending on the amount of "content" would range from 1 GB to 2 GB of memory used from what I know.
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a b } Memory
February 23, 2014 9:58:47 PM

Chrome, while I love it, is one of the most memory-intensive browsers out there.

(There's a reason why I use it when quoting that 8GB of ram can simultaneously run battlefield 3, photoshop, and 30 tabs in chrome.)
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February 23, 2014 11:27:22 PM

Interesting, when I closed Firefox and restarted Chrome, the physical memory usage dropped to the mid 50's. However after opening and closing a few tabs, the usage began creeping up. Now at 74%, my guess the next stop will shortly be over 80%. I suppose I can always shut down and reopen Chrome every time it begins to get overloaded but that seems a bit cumbersome. There has to be a better way.

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February 23, 2014 11:31:01 PM

I appreciate the input. I think the best solution for me is to buy another 8 MB of Ram. I won't be running Battlefield 3 or photoshop but 30 tabs of chrome is a possibility. Thanks.
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Best solution

February 24, 2014 12:28:35 AM

Please don't buy 8 MB of ram. Get yourself another 4 GB instead.
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February 24, 2014 12:32:50 AM

Why only 4?

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February 24, 2014 12:38:47 AM

As you probably have 4 GB already and not 4 MB as you state. Usually it will be 1 x 4GB sodim on a newer laptop and you will have a spare ram slot which you can add another 4 GB to give you 8 GB. Try to buy the same ram or at least matching spec. Check out what you have with CPU-Z.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z/versions-history.h...
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February 24, 2014 1:42:39 AM

You are right of course, I have 4 GB of ram. I went on Crucial and ran the compatibility scanner and, among others, an 8GB chip was recommended. I take it if you have two slots that it isn't good to have 8 in one and 4 in the other.
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February 24, 2014 3:18:03 AM

extaca said:
You are right of course, I have 4 GB of ram. I went on Crucial and ran the compatibility scanner and, among others, an 8GB chip was recommended. I take it if you have two slots that it isn't good to have 8 in one and 4 in the other.


Just be sure it is a single 4GB with a spare slot free for an additional 4GB sodim and not 2 x 2GB filling two slots. CPU-Z will help you with that. Maybe the Crucial scanner detected your configuration I have not used it myself.

You can use 4GB + 8GB sodims to give you 12GB without problem but they should have the same speed ratings. Why spend the extra for an 8GB sodim when an extra 4GB would be sufficient.

Now if you have 2 x 2GB they would need replacing with either 2 x 4GB or 1 x 8GB to get you the 8GB you are looking for. Just be sure what you need before purchase to save yourself some headache.
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February 24, 2014 3:21:35 AM

I delved further into the scan and they recommended I add another 4GB chip or replace the existing 4 with two 8's. Thank you for all your help. I will run the CPU scan just to be sure.
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February 24, 2014 3:30:40 AM

As you aware the net is a great source of info. Check it out for any help you need in installing your purchased ram. Some laptops can be tricky. Also be careful handling the ram with regards to static and not touching the chips themselves.

I basically touch a ground source (radiator) before handling electronic components and don't move around on carpets and only handle the items by their PCB. Never had a problem with these simple precautions.
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February 24, 2014 8:18:30 PM

extaca said:
Interesting, when I closed Firefox and restarted Chrome, the physical memory usage dropped to the mid 50's. However after opening and closing a few tabs, the usage began creeping up. Now at 74%, my guess the next stop will shortly be over 80%. I suppose I can always shut down and reopen Chrome every time it begins to get overloaded but that seems a bit cumbersome. There has to be a better way.



based on what you said, opening and closing tabs caused memory usage to go up, it is 90% gonna be a memory leak. to be honest i dont know the deets of memory leaks, but the predominant problem is that memory usage continues to rise even when your not asking anymore of the process. so opening a new tab should increase usage, but closing it should get rid of that extra usage. however, with a memory leak, the usage wont drop, it will stay. so opening and closing tabs will slowly build memory usage without allowing it to fall. i had this problem with a game client. The client would use nearly 2G of ram. and if i repeatedly opened and closed it i could get it to reach 3-4. reinstall fixed it.
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February 24, 2014 8:27:29 PM

yeh dude, i just opened chrome and checked the usage for one tab. i opened 30 more tabs, including email facebook, newegg, toms forums etc. memory usage went up by about 20%. but X'd the tabs down to one again, it returned to the original usage. You have a problem, its not ur ram amount
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August 5, 2014 11:54:28 PM

Hi,
I think its depend on how many extension you have
Hit shift+Esc to see the memory usage of any extension
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