MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Separating inadequate RAM from CPU speed?
How does one determine this?
I use an app called CleanMyMac3. It will show me info on my hard drive (total GB, available GB and health) and memory (GB available and amount free). CleanMyMac3 can free up memory without disturbing running processes. When my Mac is running slow I can see that there is something like 30-50mb available. When I free memory, my computer will typically show over 1GB now available and the Mac speeds up. This is only a short term solution as the apps reclaim use of memory.
The Activity Monitor utility will show you CPU, Memory and Disk usage information. After freeing up memory with CleanMyMac3, I will use the Activity Monitor to find "offending" processes. This method lets you decide if you want to upgrade memory and/or the hard drive, or just clean up and change your work habits.
Personally it's looking like I will need to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB (the max for my Mac) on my memory and perhaps go to a 1TB SSD drive. CleanMyMac3 is also telling me that my battery condition is poor which I tend to agree with. I'm thinking that $500 in DIY upgrades could give me another 2-4 years of service.
