Is 16GB of RAM Enough for My Usage?
Asked by
CuriousCoder42
Last year I managed just fine with a laptop that had 8GB of RAM, but now I've upgraded to a new laptop with 16GB, and I'm constantly hitting 95% RAM usage. I often have to restart when this happens, and I'm trying to figure out if I really need to optimize my setup or if 16GB just isn't enough for what I'm doing. Htop shows that my web browser is consuming the most memory, but I feel stuck since I can't really do much about that. Here's what I'm using regularly:
- Zen web browser (often running multiple tabs including Spotify, eBay, etc.)
- Digikam
- ART (a RawTherapee clone)
- Rapid Photo Downloader
- Megasync
Occasionally:
- GIMP
- Terminal (for updates)
- LibreOffice
I'm running Manjaro GNOME, fully updated. What should I do? Can I optimize my memory usage, or am I looking at an upgrade?
Answers
Have you looked at the Zen browser specifically? It can be pretty resource-heavy. Other users have pointed out issues with it using too much RAM compared to Firefox. If you don’t need the features Zen offers, it could be worth switching back to Firefox to see if it helps with your RAM issues.
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Instead of rebooting, check your process manager to see what's using all that memory. It’s normal to use RAM, so don’t panic about hitting high numbers unless something is crashing. Just ensure your swap setup is okay. If you're browsing lots of tabs, it can get demanding, but maybe you just need to manage your applications better instead of instantly upgrading your RAM.
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Honestly, hitting high RAM usage isn’t necessarily bad. It sounds like you’re just utilizing your system, but if your experience is getting affected (like freezing), then it’s worth looking into your swap settings. You might not need more RAM, just smarter resource management. And make sure to check how much RAM specific apps are using, it might surprise you!
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