Question Firefox high CPU AND RAM usage

[Parkinsond]

I still don't get it... why are you saying like this is a bad thing? RAM is meant to be used completely. As I already said, unused RAM = wasted money.

Why to use program consuming lots of resources, while you can use another one with less consumption; keep your limited resources for other programs or for opening more tabs without sleeping tabs feature.

 

[Marko :)]

Why to use program consuming lots of resources, while you can use another one with less consumption; keep your limited resources for other programs or for opening more tabs without sleeping tabs feature.

Because it's what RAM is designed for in the first place. Its job is to keep data you need fast, so your PC doesn't have to go to drive to obtain information and then back, to drive and back again. This massively slows down the performance of the app and the operating system itself. And because RAM is extremely fast, whatever app needs it's straight there without any delay.

Why does Windows take time to load? Why doesn't it launch in an instant once you press the power button? Well, it would if it had entire operating system in the RAM. But considering it doesn't, operating system needs to locate every necessary file on drive that it needs to work. And that takes time. Once everything is loaded into RAM, it doesn't need to do that again because everything it needs it right there. This is also the reason why your PC wakes up from sleep in less than a second.

Then you come to the desktop, and want to launch an app. You double click the icon and you wait a second or two. Do you know why? Because again, the app needs to be loaded into RAM. If it was there, it would be equally fast like opening app from taskbar (the only reason why minimized app launches fast is because it's already in the RAM).

What's the lesson here? By limiting RAM usage, you're limiting the number of data app needs to work. The less data in RAM, means your favorite app needs to go to the drive to look for it, and then back, and to the drive again, and back; slowing down the app and performance. That also means the app uses more CPU which then results in using more power, which then results in less battery life, for example. For the same reason, it's recommended not to use task killers on your phone; same story, phone needs to work harder which then means it uses more power and that equals to less battery life.

You yourself said you don't use any resource intensive software and use your PC just for light office work and casual web browsing. So on what will you use the unused RAM if not on the most important app on your PC—the web browser. On Calculator? Firefox using more RAM only means it works faster because it doesn't need to visit the drive often.

 

[Parkinsond]

What's the lesson here? By limiting RAM usage, you're limiting the number of data app needs to work.

I am not limiting RAM use, I use efficient prgrams which does not need lots of RAM.

 

[Marko :)]

I am not limiting RAM use, I use efficient prgrams which does not need lots of RAM.

Yeah, and you're leaving more than half of RAM empty by not using it at all. You mentioned other programs might need the RAM; if they really needed it they would use it. The web browser is the most resource intensive program you have installed. If you compare it to AutoCAD, Premiere Pro; web browser is a baby compared to them.

It would make sense to use software that uses less memory if you had your RAM filled all the time to the full and really need it for something like rendering videos. Or if you had 512 MB of RAM. But reality is you don't.

 

[Parkinsond]

Yeah, and you're leaving more than half of RAM empty by not using it at all.

No, I sparing it to be used by programs which cannot use RAM efficiently such as browsers.

 

[Marko :)]

No, I sparing it to be used by programs which cannot use RAM efficiently such as browsers.

Please name the programs that need a lot of RAM on your PC and that you run at simultaneously with the web browser.

 

[Parkinsond]

Please name the programs that need a lot of RAM on your PC and that you run at simultaneously with the web browser.

Bitdefender, for example.

 

[Marko :)]

Bitdefender, for example.

According to system requirements of Bitdefender, it needs 2 GB of RAM to function. Let's say Windows uses 2 GB of RAM (in reality uses less; you might see it use much, but in reality it just reserves memory). That's 4 GB of RAM in total. On what will you use additional 4 GB that are left?

Btw Bitdefender recommends having 2 GB of RAM, because that the maximum it can use. No chance in hell will Bitdefender use 2 GB of RAM. Even if you give him some resource intensive task to do, it will hardly ever pass 1 GB. I don't understand what would antivirus software need to do to get to that number.

 

[Parkinsond]

According to system requirements of Bitdefender, it needs 2 GB of RAM to function. Let's say Windows uses 2 GB of RAM (in reality uses less; you might see it use much, but in reality it just reserves memory). That's 4 GB of RAM in total. On what will you use additional 4 GB left?

Btw Bitdefender recommends having 2 GB of RAM, because they add into account the OS will use something and some apps. No chance in hell will Bitdefender use 2 GB of RAM all the time. It will hardly ever pass 1 GB.

I have reduce my virtual memory to the min (400 MB); if memory leak happens for any reason, I will not find enough VM to expand at its expense and PC will freeze; that is why I prefer to keep enough RAM for such incidents.

 

[Marko :)]

I have reduce my virtual memory to the min (400 MB); if memory leak happens for any reason, I will not find enough VM to expand at its expense and PC will freeze; that is why I prefer to keep enough RAM for such incidents.

Memory leaks are rare and pretty much only happen when there's bug in software. No need to keep free RAM for the sake of memory leaks. Especially when the solution is just to close the misbehaving app. In most cases, Windows will intervene before memory leaks happens and will force close the app, so PC won't freeze.

I haven't seen memory leak on my PCs for a decade.

 

[Parkinsond]

Memory leaks are rare and pretty much only happen when there's bug in software. No need to keep free RAM for the sake of memory leaks. Especially when the solution is just to close the misbehaving app. In most cases, Windows will intervene before memory leaks happens and will force close the app, so PC won't freeze.

I haven't seen memory leak on my PCs for a decade.

For months, I was facing memory leak everytime I open Facebook up to 95% of RAM; with PC freezing on some occasions.
Apparently, it was a glitch of FB, not the browser, as the rest of websites were okay.
After few months, it was fixed spontaneously.
So, yes, memory leak happens, and it is not your fault or caused by faulty program.

 

[Marko :)]

For months, I was facing memory leak everytime I open Facebook up to 95% of RAM; with PC freezing on some occasions.
Apparently, it was a glitch of FB, not the browser, as the rest of websites were okay.
After few months, it was fixed spontaneously.
So, yes, memory leak happens, and it is not your fault or caused by faulty program.

Considering this is the first time I'm hearing for it, and I know a lot of Facebook users and am part of many internet forums, says to me it's an isolated incident that only affected you. I'd argue it was something to do with your browser installation or even extensions. And the issue got resolved when misbehaving extension got updated. Maybe some ad blocking filter caused issues; you should have opened browser console to see what's going on.

Still, memory leaks in this day and age are rare and they shouldn't cause problems. And the solution is to close the tab/program, simple as that. You should really stop worrying about memory leaks and check your extensions as well as ad blocking filters. I'm 99.5% sure your leak was caused by an extension or user-script. If it was something else or Facebook, that would be all over media.

 

[Parkinsond]

Considering this is the first time I'm hearing for it, and I know a lot of Facebook users and am part of many internet forums, says to me it's an isolated incident that only affected you. I'd argue it was something to do with your browser installation or even extensions. And the issue got resolved when misbehaving extension got updated. Maybe some ad blocking filter caused issues; you should have opened browser console to see what's going on.

Still, memory leaks in this day and age are rare and they shouldn't cause problems. And the solution is to close the tab/program, simple as that. You should really stop worrying about memory leaks and check your extensions as well as ad blocking filters. I 99.5% sure your memory leak was caused by an extension or user-script. If it was something else, Facebook causing memory leaks would be all over media.

Disabled all extensions, tried a different browser (Chrome instead of Edge) with no avail; memory leak expands rapidly, so I may get up to do something and come back to find PC freezed and TrafficMonitor shows more than 95% RAM usage in taskbar.

 

[Marko :)]

Disabled all extensions, tried a different browser (Chrome instead of Edge) with no avail; memory leak expands rapidly, so I may get up to do something and come back to find PC freezed and TrafficMonitor shows more than 95% RAM usage in taskbar.

Should have tried Firefox. Because Chrome = Edge. If you have a problem with something in Chrome, you'll have it in Edge as well. Especially when it comes to the websites, because both browsers use the same engine.