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Tech Tip of the Day:
Memory allocation within Mac OS X

Q: “I would like to allocate more memory to several of my applications on my new (Apple) G4 computer. I used to do this under Get Info in the File Menu then adding more memory under the Memory View, however this seems to have disappeared in OS X. Any help?”

A: Not only has this “Memory View” of the “Get Info” window gone away, but Mac OS X does not display the memory allocation and usage levels of individual applications in the “About This Mac” window found under the open apple (top left of your desktop).

The answer to your question is actually simple and VERY good news for those of us who have spent years managing the amount of RAM each application uses in previous versions of the Mac OS.

The good news is that you don’t need to manage RAM anymore - Mac OS X automatically manages memory allocation and usage in the background for you! Memory is dynamically allocated to the OS and all open applications under OS X; so, if your audio application needs more memory to function properly, the operating system will automatically allocate RAM to that application.

If you would like to see how much RAM is currently used by the OS and all open applications, do the following:


1. Double click on your Hard Drive.
2. Open your Applications Folder.
3. Open your Utilities Folder.
4. Double click on the application called Process Viewer. Here you’ll find the status of the percentage of Memory and CPU usage



 

 

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