So I know this is an old post but I have to correct some serious issues here. First Mavrrick, RAM is not meant to be full. In fact, you want it to not be in use. When too much is used, your performance will slow down considerably. Please do not give advice when you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Even using 70% of maximum you will see a decrease in performance. Golfdriver97, this goes for you. Android is like any other computer. . . because it is one. They do not work well with full ram being used. Why don't you try it and get back to me. Your phone will lag something fierce! RAM (Random Access Memory) is used to help process data from storage or data from the internet. With not sufficient open RAM, it cannot load as fast. Picture this, if you want to check out 10 books, but your cart only holds 3, you have to take 4 trips for all of your books. Your cart size is like your RAM, the bigger the cart, the more you can shuffle back and forth.
With the increasing amount of bloatware that is being loaded, RAM is becoming an even bigger issue. RAM also deteriorates over time. This is why older computers will run even slower than when they were brand new. Electronics are so finely tuned that they slowly deteriorate and slow down. Your phone after 2 years of use will be slower than when you purchased it. This is why paying attention to RAM "IS" important neonworm.
Here are some basics of computers.
Restart your phone at least once a day or at least once a week. If you can, remove battery and let sit for a minute. This clears all RAM and lets the system boot fresh.
Download Clean Master or another program like this. This works wonders. I did turn off most of the settings and live monitoring because they use up memory. I only have on an alert if my phone uses more than 80% of memory.
Phone storage or SD Card. Most computer systems use part of your fixed storage of your phone or SD for temporary memory or extra RAM. It also uses that space when you are transferring files or doing many other things. Make sure to keep your memory under 80% used or you will also see a large drop in performance.
Bloat apps. There are a lot of apps that you may never use. If that is the case, uninstall them, and just reinstall them when you need them.
Widgets. Widgets use up memory all the time. If you do not need it on your screen, I highly recommend not putting it there. I only have 3, email, weather, and calendar.
Others. Your phone has things like smooth transitions and many other options that you can disable. There are many guides that go into that, but disabling the bloatware and live wallpaper type items can free up a lot of memory.
Please Please Please, if you are not knowledgeable about the subject, please refrain from putting incorrect information that will only confuse or problems. When in doubt, leave it out.
Cheers