RAM Status

[RionDunn]

Hello All!!
I was just wondering about RAM status on my S5. What is normal?

It shows that my RAM is running at 1.6 GB and that there 600mb available. Is this normal? Phone is running fine I believe. I haven't experienced any issues with it.
I guess this is just for a peace of mind, and curiosity.

Thanks!!!

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[Jon Jackson]

Don't worry about Ram, if your phone is running good that's all that matters. The OS for Android is different than other OS. You want as much Ram being used up as possible, Don't try to clear the Ram, don't worry about cache, don't install app killers, anti virus, ram boosters etc. I'd also disable Lookout.

 

[Almeuit]

Don't worry about Ram, if your phone is running good that's all that matters. The OS for Android is different than other OS. You want as much Ram being used up as possible, Don't try to clear the Ram, don't worry about cache, don't install app killers, anti virus, ram boosters etc. I'd also disable Lookout.

This. Android handles RAM perfectly so no worries about it. Below is mine.. I never look at it (only did because of this post haha) since Android handles it. I'm on a Note 3 but it's similar enough to the S5 .

Below is an old (but good) article that talks about RAM. .

http://www.androidcentral.com/ram-what-it-how-its-used-and-why-you-shouldnt-care

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

 

[RionDunn]

Don't worry about Ram, if your phone is running good that's all that matters. The OS for Android is different than other OS. You want as much Ram being used up as possible, Don't try to clear the Ram, don't worry about cache, don't install app killers, anti virus, ram boosters etc. I'd also disable Lookout.

What about the cache that's filling up my memory? I've noticed it get to just about 1GB of memory used. I need that memory for other things like apps. I've already wiped the cache once. Is this a bad thing to do? What's stored within the cache?

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[Jon Jackson]

What about the cache that's filling up my memory? I've noticed it get to just about 1GB of memory used. I need that memory for other things like apps. I've already wiped the cache once. Is this a bad thing to do? What's stored within the cache?

Sent from my S5 via AC Forum App

It's not a bad thing to do per se, you really need that 1GB freed up? If you have a SD card, you will find that you can move some apps there to free up space. People will say they load slower etc etc, it doesn't move the entire contents, it leaves some in internal memory, I moved a ton to my SD card and when I open one of those apps, I notice no hesitation or lag.

Clearing your cache slows your system and applications down. The whole purpose of cache is to improve performance by reducing the frequency of redundant data movement and processing.
Android recovers cache only on an as needed basis, and so more often permits intended performance gains to be realized. When you manually delete cache, this somewhat arbitrary activity does little more than slow your apps and device down, which is opposite of what many users expect it to do. Clearing cache is equivalent to filling your swimming pool every time before you jump in, and then immediately draining it every time you get out. All of that effort used filling and draining the pool wastes valuable time and energy that could instead be used for swimming. When you clear cache, the CPU, network, etc. has to do all of that work over again, merely wasting energy to accomplish the same end result. Android and applications typically know better than users when cached data becomes stale or dirty, and unless there is some defect in the software, cache does not typically require any manual action.

 

[bembol]

Don't worry about Ram, if your phone is running good that's all that matters. The OS for Android is different than other OS. You want as much Ram being used up as possible, Don't try to clear the Ram, don't worry about cache, don't install app killers, anti virus, ram boosters etc. I'd also disable Lookout.

+1

This was posted on another RAM thread.

RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

 

[Jon Jackson]

+1

This was posted on another RAM thread.

RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

It's probably been talked about thousands of times with hundreds of posts and threads....

 

[RionDunn]

It's not a bad thing to do per se, you really need that 1GB freed up? If you have a SD card, you will find that you can move some apps there to free up space. People will say they load slower etc etc, it doesn't move the entire contents, it leaves some in internal memory, I moved a ton to my SD card and when I open one of those apps, I notice no hesitation or lag.

Clearing your cache slows your system and applications down. The whole purpose of cache is to improve performance by reducing the frequency of redundant data movement and processing.
Android recovers cache only on an as needed basis, and so more often permits intended performance gains to be realized. When you manually delete cache, this somewhat arbitrary activity does little more than slow your apps and device down, which is opposite of what many users expect it to do. Clearing cache is equivalent to filling your swimming pool every time before you jump in, and then immediately draining it every time you get out. All of that effort used filling and draining the pool wastes valuable time and energy that could instead be used for swimming. When you clear cache, the CPU, network, etc. has to do all of that work over again, merely wasting energy to accomplish the same end result. Android and applications typically know better than users when cached data becomes stale or dirty, and unless there is some defect in the software, cache does not typically require any manual action.

Thanks a lot! That was a great explanation, very interesting. I will let android do it's thing and move along with it. I move the majority of my apps and info to the SD card. I don't experience any issues with opening apps, I feel it's fine. Again thank you for the clarity!

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[Relgoshan]

Hello All!!
I was just wondering about RAM status on my S5. What is normal?

It shows that my RAM is running at 1.6 GB and that there 600mb available. Is this normal? Phone is running fine I believe. I haven't experienced any issues with it.
I guess this is just for a peace of mind, and curiosity.

Thanks!!!

Sent from my S5 via AC Forum App

Ignore it. This is the same as how a web browser that used more RAM on a PC was *faster* not *slower*. The system works best when you let it decide what to forget and what to load.

What about the cache that's filling up my memory? I've noticed it get to just about 1GB of memory used. I need that memory for other things like apps. I've already wiped the cache once. Is this a bad thing to do? What's stored within the cache?

Sent from my S5 via AC Forum App

Clearing your cache will not give you any extra space. While /cache/ looks like a folder, it's nearly always a partition mounted as a folder. To protect the speed and performance of the OS. /userdata/ is also a partition and this can be a real problem. On phones with small storage, /userdata/ can fill up and corrupt itself. And you cannot wipe that one because that resets your phone apps and settings.

 

[RionDunn]

Ignore it. This is the same as how a web browser that used more RAM on a PC was *faster* not *slower*. The system works best when you let it decide what to forget and what to load.



Clearing your cache will not give you any extra space. While /cache/ looks like a folder, it's nearly always a partition mounted as a folder. To protect the speed and performance of the OS. /userdata/ is also a partition and this can be a real problem. On phones with small storage, /userdata/ can fill up and corrupt itself. And you cannot wipe that one because that resets your phone apps and settings.

OK sounds great, but why is the phone stating that this does take up phone memory? It shows at the top of the screenshot, marked in a blur color. Or am I misunderstanding you?

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[Relgoshan]

OK sounds great, but why is the phone stating that this does take up phone memory? It shows at the top of the screenshot, marked in a blur color. Or am I misunderstanding you?

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That's the user visible cache. Most of the time, clearing it will only make various apps run slower until they get caught up. Tap and select clear, yeh? The only time you should mess with that cache or any other cache options, is when you start getting strange behavior. Sometimes it will save you from needing a factory reset.

 

[RionDunn]

That's the user visible cache. Most of the time, clearing it will only make various apps run slower until they get caught up. Tap and select clear, yeh? The only time you should mess with that cache or any other cache options, is when you start getting strange behavior. Sometimes it will save you from needing a factory reset.

Will this cache eventually stop going up. Say I never download any other apps, if processes are being held within the cache then logically, from my understanding, this will eventually start to show in filling up the memory correct? Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for the help BTW!!

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[Relgoshan]

Will this cache eventually stop going up. Say I never download any other apps, if processes are being held within the cache then logically, from my understanding, this will eventually start to show in filling up the memory correct? Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for the help BTW!!

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Cache stops going up, this is not Windows ME.

 

[RionDunn]

Cache stops going up, this is not Windows ME.

Haha thanks for that. It only makes sense that eventually cache would stop going up. Would it ever go down? For example if I deleted an app that has cached memory, would this be removed by the OS?

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[Relgoshan]

Haha thanks for that. It only makes sense that eventually cache would stop going up. Would it ever go down? For example if I deleted an app that has cached memory, would this be removed by the OS?

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Most data and cached info should be removed when an app is uninstalled, that is why Google has an option to save a copy off-device and download it again if you reinstall the app.

In practical terms there will sometimes be a folder or a couple files left, nothing big. And 4.x especially 4.4 wants apps to claim responsibility for all of the files they touch. That's why SD access is funky now.

 

[RionDunn]

Most data and cached info should be removed when an app is uninstalled, that is why Google has an option to save a copy off-device and download it again if you reinstall the app.

In practical terms there will sometimes be a folder or a couple files left, nothing big. And 4.x especially 4.4 wants apps to claim responsibility for all of the files they touch. That's why SD access is funky now.

Hmm interesting, that's a great explanation. I was wondering what was going on with app days not transferring completely to SD. Thanks for the tips!

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[Relgoshan]

Hmm interesting, that's a great explanation. I was wondering what was going on with app days not transferring completely to SD. Thanks for the tips!

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You will also notice that with some apps especially games, if there is extra data the installer will show extra files being fetched during the install process, a bit more honest than before.