All posts tagged RAM

8 Steps for better osx performance

Annoyed with slow performance from your Mac? No need to worry much because there are several ways that you can boost your Mac’s performance without even having to open your wallet. Below are proven and effective ways to improve the performance of your slow Mac.

1. Remove unwanted login items.

If you’re not using some files and applications in your startup menu then it’s best to remove them. You can check out what is in your login items by simply going to System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items. Doing this will cut some lag in your Mac computer especially when you startup.

2. Disable other items at the System Preferences.

If you have other preference panes that you no longer need or use then better remove them too. This is true even with Universal Access features that use up some RAM resources. If you don’t need this very often then it’s better to disable it in the System Preferences options. Other options that you can disable are Internet Sharing, Speech Recognition and Bluetooth.

3. Mac comes with pre-installed languages that are unnecessary.

If you want to free up a lot of space on your hard drive space then it’s a good idea to remove some of them. A helpful tool that can do this quickly is Monolingual.

4. Clear out other useless junk.

Over time your Mac’s hard drive will get full of files and applications. Determine the ones that are important to keep and clean out the rest of them. If you delete any unneeded or unnecessary apps and files then your Mac’s hard drive will have more free space and as a result your Mac will now load faster.

5. Perform some maintenance tasks on your Mac.

Most of the reasons why Mac slows down is because of cache files that are taken for granted. Better run some maintenance applications such as MacCleaning, MainMenu and Onyx to help you clear out these cache files and even repair some disk permissions.

6. Keep only useful widgets on your Mac.

Even if Dashboard is hidden, the widgets can still consume a lot of your RAM space. Better empty the ones that are less important to you, because doing so will surely improve and help your Mac to perform better. You can also use tools such as TinkerTool or Onyx to delete them.

7. Periodically check out the Activity Monitor.

This is located in the Utilities folder. You can run this monitor to help you determine which of the applications and files are sucking up the most RAM. Then you can decide which ones are not needed and deactivate them, which will help your Mac’s performance.

8. Power up your Mac.

If you want to optimize your Mac performance then you can go to System Preferences>Energy Saver then Options. Set the processor performance to the Highest option if you want to see some improvements in your Mac machine.

If you got a Mac that’s slow, just remember the simple steps above and it will be easier on your part to boost your Mac’s performance; all without the need for you to even spend money.

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how to clean up a macAll computer users want fast and efficient machines, in fact when you buy a Mac it is bought with that expectation. But in reality computers slow down, even Macs, and despite many efforts to make your computer faster you likely find yourself still dealing with a slow Mac. This is due to time, in a way. With time your Mac’s disk space becomes filled with files and applications, both of which will slow down your Mac as it is taking longer for it to process the information. There is good news though, because there are ways to make your Mac run faster and these simple steps below will start you in that direction.

Upgrade or Add Hardware:

Upgrading or adding to your RAM or CPU is one way that you can be sure that your Mac is running faster and that the performance will get better. However, before you start adding extra RAM or upgrading your CPU, consult with a Mac repair tech or Mac Specialist to assist you in finding the right hardware for your system.

Cleanup Your Mac’s Hard Drive:

When hard disk space gets full of files, there is a tendency for your Mac to slow down. To begin cleaning up the hard drive check your Applications folder to see what applications are really unnecessary or that you no longer want or need. Then you can get rid of these by dragging and dropping them to the Trash. You can also get rid of unwanted language packs. To do this try using Monolingual, it is a freeware tool that will get rid of all the extra languages that came pre-installed on your Mac. Doing away with these will reclaim gigabytes of hard disk space.

Clean up the Startup Items

This is one of the easiest ways to increase Macs speed and its performance. Just got to System Preferences then click User Accounts, you will see over the list all the items that are included in the startup menu. Decide which ones to you don’t want or need and get rid of them. This is a sure way to improve speed to your Mac.

Cleanup Mac Desktop

Having too many icons on your desktop can degrade your Mac’s performance. The Mac OS X treats it as its own window and this consumes system resources. To fix this, you just need to do a little organizing. Putting them all into folders will help you a lot.

Remove Unwanted Fonts

It is perfectly safe to remove all of the excess fonts that are installed in your Mac. To do so, simply open the Font Book and select Fonts, over the list choose File options and then Validate Fonts options. This will help you determine what fonts are on your Mac and allow you to decide which ones to remove.

Having problems with your Mac machine can be really annoying and disappointing. But before you spend too much money just to make your Mac run faster, try out these simple tips above to increase your Mac’s speeds. Although these are not permanent improvements, they are at least a temporary way to enhance the way your Mac performs. This is quite simple to do, even for someone that is not very experienced with their Macs inner workings.

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If you are anything like me, when you got your first Mac, routine maintenance on it was a mystery. Once you get the hang

of Mac, you will see that you do not have to become frustrated and that it is actually very easy to maintain your Mac.


There are several reasons why your Mac maybeexperiencing maintenance problems. The amount of RAM you have maybe the problem. Upgrading and getting more RAM could be a good idea. But, if you are just an average Mac user like me, then routine maintenance should be the key.

Mac Routine Maintenance, Done Right!

OS X has a built in maintenance routine that is does on a daily basis. This is called maintenance scripts. This is usually done between 3:00 am and 5:00 am. If your Mac is either turned off or in sleep mode, this routine maintenance never happens. If you are running 10.5 or later then your Mac will run this the next time it is available after sleep mode is off. If this has not been ran in a while then your Mac’s hard drive can fill up with files and slow down your Mac.

Another routine maintenance you should do on your Mac is to clear caches. If a maintenance script was run, only some of the temporary files were deleted but none of the systems caches are touched. Deleting your system caches and Internet caches will help enhance your systems performance. To empty your Internet caches, you will simply go to your Safari browser, then press Safari and th

en press empty caches.

Doing a file system check and repair disk is another task you should do on your Mac occasionally. This is run through a process that will report anything that is wrong with your Mac and then automatically repair it. To run a system check you will want to restart your Mac and press down the shift key right after the startup chime is played. You will want to press the shift key until the spinning bar cursor appears on the screen. Your Mac will reboot into “Safe Boot”. Here your Mac will report any errors and then repair them. Then you will restart your Mac normally. This process can take awhile, but is well worth it in the end.

One of the easiest ways to do speed up your Mac when doing routine maintenance is to clear your desktop. It is common for Mac users to gather different folders and applications to their desktop for easy access. This is also when Mac users start to noticing that their Mac’s are starting to run a bit slow. To fix this problem, you can create a folder and place these items in the folder. You will then just have one folder on your desktop. You can also drag the folder to your dock. This will give you easy access to the files and applications and keep your desktop clean
ed up.

Mac Routine Maintenance Is Easy

Routine maintenance on a Mac may seem complicated at first to a new user. Cleaning up your desktop, clearing caches and understanding maintenance scripts is just a few ways to keep your Mac running smoothly. Once you have learned a few tips and tricks on your Mac, doing routine maintenance will only take a few minutes if done regularly.

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