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Davester, considering most of the forum is in bed (not together, thank god) your quickest path to getting your questions answered would be to read through this thread from earlier:
http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1,1275064
And also see space-time's thread on the exact same subject from a few hours later.
Sounds like there's a spinning beachball epidemic.
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I just d/l'd "Free Memory" from the app store as recommended on space-time's thread.
Here's what my iMac looked like before doing so:
Seems like a great diagnostic tool-- hit "free memory" in the top bar menu and see if doing so makes a difference in the beachball situation.
Voila, you know if RAM is the culprit.
I'm showing about a gig free now.
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davester wrote:
How do I evaluate activity monitor? Page in/out ratio was about 1:1, some mem free though not a lot. Also, I noticed python using a lot of real mem but little CPU. What is that about?
Also, nobody said anything pos or neg about a SSD. Would that help the situation much or not?
I considered recommending a faster HD (either SSD--expensive--or a Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid--more affordable, respectable speed boost) but HD surgery on a Mini, besides being harder to do, doesn't offer the dramatic performance boost + bang-for-the-buck advantage that RAM does. If I had only 2 GB or real memory, the HD is not the first place I'd look. Also, I erroneously thought the memory access panel on your Mini was the easy kind. Before Apple made the easy-access round black screw-open bottom door.
You wrote: use safari to get Netflix or view shows on network sites, megavideo, etc. Also, my son occasionally uses it for games.
These are not items that involve major read/write to internal HD activity as a primary performance issue, I'm inclined to think RAM is the more immediate factor.
That said, I realized that no one has asked this yet. How full is your internal HD? If it's only 1/2 full or less, that means one thing, but if it's 80-90% full, that means something else, re: performance.
I have the Momentus XT Hybrid drive. I'm among those here that think they're great. If you're gonna open it up anyway to upgrade RAM, then I'd consider the HD for updating, for sure. And I'd consider the Hybrid as an affordable alternative to pure SSD.
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I have a 2009 Mini with Nvidia graphics.
'Had dropouts in streaming video and general OS slowdowns after a couple of hours of watching Netflix and Hulu and noticed that there were many page-outs in the Activity Monitor... basically, Silverlight and Flash stink at memory-management and over a surprisingly brief period they were taking down the whole OS with virtual memory caching.
I only had to go from 2GB to 4GB of RAM to fix it.
Run the Activity Monitor. Look at System Memory > Page Outs. If you see more than a couple of hundred MB of page outs after a day's use then you need more RAM.
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Reminds me of why using a computer and internet and web-based streaming and movie viewing is still awkward and less pleasing to the viewer than a dedicated streaming device, that doesn't involve a keyboard and mouse, and surfing and multi-use, etc. Apple TV, even an older Apple TV, with less resources than a Mac, delivers a more robust experience than a stronger, better-equipped computer, taxed unfairly from the start, dealing with Silverlight, Flash, etc. to access content.
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davester wrote:
How do I evaluate activity monitor? Page in/out ratio was about 1:1, some mem free though not a lot. Also, I noticed python using a lot of real mem but little CPU. What is that about?
Chakravartin wrote:
Run the Activity Monitor.
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sekker wrote:
putty knife cracking - not a big deal.
I agree. I have the 2009 mini 2.0 and just 2 days ago had to replace one of the 4GB RAM sticks under warranty. It takes about 30 minutes max. start to finish.
Davester:
OWC has good prices on your RAM and a great video to guide you. Once inside, it's 4 screws, 3 snap out antennae, one ribbon connector (quite delicate) and you have the RAM at your fingertips.
Magnetize your Phillips screwdriver to make it easier.
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Thanks guys. My internal hd is only about 60% full so that's probably not the issue. I guess I'll up the ram and not worry about the drive right now.
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modelamac wrote:
[quote=sekker]
putty knife cracking - not a big deal.
I agree. I have the 2009 mini 2.0 and just 2 days ago had to replace one of the 4GB RAM sticks under warranty. It takes about 30 minutes max. start to finish.
It's like bizarro world where down is up and up is down. RAM upgrades should take at most five minutes. Only Apple could convince people thirty minutes and almost complete disassembly is reasonable. Pop the shell, flip out or remove the upper chassis (remember to disconnect a couple delicate wires first). RAM's on the bottom. While not impossible, it is disconcerting (cracking cases will never sound okay) and much more annoying than needed.
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