Concerns Over MacBook Pro M3 Pro 16" RAM Usage on Basic Tasks

Upon initiating my recently acquired MacBook Pro featuring an M3 pro, 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, I've observed a substantial RAM consumption ranging from 5 to 7GB upon startup. Is it okay for new macbook pro?

Same concern for RAM usage here as well. I just got my new M3 Max 14". Right upon start with one tab in browser open and no other apps, it's using 17 GB our of 48 GB RAM. That is not okay. Not only it's concerning how it's going to handle heavy workflows, it also seems to be affecting the battery as well. I was losing 10% of battery charge/ hour with a couple of tabs open in my browser and nothing else.

It's definitely not what I would expect from a quite expensive device that promised incredible performance.

And also, some videos played in browser (for example on Youtube) look weird, it's like they are skipping frames and the movement isn't smooth. I haven't seen anything like that before.

I have to agree with the above comment. I also purchased the MacBook M3 Pro 16" with 18GB of RAM and expected a much faster machine without the spinning wheel when loading Apps such as Logic Pro and Reason, but this happens annoyingly too often. I upgraded from a 2012 MacBook Pro because of the same issues and have been vey disappointed to find that I am not any better off with a newer MacBook!

That is not a problem, provided you have not installed any so-called virus scanners.

The new metric to watch is memory pressure, describe in this page of a guide on using Activity Monitor:

View memory usage in Activity Monitor on Mac - Apple Support

This older screenshot is of a Mac in memory trouble, that abates toward the end of the graph as the user quit open Applications.

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All the advice you should need is provided in the postings above. Did you read all the way through? Was there advice you did not understand?

If something is not already covered there, then let's talk about what that that might be.

1 Is the macOS memory management behaving as intended, or is there an underlying issue with the system's RAM allocation?

Yes, No.

2 Could there be a background process or system service that's consuming more memory than it should?

There could be unnecessary apps using RAM. Uninstall unnecessary third party apps that claim to protect, clean, manage, etc.

3 Is the hardware itself, specifically the new M3 Pro chip, designed in a way that requires more RAM for basic operations compared to previous models?

RAM is designed to be dynamic storage which will increase/decrease as required. Unused RAM is wasted and does not contribute to the efficient and best performance of your computer.

4 What are the long-term implications for users who might need to run more demanding applications and expect their system to handle those without a hitch?

The system will allocate RAM dynamically as needed. There are no long-term implications.

rejuan-ahemed wrote:

Upon initiating my recently acquired MacBook Pro featuring an M3 pro, 18GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, I've observed a substantial RAM consumption ranging from 5 to 7GB upon startup. Is it okay for new macbook pro?

Yes it is ok and expected. RAM is dynamically assigned by the operating system as needed.

¿Now what about the answer to MacMikeinOK's question?

I understand your concerns. Do you have any anti-virus, Mac "Cleaner", Mac "Optimizer" or VPN software installed on this new Mac? Have you checked System Settings-->Login Items to see what apps are shown in the Open In Login section and what are shown in Allow to Run in Background?

were you counting on being able to rent out the space left over? If so, I could see where you might be disappointed.

Since MacOS 10.9 Mojave the Mac has been using a much more memory consumptive algorithm, which will run the free memory numbers down much lower than previous MacOS. This is by design. "Unused RAM is Wasted RAM.

At the same time, two other factors come into play, long before anything spills onto the Boot drive (which is THE major cause of slowness). The first is memory compression. Items that get smaller when compressed can save RAM memory space, and can be un-compressed far faster than swapping them out to the boot drive. The second is that the entire category of cached files can be partly or completely discarded in an instant if a running program needs more RAM memory. when needed, those discarded files will simply be re-read from their fundamental sources instead of the RAM cache.

I appreciate that there may be MANY Users concerned about this issue. But Users knowledgeable about how MacOS is supposed to work are pleased with this arrangement, because It is ultimately much more responsive.

What Users need to do to 'get with the program' is discard the notion that lots of free RAM is a GOOD thing. In the case of MacOS, it is NOT.

<<. the spinning wheel when loading Apps such as Logic Pro and Reason, but this happens annoyingly too often. >>

That is not a concern about RAM usage, that is a concern about PERFORMANCE.

Please start a NEW discussion with performance and that pull quote in it, and mention your model-year Mac and version of MacOS