How to Test Memory Usage
- 1). Click "Start," type "Resource Monitor" and press "Enter" to open the Resource Monitor.
- 2). Select the "Memory" tab.
- 3). Look at the bottom of the window for the values under "In Use" and "Standby." "In Use" is the amount of RAM your system is using. "Standby" is the amount of RAM still available for use. If "Standby" is very low in comparison to "In Use," consider adding RAM to your system. Otherwise, as more programs and/or files are opened simultaneously, you will likely encounter a performance bottleneck that slows down your system.
- 4). Click "Working Set (KB)" at the top of the program list to sort the list by this value. A small upside-down triangle should appear above "Working Set (KB)." This is the amount of shared and program-specific memory the listed application is using. The program requiring the most memory should be listed first, followed by the next highest, and so on. Excessively high figures indicate a memory-intensive program or possibly a "memory leak," which is a program error causing the program to utilize far more memory than should be required.
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