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do FF devs feed on RAM ?

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by user633449

coldfire
coldfire
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I was almost forced into upgrading from FF 3.6 (which was a memory hog already) to FF12, which is even worse despite what your website claims ! Just opening FF 12 with a single tab on a standard news website causes it to take 200+MB my old laptop only has 512 MB so i can only browse one site at a time now, i don't see how this is supposed to be better ? But the most annoying thing is that FF closes without even an error message or a warning when it's out of memory (already did this before), this is totally unprofessional !

I was almost forced into upgrading from FF 3.6 (which was a memory hog already) to FF12, which is even worse despite what your website claims ! Just opening FF 12 with a single tab on a standard news website causes it to take 200+MB my old laptop only has 512 MB so i can only browse one site at a time now, i don't see how this is supposed to be better ? But the most annoying thing is that FF closes without even an error message or a warning when it's out of memory (already did this before), this is totally unprofessional !

Modified by coldfire

All Replies (3)

the-edmeister
the-edmeister
  • Moderator
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Sorry, in my experience Firefox 4.0+ versions really need 1GB or more RAM, with a 1GHz or better processor - regardless of what the official recommendation says.

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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What is your virtual memory setting?

You can check the Virtual Memory settings here: Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Settings (Advanced tab)
If you have less than 1 GB physical memory installed on your computer then if possible add more memory.

user633449
user633449
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edmeister, Firefox can run on 512mb RAM. I've personally got two computers that do, and plenty of other people I know who work just fine with 512 (or even less, though it isn't optimal).

coldfire, I would suggest trying cor-el's steps above to increase your paging file size. If it is set manually, try setting to system managed.

Another thing you can try doing is starting Firefox up in Safe Mode temporarily. This will help you see if there are add-ons that are interacting poorly with Firefox 12 to create more memory usage. Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode. If Firefox runs better, start it up in Normal Mode, and try disabling your add-ons one by one. 

I see you have the bitdefender quickscan add-on. Try uninstalling it, and instead using something like Microsoft Security Essentials. It's fast, free and light. And IMO, better than pretty much anything else.http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials

Another few things I've heard have helped are doing things such as clearing your list of recent downloads, updating Windows, graphics Drivers, etc.

Modified by user633449