Windows comes with an enabled swap file by default, which will prevent the OS from “hanging” due to low memory issues. Just like swap on linux does.
All I know is this isn’t Windows and i just don’t usually compare things to Windows except the fact that the OP is saying it reaches 100% and never hangs i could agree doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure what the OP’s hardware is other than 8 GB memory because it’s not all to do with memory as some people think. My view about having many tabs open and running is that it’s going to consume resources. It is most likely an issue with software or network. I don’t believe it has anything to do with having or not having swap. On modern hardware and most linux distro’s today for the average user swap is not needed. I can see it’s necessary for server environments and maybe some home users who have some elaborate setup.
It is easy for the user to create a swap file if that is what they think and want to try if it helps. I personally don’t believe that’s the issue but hey i could be wrong.
https://discovery.endeavouros.com/storage-and-partitions/adding-swap-after-installation/2021/03/
I have 32GB of RAM on one system, 4gb on a laptop. I run KDE Plasma, Firefox and Thunderbird on both. I take snapshots with Timeshift. I have no issues on the machine with 32GB. On the system with 4GB of RAM, I have a swap partition of 2GB. That has not stopped the system from freezing or running out of RAM. Changing the swappiness did not have much effect either. I have to log out and log back in to make a backup with TImeshift gui, so that no other programs are running, including Firefox. Otherwise I run out of RAM and system freezes. It has enough RAM to run one resource hungry app or another.
My point is I agree with the sentiments that enabling swap will not remedy the situation. The fact is the system of the OP needs more RAM. If that is not possible, try not to run Firefox and Discord/Slack at the same time. I would suggest doing a full memory check to ensure that the RAM is not defective. The other option is an OOM service that will kill the app if the RAM is full, but that may cause data loss for mission critical apps and only prevent you from needing to reboot a frozen system.
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I also have 32 GB ram on my desktops but only 8 in my laptops. My laptops are fairly powerful processor models but still i think 16 GB would be the sweet spot on those.
Not sure if the hardware was posted but that could be useful.
I have currently gnome, Firefox with 8 tabs open. Libre office and two other apps running and I am using about 9 Gb.
Closing two Firefox tabs brings it down to 8.6 Gb…
16 Gb is the sweet spot for me on laptops.
Yes in modern times, 16GB + is ideal if you plan to use a DE such as Plasma or Gnome. Even XFCE is not really geared toward low-end systems any more. Web browsers use resources and most people use multlple tabs. RAM is meant to be used, but not having enough can be a problem.
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Thats true, the DE don’t matter that much for RAM nowadays. When I run i3 or other wm I use about 400-600 MB out of the box. Gnome and KDE maybe 900 MB to 1.2 Gb. However, note clearly less CPU usage and lower temperature on i3wm vs KDE or gnome.
Open Firefox and 3 tabs and RAm usage bumps up to 3-4 Gb.
I just think ram isn’t the answer to all things. The rest of the hardware is more important. Otherwise all the ram you want isn’t going to make any difference. Ram isn’t the answer to processing power or speed.
That can be true in some cases. All of the things you mention do have a relationship to one another in the overall system. However, the OP in this case is clearly having an issue with running out of RAM and the system freezing.
I don’t see how broadly stating the rest of the hardware is “more important” makes it true. Maybe equally important would be a better term. I don’t think anyone is suggesting more RAM is the answer to “processing power or speed.” I think they are clearly suggesting more RAM, memory management/OOM manager, and monitoring app usage in addressing the OP’s OOM issues, which is directly related to running out of RAM.
I can’t really relate to this 8G-is-to-little -to-run-a-DE issue.
I don’t know how memory management works on your systems so here I put some data from mine.
System: Dell XPS 13 9380 8GB RAM | Archlinux | GNOME 43
Fresh boot + Tilix
$ free -m
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 7590 820 5689 171 1080 6350
ps_mem
Private + Shared = RAM used Program
148.0 KiB + 21.5 KiB = 169.5 KiB fusermount3
372.0 KiB + 69.5 KiB = 441.5 KiB rtkit-daemon
1.1 MiB + 70.5 KiB = 1.1 MiB dconf-service
1.1 MiB + 138.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB at-spi-bus-launcher
1.0 MiB + 174.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB gvfsd-fuse
1.1 MiB + 300.5 KiB = 1.4 MiB gsd-disk-utility-notify
1.2 MiB + 504.5 KiB = 1.7 MiB systemd-machined
1.1 MiB + 673.5 KiB = 1.8 MiB systemd-timesyncd
1.7 MiB + 243.5 KiB = 1.9 MiB gdm
1.7 MiB + 616.5 KiB = 2.3 MiB systemd-logind
2.5 MiB + 82.5 KiB = 2.5 MiB gnome-session-ctl
2.0 MiB + 611.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB sudo
2.6 MiB + 76.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB gdm-wayland-session
2.6 MiB + 138.5 KiB = 2.7 MiB gvfsd-metadata
2.7 MiB + 101.5 KiB = 2.8 MiB gsd-a11y-settings
2.9 MiB + 90.5 KiB = 3.0 MiB gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 134.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gsd-usb-protection
3.0 MiB + 141.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB at-spi2-registryd
2.8 MiB + 515.5 KiB = 3.3 MiB pipewire-pulse
3.3 MiB + 123.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB boltd
3.3 MiB + 174.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB iwd
3.4 MiB + 105.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 489.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB nm-openvpn-service
3.2 MiB + 366.5 KiB = 3.6 MiB gsd-sound
3.6 MiB + 122.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB upowerd
3.2 MiB + 524.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB systemd-udevd
3.5 MiB + 254.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB gvfsd
3.7 MiB + 310.5 KiB = 4.0 MiB goa-identity-service
3.6 MiB + 480.5 KiB = 4.1 MiB gsd-print-notifications
3.9 MiB + 493.5 KiB = 4.4 MiB gsd-sharing
3.2 MiB + 1.3 MiB = 4.5 MiB bash (2)
4.6 MiB + 79.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB xdg-permission-store
4.6 MiB + 91.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB gsd-screensaver-proxy
4.3 MiB + 544.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB dbus-daemon (3)
4.7 MiB + 141.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB accounts-daemon
4.7 MiB + 183.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gsd-smartcard
4.8 MiB + 97.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gsd-rfkill
4.6 MiB + 548.5 KiB = 5.1 MiB gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
4.3 MiB + 900.5 KiB = 5.1 MiB openvpn
5.0 MiB + 179.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB xdg-document-portal
4.9 MiB + 344.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB gnome-keyring-daemon
5.1 MiB + 183.5 KiB = 5.3 MiB gsd-housekeeping
4.7 MiB + 821.5 KiB = 5.5 MiB gsd-printer
5.5 MiB + 368.5 KiB = 5.9 MiB gsd-datetime
5.0 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 6.2 MiB pipewire
6.0 MiB + 173.5 KiB = 6.2 MiB polkitd
6.1 MiB + 569.5 KiB = 6.6 MiB udisksd
7.0 MiB + 592.5 KiB = 7.6 MiB gdm-session-worker
5.7 MiB + 2.2 MiB = 7.9 MiB gnome-shell-calendar-server
7.8 MiB + 643.5 KiB = 8.4 MiB colord
8.1 MiB + 1.0 MiB = 9.1 MiB gsd-keyboard
8.4 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 9.5 MiB gsd-wacom
8.3 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 9.5 MiB gsd-color
9.0 MiB + 667.5 KiB = 9.7 MiB xdg-desktop-portal
9.0 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 10.2 MiB gsd-power
9.1 MiB + 1.7 MiB = 10.7 MiB gsd-media-keys
9.8 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 11.0 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
9.3 MiB + 1.7 MiB = 11.1 MiB wireplumber
8.7 MiB + 2.5 MiB = 11.1 MiB gnome-control-center-search-provider
6.0 MiB + 5.3 MiB = 11.3 MiB systemd (3)
8.8 MiB + 2.9 MiB = 11.7 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gnome
9.1 MiB + 3.0 MiB = 12.1 MiB evolution-calendar-factory
12.0 MiB + 601.5 KiB = 12.5 MiB systemd-journald
9.7 MiB + 3.0 MiB = 12.6 MiB goa-daemon
9.6 MiB + 3.7 MiB = 13.3 MiB evolution-addressbook-factory
11.8 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 13.5 MiB gnome-session-binary (2)
13.2 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 14.4 MiB NetworkManager
10.7 MiB + 4.0 MiB = 14.7 MiB evolution-source-registry
19.8 MiB + 12.5 KiB = 19.8 MiB dnscrypt-proxy
19.2 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 20.9 MiB libvirtd
13.8 MiB + 8.4 MiB = 22.1 MiB gjs-console (2)
16.9 MiB + 6.9 MiB = 23.9 MiB evolution-alarm-notify
24.1 MiB + 4.6 MiB = 28.7 MiB gnome-calendar
25.3 MiB + 6.3 MiB = 31.6 MiB WebKitNetworkProcess
38.7 MiB + 10.3 MiB = 49.0 MiB tilix
45.2 MiB + 24.2 MiB = 69.3 MiB epiphany-search-provider
192.5 MiB + 33.1 MiB = 225.6 MiB gnome-shell
---------------------------------
892.5 MiB
=================================
Firefox 5 tabs
free -m
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 7590 1808 3730 480 2051 5043
ps_mem
Private + Shared = RAM used Program
148.0 KiB + 18.5 KiB = 166.5 KiB fusermount3
372.0 KiB + 59.5 KiB = 431.5 KiB rtkit-daemon
700.0 KiB + 60.5 KiB = 760.5 KiB 0
1.1 MiB + 64.5 KiB = 1.1 MiB dconf-service
1.1 MiB + 125.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB at-spi-bus-launcher
1.0 MiB + 192.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB gvfsd-fuse
604.0 KiB + 765.0 KiB = 1.3 MiB firejail (2)
1.1 MiB + 289.5 KiB = 1.4 MiB gsd-disk-utility-notify
1.2 MiB + 508.5 KiB = 1.7 MiB systemd-machined
1.1 MiB + 603.5 KiB = 1.7 MiB systemd-timesyncd
1.7 MiB + 246.5 KiB = 1.9 MiB gdm
1.7 MiB + 619.5 KiB = 2.3 MiB systemd-logind
2.5 MiB + 73.5 KiB = 2.5 MiB gnome-session-ctl
2.6 MiB + 69.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB gdm-wayland-session
2.0 MiB + 656.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB sudo
2.7 MiB + 94.5 KiB = 2.8 MiB gsd-a11y-settings
2.9 MiB + 84.5 KiB = 3.0 MiB gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 86.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gvfsd-metadata
3.0 MiB + 122.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gsd-usb-protection
3.0 MiB + 120.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB at-spi2-registryd
2.9 MiB + 479.5 KiB = 3.3 MiB pipewire-pulse
3.3 MiB + 115.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB boltd
3.3 MiB + 171.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB iwd
3.1 MiB + 313.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gsd-smartcard
3.4 MiB + 97.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 461.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB nm-openvpn-service
3.2 MiB + 302.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB gsd-sound
3.6 MiB + 115.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB upowerd
3.2 MiB + 528.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB systemd-udevd
3.5 MiB + 274.5 KiB = 3.8 MiB gvfsd
3.7 MiB + 327.5 KiB = 4.0 MiB goa-identity-service
3.6 MiB + 507.5 KiB = 4.1 MiB gsd-print-notifications
3.9 MiB + 466.5 KiB = 4.4 MiB gsd-sharing
4.6 MiB + 72.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB xdg-permission-store
4.6 MiB + 83.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB gsd-screensaver-proxy
4.3 MiB + 502.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB dbus-daemon (3)
4.7 MiB + 131.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB accounts-daemon
4.8 MiB + 90.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gsd-rfkill
4.6 MiB + 532.5 KiB = 5.1 MiB gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
5.0 MiB + 194.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB xdg-document-portal
5.1 MiB + 217.5 KiB = 5.3 MiB gnome-keyring-daemon
4.3 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 5.4 MiB openvpn
4.7 MiB + 751.5 KiB = 5.4 MiB gsd-printer
5.5 MiB + 355.5 KiB = 5.9 MiB gsd-datetime
5.1 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 6.2 MiB pipewire
6.0 MiB + 156.5 KiB = 6.2 MiB polkitd
6.1 MiB + 172.5 KiB = 6.3 MiB gsd-housekeeping
6.2 MiB + 453.5 KiB = 6.7 MiB udisksd
7.0 MiB + 605.5 KiB = 7.6 MiB gdm-session-worker
6.3 MiB + 1.5 MiB = 7.8 MiB bash (4)
5.7 MiB + 2.2 MiB = 7.8 MiB gnome-shell-calendar-server
7.8 MiB + 853.5 KiB = 8.6 MiB colord
8.1 MiB + 791.5 KiB = 8.9 MiB gsd-keyboard
8.4 MiB + 826.5 KiB = 9.2 MiB gsd-wacom
8.3 MiB + 982.5 KiB = 9.3 MiB gsd-color
9.0 MiB + 612.5 KiB = 9.6 MiB xdg-desktop-portal
9.0 MiB + 968.5 KiB = 9.9 MiB gsd-power
9.1 MiB + 1.3 MiB = 10.3 MiB gsd-media-keys
9.8 MiB + 879.5 KiB = 10.6 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
9.3 MiB + 1.7 MiB = 11.0 MiB wireplumber
6.1 MiB + 5.3 MiB = 11.4 MiB systemd (3)
9.1 MiB + 3.0 MiB = 12.1 MiB evolution-calendar-factory
8.8 MiB + 3.5 MiB = 12.3 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gnome
11.9 MiB + 619.5 KiB = 12.5 MiB systemd-journald
11.8 MiB + 1.5 MiB = 13.3 MiB gnome-session-binary (2)
9.6 MiB + 3.9 MiB = 13.5 MiB evolution-addressbook-factory
9.7 MiB + 4.2 MiB = 13.8 MiB goa-daemon
13.6 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 14.7 MiB NetworkManager
10.7 MiB + 5.1 MiB = 15.9 MiB evolution-source-registry
13.8 MiB + 8.2 MiB = 22.0 MiB gjs-console (2)
16.7 MiB + 7.1 MiB = 23.8 MiB evolution-alarm-notify
26.4 MiB + 10.5 KiB = 26.4 MiB dnscrypt-proxy
24.3 MiB + 5.2 MiB = 29.5 MiB gnome-calendar
42.9 MiB + 9.0 MiB = 51.9 MiB tilix
187.0 MiB + 39.1 MiB = 226.1 MiB gnome-shell
935.9 MiB + 134.3 MiB = 1.0 GiB firefox (12)
---------------------------------
1.8 GiB
=================================
Firefox 5 tabs
Chromium 5 tabs
$ free -m
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 7590 2552 2327 708 2709 4068
ps_mem
Private + Shared = RAM used Program
148.0 KiB + 15.5 KiB = 163.5 KiB fusermount3
372.0 KiB + 53.5 KiB = 425.5 KiB rtkit-daemon
700.0 KiB + 53.5 KiB = 753.5 KiB 0
1.1 MiB + 58.5 KiB = 1.1 MiB dconf-service
1.1 MiB + 114.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB at-spi-bus-launcher
1.0 MiB + 185.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB gvfsd-fuse
604.0 KiB + 757.0 KiB = 1.3 MiB firejail (2)
1.1 MiB + 278.5 KiB = 1.4 MiB gsd-disk-utility-notify
1.2 MiB + 488.5 KiB = 1.6 MiB systemd-machined
844.0 KiB + 870.0 KiB = 1.7 MiB chrome_crashpad_handler (2)
1.1 MiB + 565.5 KiB = 1.7 MiB systemd-timesyncd
1.7 MiB + 235.5 KiB = 1.9 MiB gdm
1.7 MiB + 600.5 KiB = 2.3 MiB systemd-logind
2.5 MiB + 66.5 KiB = 2.5 MiB gnome-session-ctl
2.6 MiB + 62.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB gdm-wayland-session
2.0 MiB + 638.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB sudo
2.7 MiB + 85.5 KiB = 2.8 MiB gsd-a11y-settings
2.9 MiB + 76.5 KiB = 3.0 MiB gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 78.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gvfsd-metadata
3.0 MiB + 109.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gsd-usb-protection
3.0 MiB + 107.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB at-spi2-registryd
3.1 MiB + 283.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gsd-smartcard
3.3 MiB + 106.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB boltd
3.3 MiB + 167.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB iwd
3.2 MiB + 183.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gsd-sound
3.4 MiB + 86.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 448.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB nm-openvpn-service
3.2 MiB + 442.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB pipewire-pulse
3.6 MiB + 108.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB upowerd
3.2 MiB + 508.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB systemd-udevd
3.5 MiB + 249.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB gvfsd
3.6 MiB + 293.5 KiB = 3.9 MiB gsd-print-notifications
3.7 MiB + 310.5 KiB = 4.0 MiB goa-identity-service
3.9 MiB + 452.5 KiB = 4.3 MiB gsd-sharing
4.6 MiB + 65.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB xdg-permission-store
4.6 MiB + 75.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB gsd-screensaver-proxy
4.3 MiB + 476.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB dbus-daemon (3)
4.7 MiB + 122.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB accounts-daemon
4.8 MiB + 82.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gsd-rfkill
4.5 MiB + 507.5 KiB = 5.0 MiB gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
4.4 MiB + 571.5 KiB = 5.0 MiB gnome-keyring-daemon
5.0 MiB + 185.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB xdg-document-portal
4.7 MiB + 490.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB gsd-printer
4.3 MiB + 990.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB openvpn
5.5 MiB + 324.5 KiB = 5.8 MiB gsd-datetime
6.0 MiB + 142.5 KiB = 6.2 MiB polkitd
6.1 MiB + 158.5 KiB = 6.3 MiB gsd-housekeeping
6.2 MiB + 422.5 KiB = 6.7 MiB udisksd
5.9 MiB + 1.0 MiB = 7.0 MiB pipewire
5.7 MiB + 1.3 MiB = 7.0 MiB gnome-shell-calendar-server
7.0 MiB + 591.5 KiB = 7.5 MiB gdm-session-worker
7.8 MiB + 672.5 KiB = 8.5 MiB colord
8.2 MiB + 905.5 KiB = 9.0 MiB gsd-keyboard
8.3 MiB + 1.0 MiB = 9.3 MiB gsd-color
8.5 MiB + 940.5 KiB = 9.4 MiB gsd-wacom
9.0 MiB + 572.5 KiB = 9.6 MiB xdg-desktop-portal
9.0 MiB + 1.0 MiB = 10.0 MiB gsd-power
9.1 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 10.3 MiB gsd-media-keys
10.0 MiB + 559.5 KiB = 10.6 MiB systemd-journald
9.8 MiB + 966.5 KiB = 10.8 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
9.3 MiB + 1.5 MiB = 10.8 MiB wireplumber
9.4 MiB + 1.5 MiB = 11.0 MiB bash (6)
6.1 MiB + 5.2 MiB = 11.3 MiB systemd (3)
9.1 MiB + 2.9 MiB = 12.0 MiB evolution-calendar-factory
8.8 MiB + 3.4 MiB = 12.2 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gnome
8.7 MiB + 3.5 MiB = 12.2 MiB evolution-addressbook-factory
11.8 MiB + 1.4 MiB = 13.2 MiB gnome-session-binary (2)
9.7 MiB + 4.0 MiB = 13.6 MiB goa-daemon
13.6 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 14.6 MiB NetworkManager
10.7 MiB + 4.9 MiB = 15.6 MiB evolution-source-registry
14.1 MiB + 8.1 MiB = 22.3 MiB gjs-console (2)
16.7 MiB + 6.0 MiB = 22.6 MiB evolution-alarm-notify
18.8 MiB + 7.9 MiB = 26.7 MiB gsd-xsettings
27.2 MiB + 8.5 KiB = 27.2 MiB dnscrypt-proxy
24.3 MiB + 5.1 MiB = 29.3 MiB gnome-calendar
25.8 MiB + 8.6 MiB = 34.5 MiB Xwayland
51.3 MiB + 7.7 MiB = 59.0 MiB tilix
192.4 MiB + 28.0 MiB = 220.4 MiB gnome-shell
752.3 MiB + 225.4 MiB = 977.7 MiB chromium (18)
1.5 GiB + 118.9 MiB = 1.6 GiB firefox (11)
---------------------------------
3.4 GiB
=================================
Firefox 5 tabs
Chromium 5 tabs
Brave 5 tabs
$ free -m
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 7590 3043 1088 863 3458 3418
ps_mem
Private + Shared = RAM used Program
148.0 KiB + 13.5 KiB = 161.5 KiB fusermount3
372.0 KiB + 49.5 KiB = 421.5 KiB rtkit-daemon
700.0 KiB + 49.5 KiB = 749.5 KiB 0
1.1 MiB + 55.5 KiB = 1.1 MiB dconf-service
1.1 MiB + 107.5 KiB = 1.2 MiB at-spi-bus-launcher
604.0 KiB + 752.0 KiB = 1.3 MiB firejail (2)
1.1 MiB + 273.5 KiB = 1.4 MiB gsd-disk-utility-notify
1.2 MiB + 480.5 KiB = 1.6 MiB systemd-machined
1.1 MiB + 544.5 KiB = 1.7 MiB systemd-timesyncd
1.7 MiB + 228.5 KiB = 1.9 MiB gdm
1.7 MiB + 591.5 KiB = 2.3 MiB systemd-logind
2.5 MiB + 61.5 KiB = 2.5 MiB gnome-session-ctl
2.0 MiB + 630.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB sudo
2.6 MiB + 57.5 KiB = 2.6 MiB gdm-wayland-session
2.7 MiB + 80.5 KiB = 2.8 MiB gsd-a11y-settings
2.9 MiB + 71.5 KiB = 3.0 MiB gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 74.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gvfsd-metadata
3.0 MiB + 99.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB at-spi2-registryd
3.0 MiB + 103.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gsd-usb-protection
3.0 MiB + 180.5 KiB = 3.2 MiB gvfsd-fuse
3.1 MiB + 256.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gsd-smartcard
1.5 MiB + 1.8 MiB = 3.4 MiB chrome_crashpad_handler (4)
3.3 MiB + 100.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB boltd
3.3 MiB + 164.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB iwd
3.2 MiB + 175.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gsd-sound
3.4 MiB + 81.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor
3.0 MiB + 440.5 KiB = 3.5 MiB nm-openvpn-service
3.2 MiB + 430.5 KiB = 3.6 MiB pipewire-pulse
3.6 MiB + 101.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB upowerd
3.2 MiB + 500.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB systemd-udevd
3.5 MiB + 236.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB gvfsd
3.6 MiB + 233.5 KiB = 3.8 MiB gsd-print-notifications
3.7 MiB + 300.5 KiB = 4.0 MiB goa-identity-service
3.9 MiB + 444.5 KiB = 4.3 MiB gsd-sharing
4.6 MiB + 60.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB xdg-permission-store
4.6 MiB + 71.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB gsd-screensaver-proxy
4.3 MiB + 464.5 KiB = 4.7 MiB dbus-daemon (3)
4.7 MiB + 116.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB accounts-daemon
4.8 MiB + 77.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gsd-rfkill
4.4 MiB + 465.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gnome-keyring-daemon
4.5 MiB + 492.5 KiB = 5.0 MiB gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
4.7 MiB + 415.5 KiB = 5.1 MiB gsd-printer
5.0 MiB + 180.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB xdg-document-portal
4.3 MiB + 940.5 KiB = 5.2 MiB openvpn
5.5 MiB + 313.5 KiB = 5.8 MiB gsd-datetime
6.0 MiB + 135.5 KiB = 6.2 MiB polkitd
6.1 MiB + 151.5 KiB = 6.3 MiB gsd-housekeeping
6.2 MiB + 409.5 KiB = 6.6 MiB udisksd
5.7 MiB + 1.3 MiB = 7.0 MiB gnome-shell-calendar-server
5.9 MiB + 1.0 MiB = 7.0 MiB pipewire
7.0 MiB + 583.5 KiB = 7.5 MiB gdm-session-worker
7.8 MiB + 582.5 KiB = 8.4 MiB colord
8.2 MiB + 844.5 KiB = 9.0 MiB gsd-keyboard
8.3 MiB + 986.5 KiB = 9.3 MiB gsd-color
8.5 MiB + 881.5 KiB = 9.4 MiB gsd-wacom
9.0 MiB + 559.5 KiB = 9.6 MiB xdg-desktop-portal
9.0 MiB + 973.5 KiB = 9.9 MiB gsd-power
9.1 MiB + 1.2 MiB = 10.2 MiB gsd-media-keys
10.1 MiB + 535.5 KiB = 10.7 MiB systemd-journald
9.8 MiB + 901.5 KiB = 10.7 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
9.3 MiB + 1.5 MiB = 10.8 MiB wireplumber
6.1 MiB + 5.2 MiB = 11.3 MiB systemd (3)
9.1 MiB + 2.9 MiB = 12.0 MiB evolution-calendar-factory
8.7 MiB + 3.4 MiB = 12.1 MiB evolution-addressbook-factory
8.8 MiB + 3.4 MiB = 12.2 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gnome
11.8 MiB + 1.3 MiB = 13.2 MiB gnome-session-binary (2)
9.7 MiB + 3.9 MiB = 13.6 MiB goa-daemon
12.6 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 14.2 MiB bash (8)
13.6 MiB + 1.0 MiB = 14.6 MiB NetworkManager
10.7 MiB + 4.9 MiB = 15.6 MiB evolution-source-registry
14.2 MiB + 8.1 MiB = 22.3 MiB gjs-console (2)
16.6 MiB + 5.9 MiB = 22.5 MiB evolution-alarm-notify
18.8 MiB + 4.8 MiB = 23.6 MiB gsd-xsettings
26.9 MiB + 7.5 KiB = 26.9 MiB dnscrypt-proxy
24.3 MiB + 5.0 MiB = 29.3 MiB gnome-calendar
33.5 MiB + 7.1 MiB = 40.6 MiB Xwayland
53.3 MiB + 7.5 MiB = 60.8 MiB tilix
196.6 MiB + 26.0 MiB = 222.6 MiB gnome-shell
474.8 MiB + 171.1 MiB = 646.0 MiB brave (16)
706.1 MiB + 222.7 MiB = 928.7 MiB chromium (18)
1.1 GiB + 116.4 MiB = 1.2 GiB firefox (11)
---------------------------------
3.5 GiB
=================================
Firefox, Chromium, Brave, Tor 5 tabs each
Freetube, Tuner, Gimp, Shotwell, Gpodder
free -m
total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 7590 4324 169 1385 3096 1606
ps_mem
Private + Shared = RAM used Program
8.0 KiB + 28.5 KiB = 36.5 KiB bwrap (3)
12.0 KiB + 64.5 KiB = 76.5 KiB 0
12.0 KiB + 71.5 KiB = 83.5 KiB xdg-dbus-proxy
148.0 KiB + 10.5 KiB = 158.5 KiB fusermount3
212.0 KiB + 46.5 KiB = 258.5 KiB gdm-wayland-session
72.0 KiB + 253.5 KiB = 325.5 KiB nm-openvpn-service
364.0 KiB + 13.5 KiB = 377.5 KiB p11-kit-server
376.0 KiB + 38.5 KiB = 414.5 KiB rtkit-daemon
112.0 KiB + 491.0 KiB = 603.0 KiB firejail (2)
4.0 KiB + 829.5 KiB = 833.5 KiB gnome-shell-calendar-server
1.0 MiB + 88.5 KiB = 1.1 MiB at-spi-bus-launcher
1.1 MiB + 253.5 KiB = 1.4 MiB gsd-disk-utility-notify
1.2 MiB + 384.5 KiB = 1.5 MiB systemd-machined
1.1 MiB + 430.5 KiB = 1.6 MiB systemd-timesyncd
1.7 MiB + 168.5 KiB = 1.8 MiB gdm
2.0 MiB + 43.5 KiB = 2.0 MiB dconf-service
1.7 MiB + 487.5 KiB = 2.1 MiB systemd-logind
380.0 KiB + 1.8 MiB = 2.2 MiB chrome_crashpad_handler (4)
1.4 MiB + 1.1 MiB = 2.4 MiB openvpn
2.5 MiB + 51.5 KiB = 2.5 MiB gnome-session-ctl
2.5 MiB + 173.5 KiB = 2.7 MiB goa-identity-service
2.7 MiB + 62.5 KiB = 2.7 MiB flatpak-session-helper
2.7 MiB + 61.5 KiB = 2.8 MiB gsd-a11y-settings
2.9 MiB + 57.5 KiB = 2.9 MiB gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor
4.0 KiB + 3.0 MiB = 3.0 MiB goa-daemon
3.0 MiB + 70.5 KiB = 3.0 MiB at-spi2-registryd
3.0 MiB + 74.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gsd-usb-protection
3.0 MiB + 59.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gvfsd-metadata
3.0 MiB + 98.5 KiB = 3.1 MiB gvfsd-fuse
2.8 MiB + 372.5 KiB = 3.2 MiB systemd-udevd
3.1 MiB + 193.5 KiB = 3.2 MiB gsd-smartcard
3.1 MiB + 198.5 KiB = 3.2 MiB pipewire-pulse
3.1 MiB + 133.5 KiB = 3.3 MiB gsd-print-notifications
3.1 MiB + 195.5 KiB = 3.3 MiB gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor
3.2 MiB + 140.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB gsd-sound
3.3 MiB + 74.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB boltd
3.3 MiB + 161.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB iwd
3.1 MiB + 324.5 KiB = 3.4 MiB sudo
3.5 MiB + 151.5 KiB = 3.6 MiB gvfsd
3.6 MiB + 74.5 KiB = 3.7 MiB upowerd
512.0 KiB + 3.5 MiB = 4.0 MiB gnome-calendar
3.9 MiB + 275.5 KiB = 4.1 MiB gsd-sharing
4.1 MiB + 85.5 KiB = 4.2 MiB polkitd
4.2 MiB + 350.5 KiB = 4.5 MiB dbus-daemon (3)
4.6 MiB + 48.5 KiB = 4.6 MiB xdg-permission-store
4.6 MiB + 54.5 KiB = 4.6 MiB gsd-screensaver-proxy
4.7 MiB + 67.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB accounts-daemon
4.4 MiB + 363.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB gnome-keyring-daemon
4.8 MiB + 60.5 KiB = 4.8 MiB gsd-rfkill
4.5 MiB + 388.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor
4.7 MiB + 249.5 KiB = 4.9 MiB gsd-printer
5.0 MiB + 100.5 KiB = 5.1 MiB xdg-document-portal
5.5 MiB + 128.5 KiB = 5.6 MiB gsd-datetime
5.4 MiB + 600.5 KiB = 6.0 MiB pipewire
6.1 MiB + 104.5 KiB = 6.2 MiB gsd-housekeeping
5.9 MiB + 354.5 KiB = 6.2 MiB udisksd
6.4 MiB + 109.5 KiB = 6.5 MiB p11-kit-remote
4.1 MiB + 2.6 MiB = 6.7 MiB evolution-addressbook-factory
6.6 MiB + 266.5 KiB = 6.9 MiB gdm-session-worker
152.0 KiB + 7.5 MiB = 7.6 MiB gjs-console (2)
7.8 MiB + 312.5 KiB = 8.1 MiB colord
7.4 MiB + 916.5 KiB = 8.3 MiB wireplumber
8.1 MiB + 511.5 KiB = 8.6 MiB gsd-keyboard
8.3 MiB + 547.5 KiB = 8.8 MiB gsd-color
8.5 MiB + 282.5 KiB = 8.8 MiB xdg-desktop-portal
7.2 MiB + 1.7 MiB = 8.9 MiB script-fu
8.5 MiB + 545.5 KiB = 9.0 MiB gsd-wacom
8.9 MiB + 571.5 KiB = 9.4 MiB gsd-power
9.3 MiB + 419.5 KiB = 9.7 MiB systemd-journald
9.0 MiB + 755.5 KiB = 9.7 MiB gsd-media-keys
9.4 MiB + 634.5 KiB = 10.0 MiB NetworkManager
6.6 MiB + 3.4 MiB = 10.0 MiB evolution-source-registry
9.8 MiB + 515.5 KiB = 10.3 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gtk
6.1 MiB + 4.6 MiB = 10.7 MiB systemd (3)
8.3 MiB + 2.9 MiB = 11.2 MiB xdg-desktop-portal-gnome
11.8 MiB + 694.0 KiB = 12.5 MiB gnome-session-binary (2)
10.8 MiB + 2.2 MiB = 13.0 MiB evolution-calendar-factory
14.3 MiB + 7.5 KiB = 14.3 MiB obfs4proxy
17.0 MiB + 6.5 KiB = 17.0 MiB dnscrypt-proxy
15.7 MiB + 1.6 MiB = 17.3 MiB bash (10)
15.3 MiB + 3.0 MiB = 18.3 MiB gsd-xsettings
13.9 MiB + 5.7 MiB = 19.6 MiB tilix
15.9 MiB + 4.2 MiB = 20.0 MiB evolution-alarm-notify
20.3 MiB + 4.3 MiB = 24.6 MiB com.github.louis77.tuner
24.4 MiB + 7.2 MiB = 31.6 MiB WebKitNetworkProcess
35.9 MiB + 63.5 KiB = 36.0 MiB tor
34.5 MiB + 5.7 MiB = 40.2 MiB Xwayland
89.3 MiB + 5.9 MiB = 95.2 MiB gimp-2.10
104.5 MiB + 38.3 MiB = 142.8 MiB gpodder
128.1 MiB + 36.5 MiB = 164.6 MiB freetube (7)
196.8 MiB + 39.7 MiB = 236.6 MiB gnome-shell
384.6 MiB + 62.3 MiB = 446.9 MiB firefox.real (9)
331.4 MiB + 119.1 MiB = 450.5 MiB brave (16)
577.7 MiB + 11.8 MiB = 589.5 MiB shotwell
668.7 MiB + 107.6 MiB = 776.3 MiB chromium (18)
940.5 MiB + 57.5 MiB = 998.0 MiB firefox (11)
---------------------------------
4.4 GiB
=================================
````Preformatted text`
After the last test:
sudo swapon -s
Filename Type Size Used Priority
/dev/nvme0n1p3 partition 8388604 0 - 2
/dev/zram0 partition 3886076 2035968 100
Nothing close to any OOM situation.
3 Likes
This is not about your system. The OP is reporting that the memory icon in the task bar is reaching 99 percent and then the system freezes. Some suggested that it could be an out of memory situation or OOM, i.e. the RAM is full and the system can no longer use the RAM. This will indeed cause the system to freeze and be non-responsive. An OOM manager such as one provided by Systemd will kill these apps to prevent such a situation. Some suggested a swap partition or file to see if this has any effect. I don’t know what point you are trying to make with your output from your own system that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the OP’s issue. Every user runs different applications and services so no two use case scenarios are identical. 8GB for some works, for others it does not. As others have pointed out, it very well could be an application with a memory leak, which can fill up the RAM.
I think I am quite aware of this.
The point I was trying to make has something to do with the ensuing discussion that 8 GB RAM is too little for running Firefox with some tabs open plus a couple of other application open.
Also indirectly has something to do with OPs specific issue: the fact that it must be something specific to their hardware-software configuration causing the OOM situation. Not the fact that they have 8 GB ram and that is too little that was somehow implied above
2 Likes
OK. Your opinion is noted.
Thank you! So is yours.
1 Like
In other words it’s a software problem! 
1 Like
Sorry, only had time now to read through the new thread posts. There might be a misunderstanding hahah, I meant to say my Windows 10 never (hangs and reaches 100%).
But yeah, I agree that you could point to overall things that can be improved like limiting number of tabs, running less programs, getting more RAM, or checking for hardware issues, but I’m just confused how Windows 10 is able to pull it off but not EOS. Though, if Windows has a less RAM-intense window manager or has their own swap file, then it might make sense, though I’m still not sure entirely.
I’ll try to make a swap file regardless and see how that goes, but if it doesn’t work like how most people on this post speculate, then yeah I would also think there’s probably something wrong with the memory management system of my OS? Not sure how that would happen yet though.
Also, my hardware specs are
- 11th Gen Intel(R) Core™ i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz
- Nvidia TU117M [GeForce MX450]
- Intel TigerLake-LP GT2 [Iris Xe Graphics]
- 2 memory devices of DDR4 DRAM 4GB
I also ran top instead and found these processes:
Are these part of firefox or something?
Indeed they are!