Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
seabitty
Newbie

Even though I am not running a ton of apps and keep history and cache clear, am still using almost 238 MB of the 325 MB of available RAM. Suggestions? Do text messages suck up space?

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
10sEn
Contributor - Level 3

First, I would like to point out that your Samsung Fascinate has 512MB of available RAM.  My guess is that you still have 325MB of RAM available for use, so I think you're good.  I know those numbers 325 and 238 don't quite add up to 512, and the short explanation would be that programs and hardware have different standards for what constitutes 1MB (1000 vs. 1024) although I didn't see if that actually added up.

 

Having said that, even when you use a task killing application, like Advanced Task Killer, you may not actually see all of the running apps when you open it to view the active apps.  In Advanced Task Killer, you can set your view to low security to see all of your running apps.  I wouldn't recommend killing your apps at this point, however, as you may notice that your phone will freeze and stop working.  It's nothing that a simple battery pull wouldn't fix, but basically, you'll see that various aspects of your phone's functionality are apps on your mini-computer.  Texting is an app, as well, but storing texts only takes up storage space (and not even much of that), not RAM (which is like the computer's short-term or active memory, or some place where the computer can store information for quick access).

 

So, based on what you've said, I think you're fine.  If you have widgets or anything like that, those may also take up some RAM, but I don't think they will be all that noticeable.  Occasionally, apps/widgets that you haven't opened will launch in the background for various reasons, but you can turn those off by doing what you're alread doing.

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Clear cache.

 

Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > wait if necessary to ensure the list is completely populated > Menu button > Sort by size.  Start goig through the apps one by one.  Games, Browser, and Market are some of the usual suspects.

 

And Yes text message do take of some that space.

 

If my math is right, having 87 MB available is nothing really to worry about.  I would LOVE to have that much space left!  You can start worrying when you reach 30 MB or less.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
10sEn
Contributor - Level 3

First, I would like to point out that your Samsung Fascinate has 512MB of available RAM.  My guess is that you still have 325MB of RAM available for use, so I think you're good.  I know those numbers 325 and 238 don't quite add up to 512, and the short explanation would be that programs and hardware have different standards for what constitutes 1MB (1000 vs. 1024) although I didn't see if that actually added up.

 

Having said that, even when you use a task killing application, like Advanced Task Killer, you may not actually see all of the running apps when you open it to view the active apps.  In Advanced Task Killer, you can set your view to low security to see all of your running apps.  I wouldn't recommend killing your apps at this point, however, as you may notice that your phone will freeze and stop working.  It's nothing that a simple battery pull wouldn't fix, but basically, you'll see that various aspects of your phone's functionality are apps on your mini-computer.  Texting is an app, as well, but storing texts only takes up storage space (and not even much of that), not RAM (which is like the computer's short-term or active memory, or some place where the computer can store information for quick access).

 

So, based on what you've said, I think you're fine.  If you have widgets or anything like that, those may also take up some RAM, but I don't think they will be all that noticeable.  Occasionally, apps/widgets that you haven't opened will launch in the background for various reasons, but you can turn those off by doing what you're alread doing.

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
steveanderson13
Contributor - Level 2

A couple of questions.  Do you have performance problems?  Your present phone storage-internal memory-ram (the terms are a mess for smartphones)  is not low.  You should get performance problems first when it is low then you should get a notification when it is very low.  Yes, I've read some people have thousands and thousands and thousands of messages on their phone and it can eventually cause a problem.  For example, trying to delete a thread with thousands of messages may take longer than you realize or may force close the app.  Secondly, having many many messages may make the app run slower as it has to keep everything organized while you are using it.  You should do regular housekeeping on your phone to keep things from getting out of hand.  If you want to save your messages, there are apps for that.  I can't recommend the specific ones (maybe someone else can chime in) but there are at least two models--one to save to sd card and one to save to gmail.  Check the market for some kind of backup sms app if you don't want to delete them.  Once saved or backed up or moved to gmail, you can then free your phone storage.  I don't know which if any also do mms.  

    Since you should be getting 2.2 soon, you will be able to move certain apps to sd card (the developer will have to include that function in the app itself).  You may also be able to store caches and data there which may be slower but give you more room.  

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
steveanderson13
Contributor - Level 2

 


10sEn wrote:

First, I would like to point out that your Samsung Fascinate has 512MB of available RAM.  My guess is that you still have 325MB of RAM available for use, so I think you're good.  I know those numbers 325 and 238 don't quite add up to 512


 

The terminology nowadays is so screwed up, its difficult to communicate.  People are using RAM to mean different things.  When used as originally as in PC's, it is the volatile memory which is emptied when the device is turned off.  All that data is cleared.  Then android reloads it as full as possible when you restart the phone.  (It runs better near full).  This is the memory that your post is referring to and you are right; that is the real RAM.

 

But, I think the OP is referring to the RAM, phone storage, internal memory, flash memory, whatever it is called, that does not change when you turn off your phone.  It does change when you add an app, or  create some data like a text message or change your cache by using an app, etc.  But when you reboot, that data is still there.  That data is erased when you delete or clear or uninstall something or factory/hard reset the phone.  All these things increase its size.  If it is too small, performance does decrease.  So first I think the 325 available refers to the amount left after deducting for the OS itself (which may be 200 MB or so) (Of course the space taken by the OS never changes unless it is updated).  Then from that 325, installing apps, creating texts or any other data reduces the 325 until the OP has 238 available now.  I believe this is how it works.  

 

 

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
M91-30
Contributor - Level 1

you don't need to free up RAM on these phones. they don't let the ram fill up. if phone storage space is your concern, uninstall apps you don't use or install an sd card.

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
seabitty
Newbie

Good advice. Thank you!

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
papa_leo
Contributor - Level 1

To M91-30. How one would be able to install application of the SD Card if Froyo is not yet available and the current Eclair doesn't support that option?

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Re: Best way to free up RAM on my Fascinate?
M91-30
Contributor - Level 1

I'm not 199 percent sure. I don't have that many apps and everything but apps go on my 32gb sd card.

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