MacBook Air M3 using 18GB RAM for a Work which takes up 10GB RAM on Intel iMac 2015

Joshylonstoky wrote:

I jumped from an intel Imac 2015 to a m3 air macbook. and while doing the same work the m3 use18gb of ram and the intel use only 10gb, why is the m3 using more?

There is more to use. Modern Macs are designed to use all of the available RAM. Unused RAM is wasted RAM.

In your screenshot, you had actually exhausted all of the ram on the 16GB machine. You can see that with the non-zero swap usage. Your new computer has more RAM and hasn't needed to use swap.

So it looks like the memory usage is virtually identical. The new computer is simply doing it faster and more efficiently because it has more RAM to use.

Whatever you do, don't try to download any "clean up" or "memory cleaner" tools. Those kinds of apps will interfere with the operating system's memory management and make everything slower.

Joshylonstoky wrote:

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/2355037d-fbe4-4004-86f5-cf6bcfaa9c35

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/7e50ce86-43d1-4eb1-b54d-dc014684db57

Is the iMac for 2015 using the same Operating System as the m3 air MacBook. ?

No, so why does one expect that the RAM Usage for a computer that could only run macOS 12 Monterey to perform the same way on a M3 Air Book that is running mcOS 14 Sonoma ?

The reported Physical RAM from iMac 1015 shows 16 GB Total Physical RAM

The M3 Air Book shows 24 GB Physical RAM

The 2015 machine also is showing a Swap File of 7 MB

The M3 machines shows 0 ( Zero ) Swap file

Newer Operating System systems work different

Move from Intel Computer to Apple Silicon Computer is also a factor as they use Unified RAM versus to Older Separate RAM Modules

Yes, they do use RAM but in different mays

Personally, I would more worried if the computer were to Alert the use of ( You have run out or Memory ) message

Also, would stop fussing able RAM usages and trying to micro mange RAM

Apple Designed the Computer and Operating System to manage the computer very well

PS - have the same M3 MacBook Air and it is working just fine without looking for issues

The fundamental answer is that the M3 has integrated RAM whereas the 2015 Intel iMac has separate, discrete video RAM.

You are also comparing two Macs with completely different architectures and you need to provide details about the differences between the two Macs such as ... operating system, displays, apps (and their versions) that you may be running, etc.

Your late 2015 iMac can't be operating beyond Monterey, and your M3 MBAir cannnot be operating earlier than Ventura, so there is a basic difference right there. As for the apps, are they the exact same versions?

The point is that all controllable variables would have to be identical in order to approach a fair comparison of the two machines. There are enough differences between the two Macs, known & unknown, that there should be no expectation that they would use the same degree of RAM or other system resources.

One of the bigger and possible issues to concern yourself with .

Apple Silicon Computers run a ARMS based CPU where as the Intel computer running Only Intel Machine Code

The Applications on the Intel Computer, if used on the ARM Based Apple Silicon computer may invoke another process called Rosetta 2

It will, in some cases, Interface between the Operating System and the Applications. This would, normally, be not apparent to the user.

For addition reading specific to Rosetta 2, please refer to below.

Otherwise this is not too important but good to know

If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac

If you need to install Rosetta on your Mac

Rosetta 2 is only available on Apple Computer with the Silicon M1 / M2 / M3 Computers. 

Terminal Command 

softwareupdate --install-rosetta

There are three categories / types of software that can run on the Operations System.

Only Intel Binary Code. This software will invoke Rosetta 2 to translate the Intel binaries so the operating system can understand and execute the Application. The Applications must be 64 Bit to function on Big Sur, Monterey and Ventura / Sonoma

Universal Binary Software.  It contains Both Intel and M1/ M2 / M3 ARMs binary code and refer to (  Universal 2 ) When the user installs a 64 bit Application that contains Both Intel and M1 / M2/ M3  ARMs binaries - depending on factors, the Operating System may or may not invoke Rosetta 2.

“ Apple Silicon “ Checking in System Information >> Applications  >> as of now, only see One Application classified as Apple Silicon and that is “ Rosetta 2 Updater “.

That would make perfect sense since. It is specifically designed to operate only on Apple Silicon M1 / M2 / M3 ARMs based computers