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[Q] 768 RAM and Apps?

Does the 768 RAM on the MyTouch 4G allow installing more apps or is the memory reserved for apps/data the same as for a 512 device?
Thanks.

I think you are confusing the memory used for storage (1gb available internally) with the memory used for running apps (768mb).
You have 768mb of system memory (for running apps). 1gb of internal memory for apps/storage along with 8gb on the removable SD card.

What are you talking about man?
RAM = random access memory.
ROM = Read only memory.
Ram is what used to allocate the programs/app that is already installed on ROM, so it can run on the phone. In simple ROM is where you install it and to run the program when you load it then its allocated in RAM, I hope it make sense to you.

I've currently got an Acer Liquid E which has 512 MB RAM but I need an AWS phone now.
The phone has 512 MB RAM but only part of that is allocated for storing apps and their data. I believe after a clean wipe only around 70 MB is available for apps (I could be wrong about that number). I believe the rest of the RAM is reserved for the OS and various caches. Even though many apps can be moved to the SD card, there always remains part of the app taking up memory in RAM so if you install too many apps you'll eventually run out of space and things get ugly.
So my question is whether the larger amount of RAM (an extra 256MB) is (at least partially) available for a larger amount of app space, or whether the amount of space available for apps is the same as on a 512MB device, with the additional 256MB being used only by the OS...
I'm sure I've got some of the details wrong, but still the basic question: can the MyTouch 4G have more apps installed before going wonky than say a Samsung Vibrant?
Thanks!

No wonder you got confused I just looked up the spec for Acer Liquid E. It has 512MB ram and rom. Now you are saying that you installed alot of apps and its becoming sluggish? In that case disable some of the service and close some apps you don't use. Normally you won't have 512MB or the actual ram in any device as OS itself and other things use some memory some even used for accelerated graphic depending on the phone.
What you should look for is first remove all the boltware and run the phone barebone without running many things then you can see how much actual memory is available to you to run other service/apps. Also you can save the app as in installing in SD but that has nothing to do with the RAM which is just saving in SD and not in NAND. But when you run the app it will still have to be allocated on RAM thus enabling you to use it.

On my system the RAM appears to be partitioned into /system, /data, and /cache. It seems the /data partition is what's available for use by apps. When this gets low (around 20 MB or so) performance is seriously affected and some apps don't even work right. On my system there is 200MB available for data. I assume it's similar on other devices with 512 MB RAM.
One way to check is install the free app "App 2 SD Free" and on the "On phone" tab at the bottom it will give you total and available memory. (I'm sure there are lots of other ways to check, but it's one app I've got installed that has this info. Here's a link: whoop's it won't let me post a link...)
Anyway, what I'm trying to find out is if there's more available memory on the MyTouch 4G. If someone with this phone could run this app let me know what the "total" memory "On Phone" is I'd appreciate it!
Thanks!

tmagritte said:
On my system the RAM appears to be partitioned into /system, /data, and /cache. It seems the /data partition is what's available for use by apps. When this gets low (around 20 MB or so) performance is seriously affected and some apps don't even work right. On my system there is 200MB available for data. I assume it's similar on other devices with 512 MB RAM.
One way to check is install the free app "App 2 SD Free" and on the "On phone" tab at the bottom it will give you total and available memory. (I'm sure there are lots of other ways to check, but it's one app I've got installed that has this info. Here's a link: whoop's it won't let me post a link...)
Anyway, what I'm trying to find out is if there's more available memory on the MyTouch 4G. If someone with this phone could run this app let me know what the "total" memory "On Phone" is I'd appreciate it!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have your definitions messed up:
You are talking about ROM (read only memory) which is like hard drive in your computer. MT4G has 2gb of memory with about 1gb available to end user. SD card can be used to supplement ROM, if app developers enable it (most do) so you have the potential to have up to 17gb of storage space for apps.
RAM (random access memory) is what used to actually run those apps (i.e ability to multitask) and so far this phone has more RAM then any other phone on the market (768MB).
In short: you have roughly 5 times more available memory for apps then on old phone and that does not even include SD card.
Does that help?

Ignore this post: read the one below.

OK, I think I've been confused because the Acer has 512 MB RAM and ROM. So as I understand it now, there's some amount of ROM on the phone that is available to install apps and separate from this is the RAM used to run the apps. I'm guessing the amount of RAM taken up by apps depends on the apps and services currently running, not on the total installed in the ROM?
So having more ROM will let you install more apps but having more RAM will be better for multitasking and speed since more apps can reside in RAM before being swapped out?
From what I've picked up on this thread and Google:
MyTouch 4G: 758 MB RAM, 1 GB user ROM
Vibrant: 512 MB RAM, 2 GB user ROM
Liquid E: 512 MB RAM, 200 MB user ROM
The Vibrant can have more apps installed but the MyTouch should be better at multitasking (and 1 GB space for apps seems like plenty). Either phone should be far better than the Liquid which is seriously constrained by the small ROM.
Is this generally correct? If so, I'm definitely leaning towards the MyTouch 4G.
thanks!

Yes thats some what correct. In this case you might want to go with MT4G due to superior hardware capabilities. Vibrant has issues and you will need lagfix before you can work it fully but on MT4G is good to go out of the box if you are android normal user.
If you look at quadrant benchmarks for Vibrant against MT4G. The MSM8255 (2nd gen snapdragon) CPU and Adreno 205 GPU blows away the Hummingbird CPU and SGX 540 GPU. ATM MT4G and DHD is the fastest android device in market. With MT4G you have elegant balance in ROM/RAM for nice performance. BTW MT4G has 4GB ROM but 1GB user accessible.

Thanks. I'm going to try and get the MT4G.

Where is the other remaining ram memory gone?

Hi I have galaxy y and I read it's phone specification online before buying it. the online specification all says that it has 512mb of ram. But after I bought the phone, task manager shows that the phone only contain two hundred something of total memory.so where is the remaining gone? Is there any way to gain them? Like uninstalling what from system? I have rooted my phone but I don't want use swap as well. I want the original ram memory to the maximum available. Any help would be appreciated.

It's used by all those system apps running in the background. Like launcher, phone, messages and stuff. 200mb is a decent amount of RAM (considering it has oly 512 mb). If u want more ram try using a light weight launcher, a custom rom helps too (as in stock rom they put a lot of unwanted stuff into it).

[Q] RAM ISSUES with samsung galaxy tab 2 7.0 (GT-P3100)

I own a samsung galaxy tab 2(GT p3100), which initially had 4.0.4 ICS with 687 MB RAM(but specified as 1 GB RAM, as some developers claim that it is being reserved for system). I updated my firmware to 4.1.2 and now it showed me 770 MB RAM. later i rooted my device and installed the latest CM(cyanogenmod) 10.1 (jelly bean 4.2). To my surprise this rom which has less bloatware and is smoother, it showed me 691 MB RAM, less than 770 MB as displayed by the STOCK jelly bean OS.
i would like to ask, which OS(custom/stock) displays the MAX RAM for GALAXY TAB 2 7.0(P3100)???????
as i don't ve enough internet downloading capacity(limited downloads), i can't just go on downloading all the firmwares and keep flashing everytime, SO EXPERIENCED USERS, PLEASE SUGGEST.
for more info(for my knowledge), do please tell this also--------->tab 2(my device specifies 1 GB RAM and the same does galaxy s2, but why with ICS(4.0.4) installed both the devices show different MB RAM. tab2 shows around 680 MB wheras S2 shows around 880 MB, wheras HTC one X shows 1 GB.
why is this so????? i know some developers claim that this RAM is being consumed by system or reserved for system, but why is it different for different devices, when the OS is the same?????
again if you claim that it is reserved by the android system, then WHY DO , WITH NO APPS INSTALLED TOO, I SEE AROUND 300-400 MB RAM BEING USED(300 MB WHEN I DNT USE ANY WIDGETS AND ALL, AND I STOP ALL THE PROCESSES, BY CLICKING FORCE STOP ON ALL APPS LIKE GMAIL AND EVERYTHING EXCEPT ANDROID SYSTEM AND PHONE AND SOME NECESSARY RED MARKED APPS IN THE DEFAULT TASK MANAGER).
if android process is being displayed here with this 770 MB ram, then where has the 230 MB ram gone------------>do you mean the android process consumes the hidden RAM and also a part of this RAM too???????------------------>this sounds too unpleasant, when htc one x displays all the specified RAM but my tab fails.
really disapponting

You are getting too excited about available RAM. The OS system manages available RAM so each different ROM will use it a little more or less.
The amount of free RAM has nothing to do with how many apps are stored, ONly how many apps are RUNNING. Android system efficiently manages RAM and tries to keep it about 80% full all the time. So called Bloatware (one mans bloat is another mans useful app) has nothing to do with speed , they do nothing if you don't run them.
The system RAM usage contained OS buffers, temp storage and system routines that are always loaded for speed.
1GB is a ton of RAM for android.
You do not have a RAM issue.
You can run out of SD storage space for downloaded apps if you store too many. But you have several GBs of storage so that's hard unless you are a real pack rat.

DigitalMD said:
You are getting too excited about available RAM. The OS system manages available RAM so each different ROM will use it a little more or less.
The amount of free RAM has nothing to do with how many apps are stored, ONly how many apps are RUNNING. Android system efficiently manages RAM and tries to keep it about 80% full all the time. So called Bloatware (one mans bloat is another mans useful app) has nothing to do with speed , they do nothing if you don't run them.
The system RAM usage contained OS buffers, temp storage and system routines that are always loaded for speed.
1GB is a ton of RAM for android.
You do not have a RAM issue.
You can run out of SD storage space for downloaded apps if you store too many. But you have several GBs of storage so that's hard unless you are a real pack rat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right Sir,
well, regarding storage i dont ve any issue as some data like pics and vids can be kept in ext storage card too,but i also wanted to know which ROM provides user with more RAM, so that it will be good for multitasking or if i play high end games like NFS MW

fbh59 said:
Right Sir,
well, regarding storage i dont ve any issue as some data like pics and vids can be kept in ext storage card too,but i also wanted to know which ROM provides user with more RAM, so that it will be good for multitasking or if i play high end games like NFS MW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The amount of difference between one kernel and another (which is what really matters here) isn't large enough to make any real difference in the performance of any application. The available RAM after the kernel grabs its stuff varies around 10% from one kernel to the next.
If you want to make a performance impact, make sure you minimize the number of running applications that compete for the available RAM. However, that won't make much difference as Android is very aggressive about grabbing memory back from idle applications.
Basically, you're obsessing over something that in the end will make no difference in how your tablet runs.

fbh59 said:
Right Sir,
well, regarding storage i dont ve any issue as some data like pics and vids can be kept in ext storage card too,but i also wanted to know which ROM provides user with more RAM, so that it will be good for multitasking or if i play high end games like NFS MW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Irrelevant. Android will clear apps from RAM if it's needed by an app with high memory usage. This isn't windows
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium

well, if this is the thing, and android can kill apps automatically then why do some people prefer custom ROMs like CM or AOKP.
even for installing custom ROMs they need to root their tab/phone, and if they root and want to get rid of so called bloatwares and make their OS lightweight, they can uninstall it using root uninstaller(available for free in google play)....
but why do they prefer custom ROMS?????

fbh59 said:
well, if this is the thing, and android can kill apps automatically then why do some people prefer custom ROMs like CM or AOKP.
even for installing custom ROMs they need to root their tab/phone, and if they root and want to get rid of so called bloatwares and make their OS lightweight, they can uninstall it using root uninstaller(available for free in google play)....
but why do they prefer custom ROMS?????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More features generally. Some roms will manage the memory better than others, ie at what point it starts to kill apps to free RAM(although this can be adjusted in any rom using rom toolbox or a similar app). many custom roms include a theme engine allowing more customiza. They may make better use of resources to decrease battery usage or because it has better cpu governors which will increase performance. They may flash a custom roms because it's kernel includes modules that aren't in the stock Kernel. There are many reasons besides RAM usage, since as you say you can root and remove bloatware and change memory handling(called minfree or oomut of memory)
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium

Increasing RAM on an Android Device

Respected Experts and Moderators,
Apologies if I posted my question in a wrong forum.
I have a mobile running Android 4.2.1 and I GB RAM. I landed into a typical problem of 'Space Running Out'. My App Manager shows that I have roughly 50 MB free memory.
I tried various methods like Cache Cleaner, ES File Explorer (to clean log files etc). However, the problem would return back. Than I learned about applications like Roehsoft's RAM Expander that can create a swap file to increase the RAM. My phone is compatible with the app as the result of test done their 'MemoryInfo-SwapCheck' app shows. Since, this is a paid app, I wondering how does it hooks into the Android System so that the:
# Android is aware of the swap file
# Android is able to use the swap file as an extension of its RAM
# Any effect on performance since I/O from internal RAM would much much faster than from a memory card
Thanks.
PS: I am a software engineer but my field of expertise is web applications.

manu_12 said:
Respected Experts and Moderators,
Apologies if I posted my question in a wrong forum.
I have a mobile running Android 4.2.1 and I GB RAM. I landed into a typical problem of 'Space Running Out'. My App Manager shows that I have roughly 50 MB free memory.
I tried various methods like Cache Cleaner, ES File Explorer (to clean log files etc). However, the problem would return back. Than I learned about applications like Roehsoft's RAM Expander that can create a swap file to increase the RAM. My phone is compatible with the app as the result of test done their 'MemoryInfo-SwapCheck' app shows. Since, this is a paid app, I wondering how does it hooks into the Android System so that the:
# Android is aware of the swap file
# Android is able to use the swap file as an extension of its RAM
# Any effect on performance since I/O from internal RAM would much much faster than from a memory card
Thanks.
PS: I am a software engineer but my field of expertise is web applications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The warning you're getting is not related to low RAM but rather low on internal memory (internal sd card) because Android will never warn you about low ram ( it has a low memory killer that kills running apps in background when low on RAM).
So what you should be doing instead is increasing internal memory, follow this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2142844 , if you don't want to use a pc for partitioning your sd card use this app instead https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sylkat.AParted
If you insist on increasing your Ram with swap files take look at this guide http://www.google.dz/url?q=http://f...ggNMAA&usg=AFQjCNHUQFy9IB9qBypg2moBrjPZ2FYVjw
Good luck
Don't just say Thanks, press the ? button.

Thanks @a. felon. This solution has helped. Going through various blogs gave me the impression that RAM Expander solution and link2sd card solution are alternatives to resolve the same problem.

RAM Expander Roehsoft not working on my tablet, how can i fix this?

Hello everyone,
I need some help with expanding RAM of an old android tablet of mine, more specifically, an Genesis GT-7204, using an SD card.
I rooted the tablet already and granted the app RAM Expander from Roehsoft root permissions, but when i try to use the app i get the following message: "This path is not available for swap!" Image below:
https://imgur.com/4MZ2l
The path i used was mnt/local:
https://imgur.com/6zUH7
Thanks in advance!

The images might be blocked, in any case i will post them here.

Personally have experienced that Virtual RAM ( aka SWAP RAM ) can only get created on a device's internal storage memory ( aka /sdcard ).
Hint: As path manually enter /data .
BTW:
Android since ever comes with virtual RAM ( SWAP RAM) feature. The internal storage memory used herefore is the /cache partition.
Also take note that an Android apps' memory usage by design is limited to some MBs. Even if you increase in Android's system file called build.prop the related amount, it's not sure that this is taken into account: an app's develeoper allows this or not.
And keep in mind that apps that did not fit in the RAM before without swap do not suddenly fit in the RAM.
Don't expect wonders using Roehsoft's RAM Expander. Probably you may not notice any gain in device's performance.

So i can only use my internal storage to add RAM? And not the SD card?
And to do this i have to manually set a path, but i am new at this, but i have to use /data or there is something else?
And in my case it is worth it, because this freaking tablet has only 500 MB of RAM!!!!!

jwoegerbauer said:
Personally have experienced that Virtual RAM ( aka SWAP RAM ) can only get created on a device's internal storage memory ( aka /sdcard ).
Hint: As path manually enter /data .
BTW:
Android since ever comes with virtual RAM ( SWAP RAM) feature. The internal storage memory used herefore is the /cache partition.
Also take note that an Android apps' memory usage by design is limited to some MBs. Even if you increase in Android's system file called build.prop the related amount, it's not sure that this is taken into account: an app's develeoper allows this or not.
And keep in mind that apps that did not fit in the RAM before without swap do not suddenly fit in the RAM.
Don't expect wonders using Roehsoft's RAM Expander. Probably you may not notice any gain in device's performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i can only use my internal storage to add RAM? And not the SD card?
And to do this i have to manually set a path, but i am new at this, but i have to use /data or there is something else?
And in my case it is worth it, because this freaking tablet has only 500 MB of RAM!!!!!

pprg1101 said:
So i can only use my internal storage to add RAM? And not the SD card?
And to do this i have to manually set a path, but i am new at this, but i have to use /data or there is something else?
And in my case it is worth it, because this freaking tablet has only 500 MB of RAM!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I never used Roehesoft's RAM Expander on a real Android device and I'll never will use it: In my eyes it's crap. And, you'll find no serious confirmations in the WEB that it works as claimed.
Android for good reason doesn't come with SWAP feature. Android's Memory Manager frees RAM if necessary.
It's on you to play around with Roehesoft's RAM Expander. Good luck.
My last 2 cents here:
SWAP is a place on the internal storage memory (usually a dedicated partition) that is used to store programs or data that can't fit in memory, like when a program grows more than the available RAM (BTW: In the world of Windows this space is called Swapfile.sys ). SWAP is way slower than RAM, so when you create / enable SWAP the phone gets slower, but at least the program can work.
All the stuff that can't or shouldn't stay in your RAM is written out to SWAP and read back in when needed. This means that the SWAP medium needs to be fast and resilient to lots of writes.
IMHO using an external SD card as SWAP fails on both counts. It is slower at reading/writing than a phone's internal drive, and each of its constituent sectors can only be written to a limited number of times before they wear out and can no longer reliably store data.

SC pl