Posted January 10, 2010
xabbott: Most people don't even know how to accurately find out how much ram Steam alone is using. I don't even know if by default task manger is setup to do so, or if you can even use the task manager pre-vista to find out.
There is also a lot of misunderstanding on how Windows handles memory so you end up with all these urban myths about disabling page files, running ram defraggers, or programs to "clean out" ram.
Considering the client does much more than list games (servers, friends, IM, voice, overlay, browser) I would say the client is pretty slim. Compared to another big digital store client (itunes), it is definitely much better.
This is just speculation but I think this might also be why the client is so plain looking. Staying away from the default Windows widgets may allow it to keep a lower memory footprint. Could also have to do with the overlay not looking horrible at different game resolutions like Xfire and GFWL.
Anyway, it appears the vast majority of Steam users have 2GB+ right now.
When it comes to background apps I watch the CPU time being used.
There is also a lot of misunderstanding on how Windows handles memory so you end up with all these urban myths about disabling page files, running ram defraggers, or programs to "clean out" ram.
Considering the client does much more than list games (servers, friends, IM, voice, overlay, browser) I would say the client is pretty slim. Compared to another big digital store client (itunes), it is definitely much better.
This is just speculation but I think this might also be why the client is so plain looking. Staying away from the default Windows widgets may allow it to keep a lower memory footprint. Could also have to do with the overlay not looking horrible at different game resolutions like Xfire and GFWL.
Anyway, it appears the vast majority of Steam users have 2GB+ right now.
When it comes to background apps I watch the CPU time being used.
Steam was a RAM hog... in 2004. As Steam was improved the amount of RAM it uses is negligible. Though I remember running Far Cry a few months ago off Steam and on my laptop (which had 2GB of RAM but the computer wasn't very good) and it was ridiculously slow, but I bought the GOG version it ran perfectly. Coincidence?