Clearing RAM Cache: Why It’s necessary and How to Do It Safely

Optimise Your PC’s Performance: Clearing RAM Cache and Better Alternatives

You do this because tidying your RAM’s cache might speed up your PC’s performance if it’s lagging. Or you do it because so many seemingly trustworthy websites tell you it’s a good idea. Either way, you’re doing it wrong. It might help address your PC’s lagging performance… but only by screwing up in a very different way.

Your problem is probably not what you think it is, so even if clearing your cache were the best approach, this tip won’t actually help. But if you still want to go through with it, I’ll show you how. Why clearing your cache is probably not a good idea, and what your better options are, are both questions this piece will explore.

Understanding RAM and Why Clearing Its Cache Isn’t Ideal

Another noteworthy component is your RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is temporary storage used by your computer to hold data that your central processing unit (CPU) will need promptly. Anytime you run an application, your operating system loads data from storage into your RAM. The data could be a file or a list of instructions for an application and remain there so it can be accessed quickly.

There is also a misguided idea that free RAM equals efficient RAM. But free RAM is wasted RAM. Modern operating systems (such Windows, macOS and Linux) get this. This is why, when your machine has some free RAM, your operating system doesn’t let it sit idly doing nothing. Knowing that certain bits of data will be accessed at a future time, your OS will hunt out and steal this data from where it is saved but less conveniently, on your hard drive or SSD, to move it into RAM. This process is called preloading the data into a cache, effectively speeding up your system and apps, which can now launch faster because data sits in RAM, even though it is often accessed infrequently.

When your system needs more RAM for a new task, it empties this cache and frees up the memory automatically. Clearing your RAM cache manually deliberately throws a wrench into that process, forcing your system to reload data from slower storage the next time you launch an app, actually slowing things down.

How to Clear Your RAM Cache (If You Really Want To)

If you persist in emptying your RAM cache, the easiest way is to reboot your PC. Volatile memory, like the RAM in your computer, erases everything stored when you turn off the power. When you reboot, your PC comes up with an empty slate of RAM.

Steps to Clear RAM Cache:

Save any ongoing work.

Close all running applications.

Restart your computer.

When your computer reboots, it will flush the cache in your RAM. If that doesn’t fix your problem, then try something more permanent.

Better Alternatives to Improve RAM Management

Purging RAM cache will give you a temporary quick fix, perhaps, but it isn’t a long-term solution. Here are a few more effective methods to keep your RAM in check and improve your computer’s overall performance:

1. Upgrade Your RAM

Best you solve those memory shortages by upgrading your pc’s RAM! You would want as much RAM in your pc where the operating of a program is stored so that you can open and run many programs at once without shutting down your pc. Upgrading the RAM for your pc is very cheap in 2024 and it can highly improve the pace and performance of your pc.

2. Close Unnecessary Background Applications

Many applications continue their processes, long after you’re done using them, and greedily utilise system RAM. Close all background programs and browser tabs that you don’t need.

3. Manage Startup Programs

Some facilities will open up alongside your operating system, from the very start. You can free up RAM simply by cutting down on the number of programs that launch on startup. Tick ‘Disable’ next to any that are superfluous. The easiest way to do this is to press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, and then go to the ‘Startup’ tab.

4. Optimise Memory Performance

If it’s not memory capacity but memory performance that you have a gripe with, make sure your RAM is running at its maximum speed. Many modern motherboards support XMP – the Extreme Memory Profile that’s supported by most modern RAM kits – and applying this profile will greatly increase RAM performance. For maximum performance and ease of use, consider switching to an SSD.

Conclusion

And while clearing your RAM cache might appear to have fixed everything, in nearly all cases it’s just a temporary measure – a quick fix that’ll lead you back to a subpar and unstable computing experience. Crashing your computer seems a whole lot different than playing games on your console while new, rare treasures can be mined ALL at once! Upgrading RAM alone could reduce your windows restart times by a whopping 80 per cent When you reset your PC and force it to clear RAM, you gain a few seconds or minutes of performance bliss.

But within a half-hour to even just a few minutes, you’re playing and running as if there had been no restart at all. This is when your computer starts hiccupping and stammering again. Meanwhile, those totally legit games on your computer quietly continue their sexy bikini clad fire-dance in a huge pit of gold bars, mining gems at lightning speed, all oblivious to the heaviness of your RAM cache.

Upgrading your RAM can deliver big boosts. When you upgrade RAM yourself, you could optimise by one or two gigs. Utilising memory management software might already offer the same benefit. But who has the energy to constantly upgrade? When your system comes with 3GB RAM but you activate 4GB with memory management software – that’s a gain of 33 per cent more memory (3333 per cent, if we interpret ‘per cent’ as ‘parts per thousand’ and not ‘percent’ as ‘one in a hundred’).

Upgrading RAM alone could reduce your windows restart times by a whopping 80 per cent. Picture your RAM cache as a… large construction site This is probably starting to feel like a promising alternative – except it isn’t.

These practices will make sure your PC is ready for anything you throw at it.