Tips 

Dr. Mac’s OSXFAQ OS X Speed Tips

1. RAM makes Mac OS X faster.
   How much is enough? Apple claims OS X will run in 128MB of RAM, and it will, but if you plan to use any programs with it, you’ll want more—at least 256MB.
   
   
2. Don’t Quit programs unless you don’t think you’ll need them again before you log out, reboot, or shut down.
   Because OS X doesn’t crash very often and rarely needs to be restarted, you can save a lot of time each day by NOT quitting a program you expect to use again. I usually have between 10 and 20 programs running at any given time. In fact, I’ve got 10 programs in my Login Items system preference pane that start up automatically when I log in, and remain open until I log out.
   
   
3. OS X’s virtual memory scheme is a million times better than OS 9’s, but using most or all of the RAM in your Mac will still slow things down.
   
   
4. If you’re experiencing virtual memory “pageouts,” you need more RAM.
   
   
5. There are a number of ways to monitor virtual memory: You can use the Terminal application in your Utilities folder. Type “top” (without the quotes) followed by a carriage return.

You can use the Terminal application in your Utilities folder. Type “top” (without the quotes) followed by a carriage return.

If you see pageouts (highlighted near the top of the Terminal window) you would benefit from more RAM. (I have lots of RAM so I’m showing zero pageouts here.) Or, you can use the Process Viewer application in your Utilities folder:

ProcessViewer displays RAM (and CPU) usage, but isn’t easy to decipher .

The ProcessViewer displays every “Carbon” application as LaunchCFMApp? So it’s hard to tell which of them is Microsoft Word, which is Corel PHOTO-PAINT, etc. Which is why I recommend using a third-party program…

6. There are dozens of freeware and shareware programs that monitor various aspects of OS X, and help you to tweak performance.

Among my favorite tools for monitoring OS X are (clockwise from top left): Memogram, Memory Usage Getter, System Manager, MemoryStick, and Perfboard can help you fine tune Mac OS X’s performance.

7. The faster your processor, the faster OS X will run.

And, because OS X includes native support for multiple processors, a dual-processor Mac gives you more bang for your buck.

My dual-gigahertz Power Mac with 1.5GB of RAM is the fastest Mac you can buy today. (I still wish it were faster. L)

8. Monitor the CPU for saturation.

You can use the CPU Monitor application in your Utilities folder:

The CPU Monitor has three different displays you can leave onscreen to see how hard your processor is working. In this picture it’s working very hard (almost to the top of all three displays).

If your processor is running at 80% capacity or more, things will slow down. If you see that your processor spends much time saturated (i.e. near the top of the scale in CPU Monitor), you’d benefit from a faster processor.

Many freeware and shareware programs can do the same thing and much more, but CPU Monitor does the job and you already have a copy.

9. Keeping your hands off the mouse will make you more productive.

Learn and use keyboard shortcuts instead of menus.

10. The Mac OS X Finder is slow; avoid it if you can.

Since I like to keep my hands off the mouse, my favorite tool for avoiding the Finder is LaunchBar, a $20 shareware program that lets you open any item on any mounted volume by typing a few letters of its name:

LaunchBar lets you open almost any item, including URLs, without using the Finder or touching the mouse. Or, you can use a more visual (and more mouse-intensive) Finder substitute such as DragThing:

DragThing is a flexible, beautiful file launcher and a great substitute for the Finder.

or DropDrawers:

DropDrawers is a Finder replacement that’s similar to DragThing, but different.