RAM

How to make RAM disks in OS X

In the classic Mac OS, one of the neat features was the ability to create a RAM disk, which would allow users to allocate a section of RAM for use as a storage drive. Being stored in RAM, the drive's contents would load nearly instantaneously and could therefore be used to quickly launch applications and load documents that were frequently accessed. The RAM disk was kept active even when the computer was off, so in some cases if you had enough RAM you could even copy the system folder to it and load the Mac from a cold boot … Read more

Chrysler Group embarks on a 10-week trek across the U.S.

Chrysler is taking its act on the road--10 vehicles, 10 weeks, 50 stops.

The marketing tour is to reach out to the 22,000 employees who work for Chrysler Group affiliate companies and suppliers such as Case New Holland, Comau, 3M, Union Pacific Railroad and Mohawk Industries.

The mobile showroom will feature the 2011 models of Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Dodge Caliber, Ram 1500, and 2011 Ram 2500. And the 2010 models of the Chrysler 300S, Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Journey, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Viper ACR.

The cross-country tour launched last week and will continue through … Read more

HP, Hynix team on flash memory replacement

Hewlett-Packard is sitting on a new kind of technology that may one day replace flash memory, but has yet to mass produce it. That appears about to change.

HP has chosen Hynix to manufacture the once-theoretical circuit technology known as a memristor, the companies plan to announce Tuesday.

Together HP and Seoul-based Hynix will develop the memristor and sell it commercially as a new memory technology called ReRAM, or resistive random access memory. The first products will be available in anywhere from three to five years, according to R. Stanley Williams, the director of HP Labs' Information and Quantum Systems … Read more

Activity Monitor in 10.6 showing incorrect total system RAM

After installing Mac OS X Snow Leopard, some people may notice that Activity Monitor reports a smaller amount of RAM than what is installed in the system. For instance, my MacBook Pro has 4GB of RAM installed, but Activity Monitor reports that it has 3.75GB in Snow Leopard whereas in Leopard it reported the full 4GB.

According to Apple, this difference is because on these systems the GPU is using shared system RAM as video memory, resulting in a decreased amount being available for the rest of the system. The integrated GeForce 9400M on my system uses up to … Read more

Making sense of inactive RAM

A few users have noticed that over time the amount of free RAM on their systems seems to go down, even if the active RAM size has not changed much. When looking at the System Memory pie chart in Activity Monitor, it's apparent that the "Inactive" memory segment seems to be growing. The question is whether or not this will affect performance, and what can be done about it?… Read more

System tweaker

There's no shortage of software designed to boost, tweak, or otherwise speed up sluggish PCs, enhance your computing security, and clean up your disks to advance both goals. Uniblue Systems' SpeedUpMyPC 2010 describes its mission in its name. It combines several tools in one interface, including a system scanner, RAM optimizer, memory cleaner, start-up manager, and CPU booster, all optimized for the latest versions of Windows.

SpeedUpMyPC's interface is typical of system-boosting utilities, simple and colorful with large, clearly labeled controls and prominent visual and text warnings of your unoptimized system's shortcomings. Scanning our system identified numerous &… Read more

NASA, Chrysler to share advanced-tech ideas

Chrysler Group and NASA today announced an alliance to share information related to advanced technologies.

Several topics being considered for the three-year collaboration include: materials engineering, robotics, radar, battery systems, and other energy storage mediums.

"This is a great opportunity to share knowledge and data in areas where both Chrysler Group and NASA have a vested interest," Senior Vice President, Chrysler Engineering Scott Kunselman said in a news release. "We value the opportunity to work with NASA and will implement what is learned to further improve our Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck products."

This isn'… Read more

Ram becomes the first truck to offer live TV

The Ram 1500, the Ram 2500, and the Ram 3500 now offer live, mobile TV to consumers in Texas through San Diego-based FLO TV, the Chrysler Group announced at the Dallas Auto Show.

Chrysler Group is the first automaker in the United States to offer live, mobile TV to consumers. FLO TV will offer sports, breaking news, children's shows, prime-time sitcoms, reality TV, and daytime dramas.

Television signals are delivered through a dedicated multicast network, and the service is expected to run $629, plus installation. A one-year prepaid subscription is included with installation. The service is available in more … Read more

MacBook Pro running low on RAM? Change energy settings

If you have one of the newer 15-inch or 17-inch "Unibody" MacBook Pro systems, you may run into problems where the system seems to run out of available RAM more than expected, especially when running programs that can reserve large amounts of memory. These include graphically intensive applications such as Adobe Creative Suite, and applications that use a lot of RAM such as virtualization solutions.… Read more