Windows 7 Explorer RAM Usage
I upgraded from windows XP X64 to Windows 7 Ultimate (64-Bit) a few weeks ago. I’ve been using Windows XP X64 on my last 2 machines, which has been for the past 6 or so years. For those unfamiliar, Explorer.exe is a process used for the start menu, browsing folders, and some other windows functions. With windows XP this process used between 20-60MB of ram about 95% of the time. I would say this is true with almost all Windows XP machines, both 32 and 64-bit.
Today I noticed that Windows Explorer in Windows 7 uses around 200-300MB of ram when idle, and as I’m writing this is currently using 1300-1700MB of RAM for reasons unknown to me. I’m not sure why this is, but on top of the fact that it’s using a ton of RAM, it’s roughtly10% less responsive than Windows XP.
To sum it all up…If you upgrade to Windows 7 from Windows XP X64, in my opinion you’re not getting a better or faster operating system. The primary benefit that you’re getting is an operating system that’s supported by Microsoft, as well as all other main stream developers and will be for years to come. For example, installing iTunes on Windows 7 doesn’t take hours on end like it does with Windows XP X64, which is nice…I’m sure I’ll have some more posts complaining about Windows 7 shortly…