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Windows 11 26H2 Update Lowers RAM Consumption
TechPowerUp • • general
Key Points:
- The Windows 11 26H2 update reportedly lowers RAM consumption at idle, which is seen as beneficial especially for laptop users.
- Users report varying idle RAM usage figures, ranging from about 2.5GB to 10GB or more, with some attributing higher usage to OEM bloatware, background apps like Edge and OneDrive, and enterprise configurations.
- There is debate about what constitutes "idle" RAM usage, with some users emphasizing the difference between active memory use and cached memory, noting that cached RAM is not the same as actively used RAM.
- Several commenters highlight that modern operating systems, including Windows and Linux, use available RAM aggressively for caching to improve performance, and that unused RAM is effectively wasted.
- Some users express skepticism about the reported reductions in RAM usage, citing that their work or enterprise machines show little change and maintain high idle RAM consumption even after the update.
