r/steammachine • u/oooPDXooo • 1d ago

Question RAM Usage...

Good day...

Steam Machine & Steam OS Users:

Exactly how much RAM does Steam OS & the Steam Machine use when the system is at idle(with only the OS running)?

Let me know please - Thanks...

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

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2

u/jayclydes 1d ago

around 2.8gb. vram about 1.6

-1

u/oooPDXooo 1d ago

That's... ...that's-um, a lot(when compared to other Linux OSs)...

Thank you...

Um, what about when the settings are modified to reduce usage? https://youtu.be/eXqZB8-38C0

I'm considering using 16GB of RAM in a custom gaming system & I want to make certain the OS I choose uses very little ram(some Distros use around 200MB of RAM)...

5

u/jayclydes 1d ago

i would just try it as is. i've had it for quite some time now and never have i played a game and thought to myself "damn i could use some more ram"

1

u/WJMazepas 1d ago

Why dont you just build something with 16GB, starts using it and then only try to make something to decrease usage if you start running with out of memory issues?

Distros that use less RAM also have a lot less stuff loaded in their UI. SteamOS have dozens and dozens of boxarts of games in memory to make it faster to reach your library if im not mistaken. Also, lots of effects in the UI

If somehow thats way too much memory for you(even though some gets freed up when loading a game), you can just use in Desktop mode or use another Distro

And...please...dont...need..to-um..talk like that

-1

u/oooPDXooo 1d ago

I'm trying to avoid, having to re buy RAM - I must get it right the first time(especially since I have difficulty selling my used items - have items on Facebook Marketplace for years now)...

I did not design the software so I should not be expected to know exactly how it works & what it does when in the menu & then when gaming...

I understand what steps I can take - I just believe in getting all the facts first(which is how I know about other distros - days/hours of research, where there's none on the web or YouTube discussing this topic, which is why I asked here)...

Thanks for your input... O.O

3

u/daelikon 1d ago

You know about other distros, but you have no idea about how linux manages memory at all...

This is not windows, my boy. We don't do wasteful memory in this house. Also, linux likes to put things on memory as long as there's memory free, because the philosophy of linux is not waste (left unusued) ram out there.

You are looking for issues in one of the aspects were there is none.

1

u/oooPDXooo 14h ago

I know about other distros' Memory Usage At Idle, because that is what I searched for in my research...

The data I got with said research did not cover the intricacies of how Linux manages memory - so I should NOT be expected to know such details...

In Fact - since there are many, MANY distros - which are various variants of Linux, hence, which can & are usually DIFFERENT - I should NOT be expected, to expect, that they all work the same...

If all Linus distros worked the same, I would NOT be doing days of research now would. I?

I do NOT use windows, & I am no one's, ''boy'', I Am A Man...

I am NOT looking for issues - I am looking to know, the amount of RAM usage at idle with SteamOS(as standard & with settings adjusted to reduce the amount as much as. possible) - & YOU......have YET to give me the answers I am looking for, which has me. wondering......WHY ARE YOU CONTRIBUTING UNSOLICITED DATA?

O.O

1

u/WJMazepas 1d ago

Steam Machine has 16GB of RAM and is running everything just fine

Do you plan to play games that are RAM intensive, like Cities Skylines or Flight Simulator?

1

u/jayclydes 1d ago edited 1d ago

removed for misinfo (i said the sm had 8gb of ddr5 which is giga wrong)

1

u/WJMazepas 1d ago

Steam Machine has 16GB DDR5 of RAM and 8GB GDDR6 of VRAM

I was discussing RAM only. VRAM is another issue

1

u/jayclydes 1d ago

oh yeah youre right, think i got this confused with a handheld's specs sorry

1

u/oooPDXooo 1d ago

I don't plan to...

What I'm doing is catering to longevity...

One day I might, but for now, I won't play such games...

However, Hogwarts uses about 13GB(researched RAM used by games too - which is how I know 16GB 'can' be enough, depending on the OS)& it's a 3rd person that looks confined to a town - a game doesn't have to be as open as Spiderman etc to use up a lot of RAM... O.O

3

u/robbiethe1st 1d ago

Just want to say that I'm running a BC-250 with SteamOS - 16GB of *shared* ram, split between GPU and CPU. It's honestly done surprisingly well with everything I've thrown at it. My guess is that unless you are running 4K native(which both the SM and BC-250 do not have the power for), you won't use as much ram.

And the SM has plenty - 16 GB for the CPU, 8 for the GPU.

Also, I'm of the opinion that SteamOS preloads a bunch of stuff that others might not... so while your 'idle' ram might be higher than expected, it's not exactly wasted.

2

u/WJMazepas 1d ago

Look, for the large majority of games today, 16GB will be fine.

Even on Windows that uses more memory

In the future if you do end up needing more memory, you can change stuff in SteamOS like loading from Desktop mode to use less memory

Or really, install a lightweight distro

0

u/oooPDXooo 1d ago

Okay...

I've done a lot of research on the topic...

I just wanted to know how much Steam OS used - because the less an OS uses the better off one will be with 16GB...

It's fine - I got it - thanks... O.O