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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday June 15 2017, @10:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the will-the-bloat-be-taken-out dept.

Firefox has improved its multi-process architecture in order to isolate more content while keeping memory use low:

Firefox 54 launched with a more advanced multi-process architecture than the one we saw implemented in Firefox 48 last year. The improved architecture raises the number of processes enabled by default from two to five, which Mozilla argues is a "just right" compromise between low memory usage on one side and performance and security on the other.

[...] Switching to a simpler extension model allows Firefox to enable multiple processes and also isolate them in sandboxes. Mozilla previously enabled only two processes, one for the UI and one for content, last year, in Firefox 48. This ensured that the browser wouldn't hang as much due to web pages affecting the performance of the browser interface. It also brought partial sandboxing by keeping the content isolated from the browser (as much as possible).

Mozilla is now taking it to the next level by implementing one process for the browser interface and four for content. Why four? The organization believes that this is the "just right" amount of processes to have for the majority of users, and also in terms of optimizing memory usage.

[...] Mozilla ran its own memory usage benchmarks, which showed significant memory usage reduction compared to Chrome:

  • Windows 10 — Chrome used 1.77X memory as Firefox (64-bit), and 2.44X as Firefox (32-bit)
  • macOS — Chrome used 1.36X memory as Firefox (64-bit)
  • Linux — Chrome used 1.42X memory as Firefox (64-bit)

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday June 15 2017, @09:01PM (6 children)

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Thursday June 15 2017, @09:01PM (#526203) Journal

    Laptop memory is about $40 for 8 GB. This is higher than it was years ago, probably due to Elpida going bankrupt and supply reduction in response to anemic PC demand. Prices are similar for DDR3 and DDR4.

    https://slickdeals.net/f/10210704 [slickdeals.net]
    https://slickdeals.net/f/10231860 [slickdeals.net]
    https://slickdeals.net/f/10235200 [slickdeals.net]

    When you buy a laptop, the extended specs should tell you how many DRAM slots there are and how many are occupied. One 8 GB stick and one empty slot is common, which would be an easy upgrade to 16 GB. Timings and clocks don't usually have to match although that could spell trouble.

    In 2017, it's rare to see a laptop with a maximum of 8 GB memory supported. 16-32 GB is more common. One exception would be the dirt cheap Celerons used in cheap Chromebooks, such as the Celeron N3050 [intel.com] which only supports 8 GB. But those Chromebooks will only have 2-4 GB of RAM that is not user replaceable anyway.

    If ECC support is desired, you should probably wait for mobile Ryzen, although I don't know if it will actually support ECC. This [staticworld.net] is what AMD is promising for mobile Ryzen vs. 7th gen APUs (Carrizo).

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  • (Score: 2) by Pino P on Thursday June 15 2017, @10:28PM (5 children)

    by Pino P (4721) on Thursday June 15 2017, @10:28PM (#526237) Journal

    When you buy a laptop, the extended specs should tell you how many DRAM slots there are and how many are occupied.

    I couldn't find anything about slots in the specs for the Inspiron 11 3000 [dell.com]. All that page says for memory is "2GB, DDR3L, 1600MHz". Does that mean it has only the soldered-in RAM and zero slots?

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday June 15 2017, @11:38PM (4 children)

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Thursday June 15 2017, @11:38PM (#526250) Journal

      There should be a configuration [laptopmag.com] with 4 GB of RAM but oddly there is no 4 GB option on the page you linked.

      The product looks a lot like a Chromebook. The Celeron N3060, 32 GB of eMMC memory, 2 GB DDR3L, 11.6-inch 1366×768 screen, and 720p webcam are specs that can be found in the low-end Chromebooks. Which don't have user upgradeable memory.

      Celeron N3060 [intel.com] supports 8 GB max.

      My Googling did not find much because most configurations in the 3000 series have a more specific model number like Dell Inspiron 11 3147.

      So I decided to use the Dell chat. The rep says that you can add RAM to it manually. Here's the transcript, you can choose to believe him or not:

      06/15/2017 06:09:52PM Agent (Mohammad HUSSAIN FAH): "Hi Tak"
      06/15/2017 06:09:54PM Agent (Mohammad HUSSAIN FAH): "How may I help you with the
      purchase today?"
      06/15/2017 06:10:12PM Tak: "I'd like to know something about this laptop:
      http://deals.dell.com/productdetail/dig [dell.com]"
      06/15/2017 06:10:22PM Tak: "Specifically, Can the user manually replace the RAM in
      the Inspiron 11 3000 2-in-1?"
      06/15/2017 06:10:29PM Agent (Mohammad HUSSAIN FAH): "Glad you chatted in today, I'd
      be happy to help you"
      06/15/2017 06:10:30PM Tak: "Or is it soldered in?"
      06/15/2017 06:10:34PM Agent (Mohammad HUSSAIN FAH): "Let me check for that please"
      06/15/2017 06:10:43PM Tak: "Thanks."
      06/15/2017 06:13:01PM Agent (Mohammad HUSSAIN FAH): "Yes Tak, you can upgrade the
      RAM upto 4 GB"
      06/15/2017 06:13:36PM Tak: "Can the user open the bottom of the laptop and put in
      extra RAM, or do they have to order it from Dell with 4 GB?"
      06/15/2017 06:15:55PM Agent (Mohammad HUSSAIN FAH): "Yes you can do that, but it is
      always recommended to contact Technical support team for any customizations"
      06/15/2017 06:16:28PM Tak: "Thank you, Mohammad. That's all I needed to know. Have a
      nice day."

      I went back to the list of user manuals [dell.com]. The specs seem similar to the Inspiron 11 3157 [dell.com]. It lists only on SODIMM slot and it says only 2 or 4 GB is supported.

      That may be close. I found the Dell page [dell.com] for that model. It says "Sorry, that system is no longer available." But the header is the same generic "Inspiron 11 3000 Series 2-in-1" like the page you linked me.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 16 2017, @01:56AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 16 2017, @01:56AM (#526294)

        Try it again. My experience with online chat help (not with dell) is they will give conflicting info.

        • (Score: 2) by TheLink on Friday June 16 2017, @04:36PM (2 children)

          by TheLink (332) on Friday June 16 2017, @04:36PM (#526502) Journal

          Nowadays I use youtube to figure out stuff like that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kbHZjWZlj4 [youtube.com]

          I won't rely on standard "support" since too many of them don't know what they are talking about. Some may lie or post unrelated/useless answers to have their stats look nice.

          I might trust enterprise level support more, might have no choice if it's for stuff I can't find youtube videos for.

          The other advantage of the youtube video is you can see how difficult it is and decide to buy a new device instead... :)

          • (Score: 1) by toddestan on Saturday June 17 2017, @07:15PM (1 child)

            by toddestan (4982) on Saturday June 17 2017, @07:15PM (#527111)

            I wouldn't totally trust Youtube either. Not the fault of the guys who post the videos on there, but Dell is (or at least was) pretty notorious for changing the internals of systems without any notice or change in model number. So while you might find some guy posting pictures of the internals, you could open up your computer with the same model number and specs and find a totally different board, with different chipsets, numbers of slots, etc.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 18 2017, @02:57PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 18 2017, @02:57PM (#527476)
              That's why the Youtube method is better than relying on the claims of some outsourced support person- if you pay attention you'd notice the stuff is different. So if you're paranoid may wish to open up the stuff to compare before buying the upgrade. Whereas you're unlikely to get that level of help or info from typical support.