Here's why Chrome is SLOW (It's NOT your RAM)

The video opens by questioning Chrome’s current performance, recalling its past reputation for speed and light resource use. It frames the investigation around whether Chrome’s slowdown is real or simply a consequence of heavier modern browsing habits, like many tabs and extensions. The host explains that measuring browser performance is complex because Chromium-based browsers handle a wide range of tasks from lightweight web pages to full-fat apps, and because RAM usage alone isn’t a definitive metric. Early in the lab-style segment, the presenters outline their testing setup and clarify that they will test idle RAM, memory under common web loads, and the impact of popular extensions. They emphasize that memory behavior and perceived responsiveness can diverge depending on what the OS and other applications need, which sets the stage for a nuanced look at Chrome’s performance. The host also teases actionable steps viewers can take, including pruning extensions and adjusting Chrome’s memory settings, while noting that results may vary by user and workflow. By the close of the opening discussions, the video positions itself as a practical guide rather than a blanket indictment of Chrome, promising clear takeaways about extensions, caching, and how to tune your browser for better real-world performance. The second major segment dives into the specifics of RAM usage with and without extensions. The hosts perform measurements on idle RAM, showing around 1.1 GB idle usage, rising to about 1.25 GB when streaming 4K video, and arguing that higher RAM consumption is not inherently bad if the OS can reclaim memory when needed. They then test several extensions, finding that some like LastPass and Grammarly can substantially increase RAM usage, while others like a well-tuned ad blocker can actually reduce overall RAM consumption. A standout finding is that certain popular extensions can push RAM usage up by nearly 50% when used together, and with dozens of tabs open, the incremental memory cost becomes noticeable. The discussion highlights how real-world browsing with many extensions and tabs can alter the perceived speed, even if the baseline RAM footprint seems manageable on modern systems. The segment concludes with practical advice to audit extensions using Chrome’s built-in Task Manager and to prune those that are rarely used, emphasizing that removing unnecessary extensions can yield tangible performance benefits even if you have ample RAM. In the final analysis, the video aggregates benchmark results to reveal that enabling a full extension loadout tends to shave about a quarter of Chrome’s performance in synthetic tests, though real-world impact may feel different depending on user behavior. The presenters discuss the mixed signals across tests, noting that some benchmarks show minimal changes while others show measurable slowdowns, particularly in rendering and autofill-related tasks. They offer concrete tips: periodically review and disable inactive extensions, turn off memory-saving features if you have plenty of RAM, and consider privacy-focused settings or ad-blocking strategies to optimize performance. The video also explores the upcoming Manifest V3 changes and how they may affect extension performance, especially for ad blockers, and ends with a reminder that results will vary by browser configuration and user habits. In sum, viewers are given a balanced, evidence-based toolkit: prune extensions, tune settings, and test performance for their own workflow to decide what actually improves day-to-day speed and responsiveness.”,

Topics · technology · software · web-browsers · computer-performance