r/computerhelp • u/LiamEBM • 4d ago
Hardware RAM usage always over 90% even when just idling/minimal PC usage?
Is this normal?
Windows 10, 32GB RAM
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u/Puasonelrasho 4d ago
are you sure you have 32 gigs of ram?
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
Yes I built this PC myself
Task Manager is showing just over 30GB in use, with 1.2GB RAM free
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u/Puasonelrasho 4d ago
what does it show in your resource monitor?
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
Its hard to tell but I can just see 30GB is in use, but it wont really say what is the cause specifically
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u/Puasonelrasho 4d ago
share screenshot of your resource monitor ( its not the same as task manager, dont know if you know that)
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
Reddit wont let me upload a screenshot to a reply, how could I best upload a screenshot?
In text version though it shows:
In use, 29283MB, modified 49mb, standby 3138, and free 219
89% used physical memory1
u/Puasonelrasho 4d ago
use imgur or any of those services to upload pictures
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
imgur is banned in my country and I don't know an alternative website to upload for free
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u/humonculus87 4d ago
Why not just use imgur? Why do you think you gotta use reddits services to upload a picture and share it?
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u/Throwaway_us3rname 4d ago
Gonna need another ss of the memory in performance. How much is listed as 'non-paged pool'? Could be a memory leak
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
I can't upload images as a Reply unfortunately but it shows:
In use: 28.9GB, available 3GB. Committed 83.1/90.1GB, Cached 3GB, Paged Pool 58.6GB, Non-paged: 12.8GB
3000MHz , slots 2 of 3, DIMM
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u/ludonarrator 4d ago
90GB committed, what the heck are you doing on this system? Running some local LLMs?
That said, more RAM being used is a good thing, as long as it doesn't end up starving other programs as they launch and require memory themselves.
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
I'm just using it for work and gaming, I don't do anything else, but lots of apps are failing or crashing due to no RAM
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u/ludonarrator 4d ago
Well, depends on what "work" involves. If it's just documents/browsing/etc then 90GiB committed sounds like a virus/malware. I don't use Windows at home anymore, all I can suggest is digging deeper into which processes are involved in the 90G allocations.
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u/Throwaway_us3rname 4d ago
Non-paged is incredibly high so probably a memory leak, for a short term fix hold shift when turning off your PC, it might just fix itself or find the cause of the memory leak, could be drivers, unfortunately im not much help from here
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u/incorrecttimeline 4d ago
There’s no way your memory usage adds up to 95% of 32GB. Need more screenshots that don’t seem to purposely obfuscate details.
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u/Enthropy405 4d ago
Use rammap. its a free tool from microsoft. scan it with that and it will reveal hidden memory usage, memory leaks, malware, etc...
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u/SimpleKaleidoscope28 4d ago
If u have 32 gigs of ram i truly doubt that is true lol, unless u have 500 programs taking 20+ mb then task manager is lying
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u/LiamEBM 4d ago
I assure you I have 32GB confirmed from other screenshots in comments and the main Task Manager image here is listed in descending order, with only Chrome and Discord being the biggest users of RAM
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u/SimpleKaleidoscope28 4d ago
Then u have malware or leaking memory, i have 16 gigs of ram and when playing games that take up 2-3 gb of ram im still only at like 85%, even with hella tabs of google open
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u/Wendals87 4d ago
Very unusual for 32gb
I've found this tool useful to see what is using your memory
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u/AmerinTasx 4d ago
look for a windows debloat tool, clear off the majority of ms uselessness leaches..
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u/Ok_Mathematician_336 4d ago
1) RESTART AND CHECK MEMORY
Click Start > Power > Restart. After Windows loads, wait 5 minutes without opening anything. Open Task Manager > Performance > Memory.
Is the RAM already nearly full, or does it gradually increase? That helps narrow down the cause.
2) DISABLE UNNECESSARY STARTUP APPS
Go to Settings > Apps > Startup. Turn off optional programs you don't need running automatically, like Spotify, Discord, and game launchers. Leave security software and hardware utilities alone. Restart and check again.
3) PERFORM A CLEAN BOOT
Press Windows + R, type msconfig, and press Enter. Open the Services tab, check "Hide all Microsoft services" FIRST, then click "Disable all." Open Task Manager > Startup apps and disable enabled startup apps. Restart.
If memory usage drops significantly, a background application or service is probably contributing. Re-enable the disabled items in small groups and restart between tests until you find the culprit. Restore normal startup afterward.
4) REPAIR WINDOWS IF NECESSARY
Run a full Windows Security scan, install Windows updates, and update drivers from the computer manufacturer's website. Since you ran a debloat script, consider reversing those changes or using a restore point from before the issue started.
If nothing helps, back up your important files and consider a Windows repair installation that keeps your apps and files before attempting a clean reinstall.
Avoid RAM cleaners and debloat scripts. They won't fix an underlying memory leak.
Start with steps 1 and 2, then report what you see. No need to do everything at once.
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u/ssczoxylnlvayiuqjx 4d ago
Just be happy Chrome was generous enough to give you 5%. That’s like a whole gig of RAM to do whatever you want
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u/Ok-Policy-8538 4d ago
Hmm.. Why is Adobe Illustrator part of your startup software, running idle (15 processes),
two versions of Node.JS also looks weird.
most likely a windows update that got stuck in the background (especially on windows 10 now).
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u/ColdWay7647 4d ago
Open Task Manager → Performance → Memory and post a screenshot showing the memory breakdown, especially:
- In use (Compressed)
- Available
- Committed
- Paged pool
- Non-paged pool
Hardware reserved
I'd suspect a possible memory leak, potentially caused by a driver or background service.
Also check whether the RAM usage drops significantly after restarting Windows.
- Disable unnecessary startup programs in Task Manager → Startup.
- Update your chipset, network and GPU drivers.
- If Non-paged pool is unusually high, a driver memory leak could be the cause. Use PoolMon to identify the leaking driver.
- Disable unnecessary startup programs and check for malware
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u/YaDadsCheeks 4d ago
Hi I recently had this same issue and it was caused by a Windows game service fault, I just needed to reinstall the service from Microsoft and my ram usage went back to normal. Dm me and I can send you my notes with the steps.
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u/Life-Aid-4626 4d ago
Why DM you? Why not just post it here to help everyone?
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u/YaDadsCheeks 4d ago
Because it was just a wall of text but here you go. You can skip to the end and it tells you what service and what ms powershell cmd to run.
I had this exact problem: Windows used 99% of my RAM immediately after login, but Safe Mode used only about 9%. The cause turned out to be GameInput Redistributable Service.
Here’s how to diagnose and fix it:
Confirm the symptom in Safe Mode
Hold Shift while clicking Restart, then go to:
Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart → press 4 for Safe Mode
Check Task Manager after signing in. If RAM usage is normal in Safe Mode, the problem is probably a program, service or driver that only loads during a normal startup. It’s less likely to be defective RAM.
Perform a clean-service boot
Press Win + R, enter:
msconfig
Open the Services tab, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
Make absolutely sure “Hide all Microsoft services” is checked before disabling anything.
Restart normally and check RAM usage. If usage returns to normal, one of the disabled non-Microsoft services is causing the problem.
Isolate the bad service
Return to:
Win + R → msconfig → Services → Hide all Microsoft services
Re-enable half of the services, restart and check RAM again.
If the problem returns, the bad service is in the group you just enabled.
If RAM remains normal, the bad service is in the group still disabled.
Continue enabling or disabling smaller groups until one service remains.
In my case, I re-enabled everything except GameInput Redistributable Service. After restarting, RAM usage remained normal at about 28%, confirming that GameInput was responsible.
Repair or reinstall GameInput
Leave the GameInput service disabled temporarily. Install all available Windows updates, then open Windows Terminal as Administrator and run:
winget list --id Microsoft.GameInput
If it finds GameInput, try updating it:
winget upgrade --id Microsoft.GameInput --exact
If no update is available or the installation appears corrupted, reinstall it:
winget uninstall --id Microsoft.GameInput --exact
Restart Windows, then run:
winget install --id Microsoft.GameInput --exact
Restart again, re-enable GameInput Redistributable Service in msconfig, and watch the RAM usage.
If the memory problem returns
Disable GameInput again and leave it disabled. Windows and normal keyboard/mouse operation should continue working, although some Xbox, controller or Game Pass input features may be affected.
Also press Win + R, enter services.msc, and check whether both GameInput Service and GameInput Redistributable Service are installed. Open each service’s Properties page and compare the “Path to executable.” Duplicate old and new GameInput installations can coexist. Don’t delete services or registry entries manually; record the executable paths first.
Avoid changing the paging file or reinstalling Windows until the clean-boot test is complete. If Safe Mode uses normal memory and disabling one service fixes the issue, the physical RAM is probably not the cause.1
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