#chrome helpers

I’m an online instructor for colleges.  My primary school switched to a system that must use Chrome to run properly.  SO.....I dutifully switched two years ago. 

Fast forward to recently.....I had been thinking for awhile that my poor Macbook Pro (2011 model) was on its last legs.  It kept getting slower and the fan kept running more and more often.  If you don’t use a Mac, believe me, that’s ODD on a Mac.  So, I made a clone of my hard drive, and called for an appointment with the repair folks to see if I could get more RAM or if I would have to fork out another $2K for a new Macbook.  

I get to the repair appointment and the FIRST question the man asks is this, “Do you use Chrome nearly all the time?”  Um.......yes, work requirement.   

Come to find out, Chrome helpers are RAM HOGS!!!  I agreed to an experiment before we altered my system.  I would go home and use Safari for anything not work related and see if the RAM and fan issues occurred and keep a journal.  THEN, as I tried to work on Chrome as required, I’d keep a journal of that also.  As the machine slowed and RAM seemed at a premium, I would look at Utilities-->Activity Monitor to see what was using this RAM.  In EVERY SINGLE CASE, when I had a slowdown, I was on Chrome and those blasted “Chrome helpers” were eating my RAM like a kid in a candy jar.

Since I”ve switched back to Safari, my fan has not come on at all, and it only slowed down once......when I was on Pinterest with a LOT of tabs open (deliberately).  My notes show that I had 12 tabs open BEFORE it slowed down.

SO.....before you run out and grab new RAM......or worse, fork over the two grand for a new Macbook......GET OFF CHROME and go back to Safari.  It might just solve your issues like it did for me.