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

Linus Tech Tips
14 May 202410:24

Summary

TLDRThe video script discusses the evolution of Google Chrome from a fast, lightweight browser to a resource-heavy application. It explores the impact of extensions on browser performance, noting that while some extensions like LastPass and Grammarly can significantly reduce performance, others like uBlock Origin can actually improve it. The script also provides tips for managing browser resources, such as using the Chrome Task Manager to monitor extension activity and disabling unnecessary extensions. It highlights the importance of good browsing habits, like managing open tabs and turning off memory-saving features when sufficient RAM is available. The video concludes with a look at Google's Manifest V3 and its potential impact on the capabilities of Chrome extensions, suggesting that users might consider trying alternatives like Firefox if they find Chrome's performance unsatisfactory.

Takeaways

  • 🌐 **Chrome's Evolution**: Google Chrome was once praised for its speed and lightweight design, but it has become a more resource-intensive browser over time.
  • 📚 **Tab Management**: The way Chrome handles open tabs has changed, with dynamic caching used for inactive tabs, which can still contribute to high RAM usage.
  • 🧩 **Extensions Impact**: Not all extensions affect browser performance equally; some like LastPass can reduce performance by up to 12%, while others have little to no impact.
  • 🔍 **Ad Blockers**: Ad blockers need to interact with the rendering pipeline, which can reduce browser rendering performance, although this slowdown may be masked by other speed benefits.
  • 📈 **Benchmarking**: Different benchmarks reveal varying effects of extensions on browser performance, indicating that the impact is not uniform across all types of use.
  • 🚀 **Performance Loss**: With multiple extensions running, there can be a significant performance hit, with up to a 25% decrease in the Chrome browser's speed observed.
  • 🛠 **Task Manager**: Users can manage their extensions using Chrome's Task Manager (accessible via Shift + Escape) to identify and disable resource-hogging extensions.
  • 🔧 **Optimization Tips**: Disabling unused extensions, managing tabs effectively, and turning off memory-saving features in Chrome can help improve performance.
  • 🔒 **Privacy Concerns**: There is a mention of privacy, suggesting that users might want to disable tracking in their browser settings for a more secure browsing experience.
  • 🚫 **Manifest V3**: Google's update to Manifest V3 will change the capabilities of Chrome extensions, potentially affecting the effectiveness of ad blockers and privacy extensions.
  • 🌟 **Alternatives Mentioned**: The video briefly mentions Firefox as an alternative browser and suggests that its performance with and without extensions could be a topic for future testing.

Q & A

  • Why was Google Chrome considered a revolution when it was first released?

    -Google Chrome was considered a revolution due to its lightweight and fast performance, as well as its innovative features such as tab sandboxing, which prevented a single frozen tab from crashing the entire browser.

  • What has contributed to Chrome becoming a 'bloated, RAM devouring Behemoth'?

    -Factors contributing to Chrome's increased RAM usage include the accumulation of many open tabs, the installation of numerous extensions, and the dynamic caching of unused tabs.

  • How do extensions impact the performance of Google Chrome?

    -Extensions can vary in their impact on browser performance. Some extensions have no significant effect, while others, like LastPass, can reduce performance by as much as 12%. The cumulative effect of multiple resource-intensive add-ons can lead to a noticeable slowdown.

  • What is the significance of the 'manifest V3' update by Google?

    -The 'manifest V3' update is set to significantly change the capabilities of Chromium extensions, which will also affect Microsoft Edge. It is expected to hinder the effectiveness of ad blockers and privacy-enhancing extensions.

  • What is the general impact of having many tabs open on Chrome's memory usage?

    -Having many tabs open can lead to a substantial increase in memory usage. For instance, with 48 tabs open, there could be an additional 2 GB of RAM usage for a similar user experience.

  • How can users manage their extensions to improve Chrome's performance?

    -Users can improve Chrome's performance by disabling or removing unnecessary extensions, managing their tab usage, and adjusting Chrome's settings to optimize memory usage.

  • What is the role of dynamic caching in Chrome's memory management?

    -Dynamic caching in Chrome is a mechanism that allows the browser to deal with having many tabs open by caching the content of tabs that are not actively in use, thus reducing the overall memory footprint.

  • What is the impact of ad blockers on Chrome's rendering performance?

    -Ad blockers can interact with the rendering pipeline to hide ads, which may result in a reduction of browser rendering performance. However, this slowdown may be masked by other speed benefits in real-world usage.

  • How does the number of browser extensions affect the overall performance of Chrome?

    -With multiple extensions running concurrently and everything enabled, the performance of the Chrome web browser can decrease by about a quarter, which is noticeable in day-to-day use.

  • What is the role of preloading pages in Chrome's performance?

    -Preloading pages can speed up browsing as it reduces the time spent on reloading pages. However, for users of ad blockers or privacy extensions, preloading may not be beneficial as it could lead to unwanted content being loaded.

  • What is the recommended approach for users who wish to optimize Chrome's performance?

    -Users should regularly review and disable or remove extensions that are not frequently used or necessary. They can also manage their tab usage effectively and adjust Chrome settings to improve performance.

  • How does the ODU software mentioned in the script help business owners?

    -ODU offers all-in-one business management software that consolidates various business apps into a single unified platform. This includes CRM, sales, time sheets, and accounting apps, which can streamline operations and save time and resources for business owners.

Outlines

00:00

🀔 The Evolution and Performance of Google Chrome

The first paragraph discusses the transformation of Google Chrome from a fast, lightweight browser to a resource-heavy application. It attributes the change to user habits, such as leaving multiple tabs open, and the installation of various extensions which can impact performance. The paragraph also introduces the topic of extension impact on browser performance, mentioning that not all extensions are created equal and some can significantly reduce performance. It sets the stage for an exploration of how to address these performance issues and touches on Google's potential solutions, hinting at possible downsides.

05:00

🛠 Browser Performance Testing and Extension Impact

The second paragraph delves into the complexities of measuring browser performance due to the vast range of tasks modern browsers perform. It uses the Steam Hardware Survey to establish a baseline for testing and examines memory usage with and without various extensions. The text outlines the significant increase in RAM usage with multiple tabs and extensions, highlighting the impact of specific extensions like LastPass and uBlock Origin. It also discusses the results of different benchmarks, revealing a mixed impact of extensions on rendering performance and user experience. The paragraph concludes with suggestions for managing extensions and browser settings to optimize performance.

10:00

🔧 Optimizing Browser Performance and Future Considerations

The third paragraph offers practical advice for users to improve their browser's performance. It suggests managing or disabling unnecessary extensions and adjusting Chrome's memory-saving features. The importance of good tab management is emphasized, and the potential benefits of disabling pre-loading for certain users are discussed. The paragraph also touches on privacy settings and the impact of Google's manifest V3 on the capabilities of Chrome extensions. It concludes with a teaser for another video on a related topic and a reminder to check out the sponsor, ODU, for business management software.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It is central to the video's theme as the script discusses the evolution of Chrome from a lightweight, fast browser to one that is perceived as bloated and resource-intensive. The video explores the reasons behind this change and offers solutions to improve its performance.

💡Tab Sandboxing

Tab sandboxing is a security feature in web browsers that isolates each open tab, preventing a crash in one tab from affecting the entire browser. In the context of the video, it is mentioned as one of the great features that made Chrome stand out initially, enhancing its stability and user experience.

💡Dynamic Caching

Dynamic caching is a technique used by browsers to store and manage data from web pages to improve load times for frequently visited sites. The video mentions Chrome's use of dynamic caching to handle multiple open tabs without significantly impacting performance, although it also suggests that this might not be enough to address current performance concerns.

💡Extensions

Extensions are add-ons that can be installed in a web browser to enhance its functionality or customize the browsing experience. The video discusses the impact of various extensions on Chrome's performance, noting that some extensions can significantly reduce browser performance, while others have little to no effect.

💡Resource Usage

Resource usage refers to the amount of system resources, such as RAM and CPU, that an application consumes while running. The video focuses on Chrome's increasing resource usage, particularly when multiple tabs and extensions are open, and how this can lead to performance degradation.

💡Benchmarks

Benchmarks are tests used to measure the performance of hardware or software. In the video, benchmarks like Speedometer, Jetstream 2, and WebXPRT 4 are used to evaluate the impact of extensions on browser performance, providing quantitative data to support the discussion on Chrome's performance issues.

💡Manifest V3

Manifest V3 is an update to the Chrome Extensions platform that changes how extensions can interact with the browser. The video briefly mentions that the rollout of Manifest V3 could limit the capabilities of certain extensions, particularly those related to ad-blocking and privacy, which could affect user experience and browser performance.

💡Memory Management

Memory management refers to the way an operating system or application allocates, uses, and frees up memory resources. The video discusses Chrome's memory management in the context of its performance issues, suggesting that users can manage their extensions and tabs to reduce memory usage and improve browser performance.

💡Ad Blockers

Ad blockers are extensions that prevent advertisements from being displayed on web pages, which can improve browsing experience by reducing distractions and potentially speeding up page load times. However, the video notes that ad blockers can also impact browser rendering performance, highlighting a trade-off between an ad-free experience and system resource usage.

💡Privacy Extensions

Privacy extensions are tools that enhance online privacy by blocking tracking scripts, encrypting data, or providing other privacy-focused features. The video touches on privacy extensions in the context of Google's Manifest V3 update, suggesting that the update might hinder their effectiveness, which could be a concern for users valuing privacy.

💡ODU Software

ODU Software is an all-in-one business management platform mentioned as a sponsor in the video. It is used as an example of how consolidating multiple applications into a single platform can streamline business operations and improve efficiency. This is presented as a solution for businesses facing similar challenges of managing numerous apps and tabs, drawing a parallel to the video's main theme of browser performance optimization.

Highlights

Google Chrome was once considered a revolution for its lightweight and fast performance.

Chrome introduced features like tab sandboxing to prevent a single frozen tab from crashing the entire browser.

The user's browsing habits, such as leaving many tabs open, contribute to Chrome's increased RAM usage.

Extensions can significantly impact browser performance, with some reducing it by as much as 12%.

Two-thirds of people use Chrome as their default browser, indicating the widespread nature of the performance issue.

The Labs team measured browser performance using a machine based on common specifications from a Steam Hardware survey.

Idle RAM usage on a clean Chrome system was measured at around 1.1 GB, increasing to 1.25 GB when streaming 4K video.

The impact of extensions on RAM usage varies, with some having no effect while others significantly increase it.

The ad-blocking extension uBlock Origin effectively reduced overall RAM usage by blocking ads and trackers.

With 10 of the most popular extensions, there was a nearly 50% increase in RAM usage with half a dozen tabs open.

As the number of open tabs increases, so does the additional RAM usage for a similar user experience.

Benchmarks showed that ad blockers can reduce browser rendering performance due to their interaction with the rendering pipeline.

Extensions like LastPass can cause significant slowdowns, especially when scanning text fields for autofill opportunities.

Disabling memory-saving features in Chrome can speed up the browser if the user has good tab management and ample RAM.

Pre-loading pages can improve speed, but may not be suitable for users of ad blockers or privacy extensions.

Google's Manifest V3 update is set to change the capabilities of Chromium extensions, potentially affecting the effectiveness of ad blockers and privacy extensions.

The video suggests that managing and disabling unnecessary extensions can lead to noticeable performance improvements in Chrome.

The video also promotes ODU's all-in-one business software as a solution for managing multiple business apps more efficiently.

Transcripts

00:00

man Google Chrome kind of sucks now

00:02

right I remember when everyone was

00:04

screaming stop using Internet Explorer

00:06

Chrome is so much faster was that all a

00:09

lie no actually Chrome was a revolution

00:13

it was lightweight fast as I'll get out

00:15

and it brought great features like tab

00:17

sandboxing so that if one of your tabs

00:19

froze your entire browser didn't have to

00:21

crash like the old days so what changed

00:24

then to turn Chrome into this bloated

00:26

Ram devouring Behemoth maybe it was

00:30

you me I mean I don't have the best

00:33

browsing habits I leave way too many

00:35

tabs open but Chrome has a way of

00:37

dealing with that using Dynamic caching

00:39

for the tabs I'm not using sure but is

00:42

Google the one who installed all those

00:43

extensions I mean I don't have that many

00:45

I just have zoto for tracking my

00:47

research language

00:49

tool tele party and an ad locker could

00:52

it be that his insatable thirst for

00:54

extra functionality is bogging down his

00:56

browser as it turns out yes I need to

00:59

make some Chang

01:00

but not every extension is made equal

01:03

while some had no effect on browser

01:05

performance others like last pass

01:08

reduced performance by as much as 12% an

01:11

effect that Stacks across your library

01:13

of resource sucking add-ons with 2third

01:17

of people using Chrome as a default

01:18

browser it's clear that we need to see

01:20

just how bad this situation is explore

01:23

what can be done to fix it and talk

01:25

about Google's solution including why it

01:28

might be a bad one so quickly now to the

01:33

lab wait this isn't the lab this is the

01:36

segue to our sponsor ODU if you own a

01:39

business you'll know what I mean when I

01:41

say you probably have too many apps

01:43

running at the same time with odu's

01:45

all-in-one business software you can

01:47

combine all of those into a single

01:49

unified platform so click the link in

01:51

the description to learn more our Labs

01:53

team has a fair bit of experience under

01:55

their belt testing video games and

01:57

productivity apps but this is one of our

01:59

first for into browser performance and

02:02

how exactly you measure browser

02:04

performance is a big question primarily

02:06

because browsers are big programs

02:09

chromium the open source framework that

02:11

Chrome is based on is 31 million lines

02:15

of code that is almost as much as the

02:17

Linux kernel the core of Linux based

02:19

operating systems and it's close to the

02:21

estimated count for older complete

02:23

operating systems like Windows XP which

02:26

Probably sounds ludicrous right until

02:28

you consider that I mean outside of

02:30

games how many programs do you run that

02:33

aren't in your browser and of those ones

02:35

how many of them are just web apps that

02:37

could run in your browser so the thing

02:39

is modern browsers need to be able to

02:41

support pretty much everything from

02:43

28-year-old geoc cities pages to

02:45

full-blown Photoshop clones so coming

02:47

back to the question of how to measure

02:49

their

02:50

performance it's challenging because

02:52

browsers do a lot of different things

02:54

but we're going to do our best starting

02:56

with a machine that is based on the most

02:58

common specifications in a recent steam

03:00

Hardware survey to look at memory use we

03:03

opened up Chrome to a set of common web

03:05

pages and on a clean system measured our

03:08

idle RAM usage at around 1.1 GB which

03:11

increased to 1.25 when we were streaming

03:13

4K video even on a system with just 8

03:16

gigs of RAM that's not a problematic

03:18

amount of usage and it's important to

03:20

note that even if it was higher that

03:22

isn't necessarily A Bad Thing programs

03:25

that need to access information quickly

03:28

will benefit from using up more R and as

03:31

long as they give it up in the event

03:32

that your Os or another program needs it

03:35

it's not really a problem but what

03:38

happens when we add extensions well as

03:40

it turns out it depends on the type our

03:42

password manager last pass and our

03:44

thirdparty spell checker grammarly both

03:47

used considerably more RAM than say

03:49

coupon code collector honey one

03:52

extension insert usual disclaimer about

03:54

the impact on creators actually reduced

03:56

our overall RAM usage and that was

03:58

ublock origin which is clearly

04:01

effectively blocking ads and trackers

04:02

from sapping our system resources though

04:05

funnily enough the more popular ad block

04:08

extension didn't have the same effect

04:10

which kind of makes us question its

04:11

Effectiveness especially when they

04:13

advertise that their extension saves

04:15

memory overall with 10 of the most

04:17

popular extensions we observed a nearly

04:19

50% increase in RAM usage with half a

04:23

dozen tabs open that's not that big of a

04:25

deal but as your tab addiction grows so

04:28

unfortunately does your Problem by the

04:30

time we reached 48 tabs we were looking

04:32

at a whole 2 GB of extra RAM usage for

04:36

what is functionally the same user

04:38

experience I mean you're not looking at

04:40

all those windows at once are you I mean

04:43

of course if you have ample system

04:44

memory you're probably not going to

04:46

notice the difference anyway will you

04:48

actually you might to gauge performance

04:51

of our browsers we ran several

04:53

benchmarks that aim to test the many

04:55

features of the web in motion Mark which

04:58

measures Graphics per performance in our

05:00

browser most of our extensions caused

05:02

virtually no change in performance

05:04

except this is kind of a funny one our

05:06

ad blockers you see ad blockers need to

05:09

interact with the rendering pipeline in

05:10

order to hide ads without turning your

05:12

web pages into a completely fragmented

05:14

mess and that appears to have resulted

05:16

in a reduction in in browser rendering

05:19

performance now in the real world this

05:21

slowdown is going to be masked by other

05:23

speed benefits but we thought it was an

05:25

interesting observation nonetheless

05:27

moving on to speedometer a benchmark

05:29

that's f focused on simulating user

05:30

experiences like working with a to-do

05:33

list editing Rich Text rendering charts

05:35

and reading news sites we found a

05:37

totally different story here it's last

05:40

pass causing a big slowdown and our best

05:42

guess is that this is due to last pass

05:44

trying to scan every text field for

05:46

potential autofill opportunities in jet

05:49

stream 2 a benchmark that's focused on

05:51

smooth

05:52

operation we found that ad block and

05:55

grammarly did a lot of damage but then

05:57

last pass was relatively benign and then

05:59

in web expert 4.0 we measured just 3%

06:03

reduced performance with all of our

06:05

extensions enabled at once so sometimes

06:07

your extensions matter sometimes they

06:09

don't and sometimes different ones will

06:11

or won't the results just don't really

06:15

seem to add up to a clear picture but

06:17

hey maybe the problem is we're looking

06:18

too closely if we zoom out and look at

06:21

the overall a clear Trend develops

06:24

especially when we configure our browser

06:26

like a regular person would and we have

06:28

multiple extensions running concurrently

06:31

with everything enabled we lose

06:32

something like a quarter of our

06:34

performance in the Chrome web browser if

06:36

you're a major Surfer 25% that's the

06:39

kind of difference that you could really

06:41

notice in day-to-day use I mean think of

06:43

all the extra LTT behind the scenes that

06:45

you could watch on lm. g/ flat plane

06:47

with all that extra time so what do we

06:49

do about this well some extensions are

06:53

always consuming some level of system

06:55

resources and you can track this

06:56

Yourself by pressing shift escape to

06:58

open the Chrome tab task manager at the

07:01

bottom of your list will be your

07:02

extensions and writing this right now

07:04

I'm noticing some of my extensions being

07:06

needlessly active page downloader single

07:09

file why is that open I'm not

07:11

downloading anything but then the PDF

07:14

editing extension that I'm using seems

07:15

to respect the fact that I don't always

07:17

need it running and it's not consuming

07:18

anything now's a perfect time then to go

07:21

through and call some of your more

07:23

inconsiderate extensions especially if

07:25

you aren't using them that much anymore

07:27

all it'll cost you is a few seconds to

07:28

click that little puzzle block and

07:30

here's a good rule of thumb if you don't

07:32

remember the last time you used it or

07:34

what it's for just get rid of it you can

07:36

always reinstall it later if you have

07:39

lots of RAM and good tab management

07:41

turning off the memory saving feature in

07:43

Chrome will speed things up as well as

07:45

Chrome will spend less time reloading

07:47

Pages preloading Pages can also speed

07:50

things up but if you're someone who uses

07:51

an ad blocker or a privacy extension

07:54

pre-loading isn't really an option

07:56

speaking of privacy this is unrelated to

07:58

your extensions but what you're in the

07:59

menu why not stop by the add privacy

08:01

section and turn all of that tracking

08:03

off we can't really give you an after

08:05

result for the impact of all the changes

08:07

you just made I mean your mileage may

08:08

vary depending on what you removed or

08:10

didn't and your overall web browsing

08:12

habits but from what we've seen

08:14

anecdotally it is very possible that

08:16

you'll notice a

08:17

difference just not in startup times

08:20

this was a really interesting part of

08:21

our test that we're tacking on the end

08:23

here we found that with a reasonable

08:25

extension load out the application takes

08:27

about the same amount of time to Launch

08:29

regardless of what you do or don't have

08:31

active then again I guess who cares

08:34

anyway because when's the last time you

08:35

closed Chrome I see that update button

08:38

the last thing that you can do is to

08:40

uninstall chrome and I'm only kind of

08:43

joking right now the roll out of

08:45

Google's manifest V3 is set to

08:47

dramatically change the capabilities of

08:49

chromium extensions which by the way

08:52

also affect Microsoft Edge now

08:54

especially hindering the effectiveness

08:55

of ad blockers and privacy enhancing

08:58

extensions we have haven't tested

09:00

firefox's performance with you know

09:02

extensions or without cuz realistically

09:04

most of you aren't using it but hey

09:07

maybe next time we do an update on this

09:08

the situation will have changed because

09:10

you'll have listened to Our advice why

09:12

not give it a try and while you're at it

09:15

why not try out our sponsor Odo if

09:17

you're running a business keeping track

09:19

of a hundred different apps all running

09:20

at once can be a pain I mean just

09:22

imagine all those Chrome tabs with odu's

09:25

all-in-one business management software

09:27

you can combine them into a single

09:28

Unified operating system check out their

09:31

CRM and sales apps which make lead

09:33

generation and closing deals easier than

09:35

ever their time sheets app helps you

09:37

keep close track of your employee

09:38

schedules and their accounting app lets

09:41

you autocreate and send invoices and it

09:43

integrates with 28,000 Banks from all

09:46

around the world and if you only need

09:49

one single app to shore up some holes

09:51

hey you can get access to that for free

09:54

so start saving time and resources by

09:56

unifying your processes with ODU you can

09:58

check them out in the description for a

10:00

free 14-day trial or to set up a demo

10:03

with their expert team thanks for

10:05

watching if you guys liked this video

10:06

maybe you'll enjoy another Deep dive

10:07

into minor differences in computer

10:09

performance check out our video where we

10:11

tested 12 of the same CPU so that we

10:14

could find a set of them that were

10:15

nearly identical in performance why did

10:18

we need those we'll never

10:20

tell well we will in that video but not

10:23

here

Rate This
★
★
★
★
★

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

関連タグ
Browser PerformanceGoogle ChromeExtensions ImpactRAM UsageTab ManagementWeb AppsAd BlockersPrivacy ExtensionsBenchmark TestingSoftware OptimizationWeb Browsing HabitsTech Review
日本語の芁玄は必芁ですか