Every time my system felt sluggish, I’d open Task Manager, see 85% memory usage, and start browsing RAM kits on Amazon. Unfortunately, RAM prices have been through the roof due to the AI boom, and I’ve been holding off buying more RAM until the prices stabilize. Turns out, I was reading the numbers wrong for years. The big “In Use” figure everyone watches isn’t the one that tells you whether your system is actually under memory pressure. Before you go looking for ways to reduce your RAM usage on Windows, it’s worth understanding what Task Manager is telling you.
