Other Help Topics :: How much RAM does DSL take?

Are you getting that usage number from the desktop display? or from executing free?

If I've noticed things correctly, the desktop display is only showing the OS usage; as if the OS were HD installed.

free seems to read the system completely.

I haven't asked, so please understand that what I'm stating is conjecture.

The desktop meter doesn't show full usage, because DSL in toram mode copies all files to a tmpfs mount in ram.
Tmpfs lives in caches, and the desktop meter doesn't show cache or buffer usage, just what your apps use.

Toram mode works with a technical minimum of 76mb (3mb for kernel + 5mb for initrd + 2mb for init/other always-running processes + 50mb data + 16mb ram for text mode usage), but this would not leave much ram to your apps, or be enough for X. It starts to really be usable at 128mb.

original here.