Performance fields overview:

The Performance tab displays a dynamic overview of your computer's performance. Click one of the following for more information:

CPU Usage

A graph indicating the percentage of time the processor is working. This counter is a primary indicator of processor activity. View this graph to see how much processing time you are using. If your computer seems to be running slowly, this graph could display a higher percentage.

CPU Usage History

A graph showing how busy the CPU has been over time. The sampling displayed in the graph depends on the value you select for the Update Speed on the View menu. Updates occur with these possible values: High = twice per second; Normal = once every two seconds; Low = once every four seconds; Paused = display doesn't automatically update.

PF Usage

The amount of paging file being used by the system. If your computer is running near the maximum, you can increase the page file size.

Page File Usage History

Graph depicting the amount of page file used over time. The sampling displayed in the graph depends on the value you select for the Update Speed on the View menu.

Totals

Totals for the number of handles, threads, and processes running on the computer.

Commit Charge (K)

Memory allocated to programs and the operating system. Because of memory copied to the paging file, called virtual memory, the value listed under Peak may exceed the maximum physical memory. The value for Total is the same as that depicted in the Page File Usage History graph.

Physical Memory (K)

The total physical memory, also called RAM, installed on your computer. Available represents the amount of free memory that is available for use. The System Cache shows the current physical memory used to map pages of open files.

Kernel Memory (K)

Memory used by the operating system kernel and device drivers. Paged is memory that can be copied to the paging file, thereby freeing the physical memory. The physical memory can then be used by the operating system. Nonpaged is memory that remains resident in physical memory and will not be copied out to the paging file.