There are times when the Mac Mini being used is not running at optimal capacity the way it once was. Here are some tips that can be used to improve its performance.
One way to free up memory and CPU space on your Mac Mini is to check on your running programs and closing the ones that are not needed. The inefficiency of your device might be because the memory and CPU space that can be better allocated to other applications might be in use with the “perceived to be unnecessary” programs in this context.
To fix this, one can right-click on programs in the dock, then choose Quit; or press Command-Tab to access the App Switcher. You can then press Command-Q on the programs that you want to quit.
One piece of software that can help in this situation is the iStat Pro, which monitors real-time app performances.
In order to get a proper read on possible suboptimal Mac Mini performances, make sure that you are able to see what the apps currently in operation are.
To do this, just open your System Preferences, click Dock, and then ensure that the option to “show indicator lights for open applications” is ticked.
Located in the Utilities folder, the Activity Monitor is a handy tool to check on how much system resources apps and processes use. Click on View and Windowed Processes, then click on the CPU button and the “%CPU” column to sort all programs by the amount of CPU being used, as well as how much Memory, Disk, Network are being used in these processes.
An update from OS X Mavericks inserted an additional feature, “Energy,” enables you to see how much energy is being used.