How to monitor / log KSP's RAM usage?

[Bishop149]

Question in the title basically, Windows 7 install.

I don't really know how much RAM my current KSP install uses but it often crashes after a few hours of play so I'm guessing I'm running close to the limit, and various leaks push it over within that time. I'd like to install a couple of more mods that I'd predict to be memory heavy and wanna see if the Force OpenGL trick might allow it.

I have read around various 'tings on t'interwebs about how to monitor the RAM usage of a process and the majority answer seems to be a windows program called "perfmon". I've had a poke at it but its rather complicated and has about 20 different variables that can be monitored for memory use alone . . . . I don't have the first clue which one to pick. (Edit: Ok, after some playing about it seems "Working Set (Private)" is the one reported by task manager so I'm guessing is the one to log with Perfmon)

So how do people do it?

Ideally I'd like just a nice little idiot proof stand alone utility.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Bishop149

[Superfluous J]

2 main ways:

1) If you have 2 monitors, just load up Task Manager and put it on your second monitor. Sort by memory usage. KSP should be at the top of the list (if it's not, I suggest closing whatever is). When it gets to 3.4 or so, close it and restart.

2) If you don't mind installing mods, install a mod to display it on the screen. I can't find the one I used (My Google Fu is weak today) back when I was having memory issues, but there are a couple.

Note: You really shouldn't have to do this anymore, so it implies you've got an unknown memory leak. Finding it and plugging it (or reporting it to the modder or Squad) should be your goal, not finding when to restart.

[Bishop149]

2) If you don't mind installing mods, install a mod to display it on the screen. I can't find the one I used (My Google Fu is weak today) back when I was having memory issues, but there are a couple.

This one?

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/92907-1-0-x-GCMonitor-1-2-7-A-graphic-Memory-monitor-%28July-8th%29

There are a couple of others but this seems the only one still regularly supported

Note: You really shouldn't have to do this anymore, so it implies you've got an unknown memory leak. Finding it and plugging it (or reporting it to the modder or Squad) should be your goal, not finding when to restart.

I don't think they are unknown, I know (because it's already been reported) there is one in a mod I use, and then there is the perpetual scene change instability with stock KSP. . . . I don't think that one is technically a leak, its been around for ever.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Bishop149

[Superfluous J]

This one?

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/92907-1-0-x-GCMonitor-1-2-7-A-graphic-Memory-monitor-%28July-8th%29

There are a couple of others but this seems the only one still regularly supported

That's the one. The Fu is strong with you. Maybe if I'd used the words "graphical" or "monitor". I only remembered it had the word "Memory" in its name

...and then there is the perpetual scene change instability with stock KSP.

I thought they fixed that in 1.0.3 along with the heat bug. I've never noticed it (though when I stopped crashing, I stopped looking). I know memory jumps at that time, but that's not (as you mentioned) a memory leak nor do I think it's even a bug. Sometimes programs need more memory.

[NecroBones]

Yeah, there are definitely memory leaks still there, somewhere. I haven't played enough to see it myself, since I've just been part-modding lately (which means generally KSP isn't running for more than 5 minutes at a time, when I'm testing parts).

But a friend / co-worker is running into memory problems constantly. He does have a bunch of mods, but he tried removing them in batches to see where the problem was, and never got a good answer, other than the fact that EVE eats up so much memory that he runs close to the limit with the other mods installed. What he did find though, is that the leak appears to be with scene-switching. That's when the memory footprint would increase noticeably.

[John FX]

I have to say though that before recent updates my game would crash at 3480Mb pretty much on the button.

Now I can carry on playing until over 3900Mb, which is better but still not as good as using 64 bit.

So thanks SQUAD for having a look at whatever you looked at that did that change.

[kreutzkevic]

Can't...... Resist......

But I am a bad person like that sometimes.