this might be more of a philosophical question.
I mean an idling Windows (maybe) uses 4 GB of RAM just like that, whereas an idling Linux distribution only uses 300 MB; talking about my Gentoo Linux using AwesomeWM.
The more RAM or resources are used, the more power is used, right?
-Keks
Unused RAM doesn’t use less power, though. Writing and reading it do, but afaik, all current systems happily refresh the memory content of all RAM, including unused RAM, and that’s what eats the power in an idling system.
Installing less RAM will help, though. I think that’s one reason why Apple ships iPhones with less RAM than flagship Android devices.
Interesting, I thought it would. Just like a written hard drives weights more, than an empty one:
https://www.ellipsix.net/blog/2009/04/how-much-does-data-wei...
DRAM = tiny capacitors, so keeping more of them discharged would mean needing less leakage and thus less energy to top them up, though, so some gains could be made there.