Ram used up by kernel task

Question

hi
I recently upgraded my i-mac from 1 GB to 2 Gb which as speeded up the computer hugely. However, I have noticed that Word and Powerpoint use up a massive amount of ram (they are the old power pc version and I suspect rosetta or similar is in operation). That I understand but there is also a process name called "kernel task" which also eats up a huge amount of ram (131 MB real memory). My old G4 flat screen mac does not have this process name at all and incidentally runs almost as quickly with a slower processor and 756MB of ram (yes it does have leopard). What is this kernel task process about? Is there a way of getting around it? Any tips to speed up the computer further without buying more ram? The computer now seems to require more than 2 GB if left on all day.
Any advice appreciated.

Answer 1

A kernel task is in integral part of your computer's OS, it does things like schedule processes and runs all the time. Yours doesn't seem to be out of line in its usage of memory.
Try emptying your caches and make sure that you allow the cron tasks to run daily. Restarting your browser often will help keep things lively. If you have a PPC iMac, your versions of Word and Powerpoint are native to your computer and should run speedily. If they are used on an intel machine, they will run more slowly.
Try to remember to close memory intensive applications so that you don't have too many running at once.