CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)Operating SystemsMedium

A user on a macOS system reports that their computer is running extremely slowly, and applications are frequently freezing. They suspect a particular application is consuming excessive system resources. Which macOS utility should the user open to identify which processes are using the most CPU, memory, or disk I/O?

  1. AConsole
  2. BDisk Utility
  3. CActivity Monitor
  4. DSystem Information
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. Activity Monitor

Activity Monitor is the macOS equivalent of Windows Task Manager. It provides real-time information about CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage, allowing users to identify and manage resource-intensive processes.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Console displays system log messages, not real-time resource usage.
  • B. Disk Utility manages disk partitions, formats, and repairs, not running processes.
  • D. System Information provides detailed hardware and software configuration reports, not real-time process monitoring.

macOS Activity Monitor

A macOS utility that displays information about all processes running on the system, including their CPU, memory, energy, disk, and network usage, allowing users to identify and manage resource-intensive applications.

  • Accessible from Applications/Utilities folder.
  • Provides real-time resource usage graphs.
  • Allows quitting or force quitting unresponsive processes.

Memory trick: Activities Monitor Computer's Real-time Use.

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