diff --git a/cgroup2/utils.go b/cgroup2/utils.go
index 77650183..9e6504e9 100644
--- a/cgroup2/utils.go
+++ b/cgroup2/utils.go
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/godbus/dbus/v5"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
+	"github.com/shirou/gopsutil/mem"
+
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
@@ -250,7 +252,14 @@ func getStatFileContentUint64(filePath string) uint64 {
 	}
 	trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(string(contents))
 	if trimmed == "max" {
-		return math.MaxUint64
+		totalMem, err := readTotalMem()
+		if err != nil {
+			// Reading total system memory adds a new dependency for a non-critical improvement.
+			// Fall back to the behaviour if there is anything wrong with system memory.
+			logrus.Warnf("falling back to returning hardcoded memory limit: %s", err)
+			return math.MaxUint64
+		}
+		return totalMem
 	}
 
 	res, err := parseUint(trimmed, 10, 64)
@@ -262,6 +271,14 @@ func getStatFileContentUint64(filePath string) uint64 {
 	return res
 }
 
+func readTotalMem() (uint64, error) {
+	vmStat, err := mem.VirtualMemory()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return vmStat.Total, nil
+}
+
 func readIoStats(path string) []*stats.IOEntry {
 	// more details on the io.stat file format: https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/cgroup-v2.txt
 	var usage []*stats.IOEntry
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index a81083cc..ed0e9ca6 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ require (
 
 require (
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 // indirect
+	github.com/go-ole/go-ole v1.2.6 // indirect
 	github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/shirou/gopsutil v2.21.11+incompatible // indirect
+	github.com/yusufpapurcu/wmi v1.2.2 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
 )
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index deeda024..81e6f21e 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0 h1:3uh0PgVws3nIA0Q+MwDC8yjEPf9zjRfZZWXZYDct3Tw
 github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0/go.mod h1:fgPhTUdO+D/Jk86RDLlptpiXQzgHJF7gydDDbaIK4Dk=
 github.com/frankban/quicktest v1.14.0 h1:+cqqvzZV87b4adx/5ayVOaYZ2CrvM4ejQvUdBzPPUss=
 github.com/frankban/quicktest v1.14.0/go.mod h1:NeW+ay9A/U67EYXNFA1nPE8e/tnQv/09mUdL/ijj8og=
+github.com/go-ole/go-ole v1.2.6 h1:/Fpf6oFPoeFik9ty7siob0G6Ke8QvQEuVcuChpwXzpY=
+github.com/go-ole/go-ole v1.2.6/go.mod h1:pprOEPIfldk/42T2oK7lQ4v4JSDwmV0As9GaiUsvbm0=
 github.com/godbus/dbus/v5 v5.0.4 h1:9349emZab16e7zQvpmsbtjc18ykshndd8y2PG3sgJbA=
 github.com/godbus/dbus/v5 v5.0.4/go.mod h1:xhWf0FNVPg57R7Z0UbKHbJfkEywrmjJnf7w5xrFpKfA=
 github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.0/go.mod h1:FsONVRAS9T7sI+LIUmWTfcYkHO4aIWwzhcaSAoJOfIk=
@@ -29,6 +31,8 @@ github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 h1:4DBwDE0NGyQoBHbLQYPwSUPoCMWR5BEzIk/f1lZb
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0/go.mod h1:iKH77koFhYxTK1pcRnkKkqfTogsbg7gZNVY4sRDYZ/4=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.6.1 h1:/FiVV8dS/e+YqF2JvO3yXRFbBLTIuSDkuC7aBOAvL+k=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.6.1/go.mod h1:xXDCJY+GAPziupqXw64V24skbSoqbTEfhy4qGm1nDQc=
+github.com/shirou/gopsutil v2.21.11+incompatible h1:lOGOyCG67a5dv2hq5Z1BLDUqqKp3HkbjPcz5j6XMS0U=
+github.com/shirou/gopsutil v2.21.11+incompatible/go.mod h1:5b4v6he4MtMOwMlS0TUMTu2PcXUg8+E1lC7eC3UO/RA=
 github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.8.1 h1:dJKuHgqk1NNQlqoA6BTlM1Wf9DOH3NBjQyu0h9+AZZE=
 github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.8.1/go.mod h1:yWOB1SBYBC5VeMP7gHvWumXLIWorT60ONWic61uBYv0=
 github.com/stretchr/objx v0.1.0/go.mod h1:HFkY916IF+rwdDfMAkV7OtwuqBVzrE8GR6GFx+wExME=
@@ -39,6 +43,8 @@ github.com/stretchr/testify v1.7.1/go.mod h1:6Fq8oRcR53rry900zMqJjRRixrwX3KX962/
 github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.0 h1:pSgiaMZlXftHpm5L7V1+rVB+AZJydKsMxsQBIJw4PKk=
 github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.0/go.mod h1:yNjHg4UonilssWZ8iaSj1OCr/vHnekPRkoO+kdMU+MU=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.3.5/go.mod h1:mwnBkeHKe2W/ZEtQ+71ViKU8L12m81fl3OWwC1Zlc8k=
+github.com/yusufpapurcu/wmi v1.2.2 h1:KBNDSne4vP5mbSWnJbO+51IMOXJB67QiYCSBrubbPRg=
+github.com/yusufpapurcu/wmi v1.2.2/go.mod h1:SBZ9tNy3G9/m5Oi98Zks0QjeHVDvuK0qfxQmPyzfmi0=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.12 h1:gZAh5/EyT/HQwlpkCy6wTpqfH9H8Lz8zbm3dZh+OyzA=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.1.12/go.mod h1:cwTWslyiVhfpKIDGSZEM2HlOvcqm+tG4zioyIeLoqMQ=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20190308221718-c2843e01d9a2/go.mod h1:djNgcEr1/C05ACkg1iLfiJU5Ep61QUkGW8qpdssI0+w=
@@ -54,6 +60,7 @@ golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190423024810-112230192c58/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJ
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20210220032951-036812b2e83c/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190215142949-d0b11bdaac8a/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190412213103-97732733099d/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190916202348-b4ddaad3f8a3/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20191026070338-33540a1f6037/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20201119102817-f84b799fce68/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210330210617-4fbd30eecc44/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=