How do I lower Memory and CPU usage by Google Chrome

Of late I have been using a Pentium 4 computer that has 2 GV DDR II RAM. When working with Google chrome, the machine is required to work harder. This is because for every open tab on Google chrome lead s to creation of a new process. As a result of this, opening just five tabs causes the available unused memory to reduce tremendously and also uses a large part of CPU. On the other hand, when using Opera, only 20% of CPU is in use with 20 Tabs open. Unfortunately, I prefer using Google chrome to Opera. Do you have any idea on how I can have Google chrome use lower memory and CPU? You are welcome to help.
