virtual memory size question

[g3RC4n]

how much of your hard drive should you allocate virtual memory? because is it like ram where you can never have too much? or can you?

[jesush++]

Easiest way is to let windows handle your page file (virtual memory)

[BadNoddy]

I'll second that. That way, Windows won't sulk if you have too much or too litte - It'll adjust it itself..

[Cosmo_1847]

I set mine to 1GB with a max of 2GB allowed.

[LSG501]

I use a seperate partition on a second hard drive - set at 10GB and also have the same size page file on my main C:\ drive. Some programs need page file so its there. I have two due to windows using the fastest drive at that time - so if drive a is in use due to windows etc the second drive is used.

I also have my sizes set at a minimum and maximum of 9GB (yes I know its a tad large but it works nicely for me) on both drives. The reason for setting the max and the min the same is for the fragmentation of the drive - I have in essence assigned an area of the hard drive to be used purely for this purpose and its easier when the system defrags.

[Cosmo_1847]

On my mac the system sets the RAM as it wants. at the mo I am using the internet and MSN and it's using 4GB of page file.

[latency]

If you've got pleanty of hard drive space then set it to 2048mb min and max, that's what I do.

I don't let windows control the size becuase i find you get a huge lag when it's re-sizing, this is typicly in game. It's annoying as hell.

My boss sets his page file to the amount of physical RAM plus 50% as min, then plus 100% as max. I just set a big huge one and leave it at that, but on my PC the 2gb page file does wonders, since I#ve only got 1024mb physical.

[shifty.ricky]

On my mac the system sets the RAM as it wants. at the mo I am using the internet and MSN and it's using 4GB of page file.

Err...that doesnt seem right. Thats a hell of a lot of page file.

[six5tring]

Err...that doesnt seem right. Thats a hell of a lot of page file.

I blame bloatware :) I remember the days when MSN was a tiny program with no advertising on silly pop up display screen or nudges or wink or...

/rant

six

[Daza]

On my mac the system sets the RAM as it wants. at the mo I am using the internet and MSN and it's using 4GB of page file.
And I'm doing the same and listening to wmp11 and only using 500mb of page file :D on my unstylish PC :(

[Cosmo_1847]

I use adiumX that has no advertising on it. Macs just use loads of page file and makes them run fast. the AdiumX uses 256MB page file.

[jesush++]

Ahh, no. Page file does anything but make your computer run fast. Nothing should pre-allocate memory that isnt needed. Especially like 4gb memory. If all you are doing is listening to music, or browsing the web, you shouldnt need any paging (unless you have like 256k ram), as everything thats needed will be able to be loaded into ram. The main thing to note here, is that RAM isnt page file, and pagefile isnt ram. Its just a temporary storage space for data that has had to be swapped out of ram, but will be needed again in the near future.

[neil.h]

Ahh, no. Page file does anything but make your computer run fast. Nothing should pre-allocate memory that isnt needed. Especially like 4gb memory. If all you are doing is listening to music, or browsing the web, you shouldnt need any paging (unless you have like 256k ram), as everything thats needed will be able to be loaded into ram. The main thing to note here, is that RAM isnt page file, and pagefile isnt ram. Its just a temporary storage space for data that has had to be swapped out of ram, but will be needed again in the near future.


That's what I thought it was..... temporary memory due to lack of ram.

[jesush++]

Yep, hence y its better to let windows handle this stuff. The comment about gaming earlier, if you only have the game open, and a decent amount of ram for the game your playing, rarely should windows have to swap things out of memory, as the game will allocate and free memory as needed, not just dump all objects in memory at once.

[latency]

Well when I fired up my current gaming PC for the first time and started up NFS Most Wanted, the first thing that happened was after 20 seconds of rough performance it locked up, then minimised to desktop with a message saying windows was adjusting the size of the VM. When it recovered, performance was better. Then I closed it all down, bumbed the VM up to 2gb and started up again and it was totally smooth on maxxed out graphics.

[Cosmo_1847]

Bah i use up to 12GB of virtual memory sometimes. Nothing has gone horriable wrong so i don't mind it.

http://guides.macrumors.com/Virtual_memory

[Toxcity]

Bah i use up to 12GB of virtual memory sometimes. Nothing has gone horriable wrong so i don't mind it.


WOAH! 12GB? Thats mad. I dont seemed to get to even 2gb?! On idle im running about 180mb. and at load about 500mb... WoOt! :p

[Cosmo_1847]

You much remember that it's a mac so it will use it differently from windows.

[jesush++]

To be honest, i would be very worried if any pc in home use used 12gb of virtual memory. I dont believe that urs uses that.

[Cosmo_1847]

http://idleentity.net/blackflag/pictures/ha12gb.jpg
It's the VM size.

[jesush++]

Right, again there is a difference between having a page file that size and using a page file that size.

Furthermore, whoever says that os x is better than windows, ill refer them to that pic. Never should a pc need 12gb of virtual memory.

[nicky munchkin]

I blame bloatware :) I remember the days when MSN was a tiny program with no advertising on silly pop up display screen or nudges or wink or...

/rant

six

basically the same as vista compared to XP except no where near as bad.

[Cosmo_1847]

Right, last post in this thread from me. I can get 12GB of VM but to do that you need to have almost all your programs open. I think that the mac uses little RAM but uses lots of VM to sort data as it's being uses.

Having about twice as much page file as you do RAM should be fine for a computer providing that you have enough space for the hard drive.