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Virtual Memory in Vista 64-bit

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Saber, Sep 29, 2008.

  1. Saber

    Saber A revolution without dancing is not worth having! Veteran

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    So, I have 4 gb RAM and my computer is telling me I am low on memory and that I should close programs. Lame. I don't understand how firefox is using up so much memory, but one of the suggestions by windows was to increase my virtual memory. What is a good amount of virtual memory?

    Right now it says that my total paging file size for all drives is zero... I am not sure what that means.
     
    Saber, Sep 29, 2008
    #1
  2. Kitrax

    Kitrax Pantaloons are supposed to go where!?!?

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    The Paging file *is* your virtual memory...so if it's at 0, you've got your VM turned off.

    I've got mine set to the same amount of system RAM...so 2GB. One of my friends sets his at 1% of the total HDD size, but that would be 6GB for me...or 12GB before I revised my HDD configuration...and that's just too much of a waste of space for me.

    Depending on how much HDD space you have, I'd shoot for 1-2GB. :rolling:
     
    Kitrax, Sep 29, 2008
    #2
  3. Saber

    Saber A revolution without dancing is not worth having! Veteran

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    I have 125 GB free.

    Doesn't VM make the computer run slower though?
     
    Saber, Sep 29, 2008
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  4. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Of course it does. But is it better to run slower or have to close down applications?
     
    Blackthorne TA, Sep 29, 2008
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  5. Taza

    Taza Weird Modmaker Veteran

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    I use double physical RAM, the common standard.

    Virtual memory doesn't make you run slower unless you run out of RAM except in special cases.

    More often than not, virtual memory is a good idea. Just remember to defragment first.

    Solid state drives / flash memory and virtual memory / swap don't mix.
     
    Taza, Sep 29, 2008
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  6. Baronius

    Baronius Mental harmony dispels the darkness ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    That's funny. It should have had some (good) default value there, at least. Anyway, I can only repeat what others have said: never turn off virtual memory, and don't worry about slowdowns. Virtual memory is one of the fundemental concepts of these operating systems. You won't have any problems once you've applied the proper settings.
     
    Baronius, Sep 29, 2008
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  7. Taza

    Taza Weird Modmaker Veteran

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    And I'm afraid I have to disagree.

    In some situations virtual memory is actively harmful to the hardware, and in some situations it has dramatic effects on performance. It is also not always necessary.

    But unless you're running a high-performance server or use solid-state memory or a shockproof computer, it's not something you need to worry about.

    Note: Netbooks like the Eee suffer *a lot* from virtual memory.
     
    Taza, Sep 29, 2008
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  8. Baronius

    Baronius Mental harmony dispels the darkness ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    Taza, I think this discussion (and forum) is primarily for home users, not experts. I think "never turn off virtual memory" is a good advice to an unskilled user who uses his or her computer for general everyday tasks. In special cases, such users have no other choice than to consult others (e.g. experts) anyway.

    It may just be your inappropriate wording, but "harmful to the hardware" sounds very incorrect. How could these Virtual Memory settings have any *harmful* impact on the *hardware*?
     
    Baronius, Sep 30, 2008
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  9. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    More intensive use of HDD comes to my mind. In a high-workload server setting I imagine that to be a significant factor. But as you say, for a home user that's probably much less of a problem.
     
    Ragusa, Sep 30, 2008
    #9
  10. Taza

    Taza Weird Modmaker Veteran

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    Solid-state drives and other excessive component stress. Most pronounced when using media with a limited amount of writes - and these are really common in netbooks and shockproof laptops / hard drives.

    Real-world example: The Eee PC.
     
    Taza, Sep 30, 2008
    #10
  11. Baronius

    Baronius Mental harmony dispels the darkness ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    I see. I consider that as a special case, on the other hand. :) (I would rather say "it may significantly influence the lifetime" or something like that, by the way.)

    Of course, but I wouldn't call that 'harmful', or we could say that printing is harmful e.g. for office printers that are in use constantly.
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2009
    Baronius, Sep 30, 2008
    #11
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