RAM help!

[Unknown]

More RAM will only make a difference in performance *if* the computer is
paging.

That is totally ridiculous. Adding RAM eliminates the need for paging.

If the computer isn't paging adding more RAM will not make a
hill of beans of difference!

If the computer isn't paging, large programs cannot be run. I.E.
If you have 256 megs of memory and a 300 meg program the program
cannot run without paging.

More RAM will *NOT* increase performance "regardless of paging", if the
computer isn't paging it has sufficient RAM or more than it needs for the
applications that it is running.

More RAM eliminates the need for paging when you have huge programs.

 

[Unknown]

Supposing you have 256 megs of memory and are running a 300 meg program. It
is conceivable the system is constantly paging. I.E. The R/W heads on the HD
are working hard. If you add 256 megs more of memory paging is no longer
required. I.E. Increased performance.

 

[John John]

That is totally ridiculous. Adding RAM eliminates the need for paging.

If you already have enough RAM for the programs that you run and if the
computer isn't paging, how will adding more RAM eliminate "non existent"
paging?

If the computer isn't paging, large programs cannot be run. I.E.
If you have 256 megs of memory and a 300 meg program the program
cannot run without paging.

Well, duh! No one argued that paging would not occur if you don't have
enough RAM to run your programs!

More RAM eliminates the need for paging when you have huge programs.

The point is mute, no one said that more RAM would be a waste if the
computer is paging with hard page faults. If you don't use "huge"
programs and if the computer isn't paging more RAM will not have any
significant impact on computer performance. Do you seriously think that
someone doing light computing on a Windows XP computer with 1GB of RAM
will see performance improvements if they add yet more RAM in the computer?

No one argues that adding RAM to a computer experiencing excessive
paging is a bad thing, adding RAM to supply memory starved applications
is the single biggest performance upgrade that one can make. Your
argument is that more RAM is always good and that adding RAM improves
performance even if the computer already has more than enough RAM
already installed.

Question: I have a Windows XP 32-bit computer with dual SLI video cards
with 512MB of memory each and 3GB's of installed RAM. Will adding more
RAM to my computer improve performance?

Totally agree.

Well, at least we agree on one thing...

John

 

[Unknown]

I did NOT say adding memory is always good. I said adding memory eliminates
the need for paging. (if paging occurs adding memory eliminates it) I did
NOT say if anyone has 1 GB of memory adding more will improve performance.
I think we are saying the same thing but you are either reading a lot more
into my responses or assuming too much or
misunderstand what I post..