Ram

[Karen F]

I am running Windows XP with 512 MB of Ram. Is this enough for Windows
XP. The computer came installed with XP and the 512 Ram but I was
thinking of adding more RAM. Would more RAM help? Thanks.

 

[Bill]

In

I am running Windows XP with 512 MB of Ram. Is this enough for
Windows XP. The computer came installed with XP and the 512 Ram
but I was thinking of adding more RAM.

Microsoft recommends at least 128MB, so you should be fine.

Would more RAM help?

With what? Are you having a problem of some sort?

Bill

 

[Jim Macklin]

512 MB RAM is more than enough for most purposes. But if
you're doing video or graphics rendering, more RAM is always
better. XP will support up to 4 GB of RAM, but your mobo
may be limited to a lower number.


--
Merry Christmas
Have a Safe and Happy New Year
Live Long and Prosper
Jim Macklin
|I am running Windows XP with 512 MB of Ram. Is this
enough for Windows
| XP. The computer came installed with XP and the 512 Ram
but I was
| thinking of adding more RAM. Would more RAM help?
Thanks.
|
|
|

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I am running Windows XP with 512 MB of Ram. Is this enough
for
Windows XP. The computer came installed with XP and the 512
Ram
but I was thinking of adding more RAM. Would more RAM help?
Thanks.

How much memory you need depends on what apps you run, but almost
everyone needs at least 256MB for decent performance. Although
most people wouldn't use more than 512MB, for some people, for
example those who edit large photographic images, more than
256MB--even much more--can be required for good performance.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more
memory will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your
performance. If you are not using the page file significantly,
more memory will do nothing for you.

Go to http://billsway.com/notes_public/winxp_tweaks/ and
download WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage.
That should give you a good idea of whether more memory can help,
and if so, how much more.

 

[Guest]

XP only requires a recommended 128MB RAM. Obviously the more ram you have the
better it is. The purpose of ram is to store a lot of information for quicker
access which results in a reduction in the processor running constantly. This
greatly speeds up information as well as the loading of information.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

XP only requires a recommended 128MB RAM.

This is very misleading. Microsoft's stated minimum is actually
64MB, not 128MB, but either number is greatly insufficient for
decent performance.

Obviously the more ram you
have the better it is.

That's also misleading. When there isn't enough RAM, the page
file is used as a substitute for RAM, and that's very much slower
than real RAM. As long as you are in a situation where the page
file is being used, then more RAM reduces page file use, and
improves performance. Once you have enough RAM so that the page
file is no longer being used, then more RAM does almost nothing
for you. It depends on what apps you run, but for most people
that point is reached somewhere between 256 and 512MB.

The purpose of ram is to store a lot of
information for quicker access which results in a reduction in
the
processor running constantly.

No. It has nothing to do with the processor running constantly.
More RAM reduces disk access to the page file (which is
mechanical, and therefore many times slower than the electronic
access to RAM).

 

[William B. Lurie]

In



This is very misleading. Microsoft's stated minimum is actually
64MB, not 128MB, but either number is greatly insufficient for
decent performance.






That's also misleading. When there isn't enough RAM, the page
file is used as a substitute for RAM, and that's very much slower
than real RAM. As long as you are in a situation where the page
file is being used, then more RAM reduces page file use, and
improves performance. Once you have enough RAM so that the page
file is no longer being used, then more RAM does almost nothing
for you. It depends on what apps you run, but for most people
that point is reached somewhere between 256 and 512MB.






No. It has nothing to do with the processor running constantly.
More RAM reduces disk access to the page file (which is
mechanical, and therefore many times slower than the electronic
access to RAM).

Great explanation, Ken. Clear, concise, to the point.

Bill Lurie

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Great explanation, Ken. Clear, concise, to the point.

Thanks for the kind words, Bill.

 

[André Gulliksen]

That's also misleading. When there isn't enough RAM, the page
file is used as a substitute for RAM, and that's very much slower
than real RAM. As long as you are in a situation where the page
file is being used, then more RAM reduces page file use, and
improves performance. Once you have enough RAM so that the page
file is no longer being used, then more RAM does almost nothing
for you. It depends on what apps you run, but for most people
that point is reached somewhere between 256 and 512MB.

Actually, are there really any points in Windows when the pagefile is no
longer used at all? I was under the impression that some paging will be done
regardless of how much RAM you have, unless you disable paging yourself.

I have a computer with 512 MB RAM. I have just booted it, and launced OE.
When I check my task manager there is about 200 MB used in my pagefile, and
plenty of free RAM.

 

[Jim Macklin]

There may be space allocated for VM, but it is not really
being used to swap pagefiles, it is just there for
"bookkeeping" so to say. Some programs will not run unless
they have some VM available even though they have more than
enough RAM to operate. If you have enough RAM, turning VM
off doesn't really gain anything.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message | Ken Blake wrote:
| > That's also misleading. When there isn't enough RAM, the
page
| > file is used as a substitute for RAM, and that's very
much slower
| > than real RAM. As long as you are in a situation where
the page
| > file is being used, then more RAM reduces page file use,
and
| > improves performance. Once you have enough RAM so that
the page
| > file is no longer being used, then more RAM does almost
nothing
| > for you. It depends on what apps you run, but for most
people
| > that point is reached somewhere between 256 and 512MB.
|
| Actually, are there really any points in Windows when the
pagefile is no
| longer used at all? I was under the impression that some
paging will be done
| regardless of how much RAM you have, unless you disable
paging yourself.
|
| I have a computer with 512 MB RAM. I have just booted it,
and launced OE.
| When I check my task manager there is about 200 MB used in
my pagefile, and
| plenty of free RAM.
|
|

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Actually, are there really any points in Windows when the
pagefile is
no longer used at all?

Yes. Don't mix up *allocated* page file space and *used* page
file space. Windows allocates lots of space, but often doesn't
use it.

I was under the impression that some paging
will be done regardless of how much RAM you have, unless you
disable
paging yourself.

No. And disabling paging is always bad to do. It causes those
allocations to made in real memory instead of on the page file,
thus locking out some of your real memory from use. Disabling the
page file can never help you, and often hurts you.

 

[André Gulliksen]

Yes. Don't mix up *allocated* page file space and *used* page
file space. Windows allocates lots of space, but often doesn't
use it.

Then what do you mean by allocated page file space? My c:\pagefile.sys is
768 MB, isn't _that_ my allocated page file space? Also, my task manager
shows PF _usage_ (249 MB at this moment), not PF allocation.

No. And disabling paging is always bad to do. It causes those
allocations to made in real memory instead of on the page file,
thus locking out some of your real memory from use. Disabling the
page file can never help you, and often hurts you.

I realize that paging in most instances is an advantage. But still I do not
see why the page file should be _necessary_. Windows is the only OS I have
ever tried where disabling page/swap can actually break an application.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Then what do you mean by allocated page file space? My
c:\pagefile.sys is 768 MB, isn't _that_ my allocated page file
space?
Also, my task manager shows PF _usage_ (249 MB at this moment),
not
PF allocation.

I realize that paging in most instances is an advantage. But
still I
do not see why the page file should be _necessary_. Windows is
the
only OS I have ever tried where disabling page/swap can
actually
break an application.

Read here: http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

 

[André Gulliksen]

Read here: http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

Uhm. Now you lost me. In what way was that article about converting FAT32
file systems to NTFS related to our this thread about RAM and page file
usage?

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Uhm. Now you lost me. In what way was that article about
converting
FAT32 file systems to NTFS related to our this thread about RAM
and
page file usage?

Sorry, my error. I meant to send this link:
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm