Re: Question about virtual memory setting and how much to use

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From: Ken Blake (kblake_at_this.is.an.invalid.domain)
Date: 01/29/05 

Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2005 08:44:28 -0700

In news:edxrychBFHA.4072@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl,
Leeharveyoswald <Leeharveyoswald2005@yahoo.com> typed:

> Hello there, I have read off of Sandra2005 that virtual memory
> should
> be set for 2.5 times the amount of memory you have.

Very poor advice. The page file is used when you don't have
enough memory for what the apps you're running require. The more
RAM you have, the less page file you need.

> Now, i read a
> question off of Microsoft's quiz and they asked about the
> performance
> and what is optimal if you have more than one drive. I have 3
> hardrives and i have each set at 2.5times teh amount of ram i
> have, which is 3072 because i have 2gb of
> physical ram. Now, each should have it right?

No, wrong. Having 3072MB of page page on just *one* drive is
almost certainly *way* more than you need. Having 9216MB is
absurd, and just a waste of disk space.

How many drives you have is completely irrelevant. How much page
file you need depends on what apps you run, but with as much as
2GB of RAM, you almost certainly need none at all, unless your
workload is very unusual.

You shouldn't eliminate the page file at all, but a starting
value of 100MB or so should be more than enough. Keep the maximum
size high, because there's no disadvantage in doing so. 

-- 
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup
I do not have xp 32bit
> installed on my 36gb raptor, so should i disable paging file on 
> that
> drive? And then only have virtual memory on my ide which has my 
> x64
> on it and my 74gb raptor which has the 32bit xp on it?  Thanks 
> in
> advance
> 3200+ winchester athlon64
> Abit AV8 3rd eye K8T800pro
> 4 x 512 pc3200 kingston ram dual channeled on board
> 36gb raptor 10,000rpm hd
> 74gb raptor 10,000rpm hd
> 250gb caviar 7200rpm 8mb cache hd
> 9550se 128mb radeon
> TDK 12x DVDRW
> Liteon 16xDVDROM
> Foxconn diabolic case with 400w powersupply
> Xp professional edition
> x64 xp professional edition eval. v1218

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