2gb to 4gb, is there a performance increase?

[pochoboy]

I'm considering upgrading to 4gb ram but was wondering if it would make a difference performance wise?

Currently everythings running fine with 2gb's while I surf the internet, watch tv via Vista64 Media Center, converting .avi files to dvd format, burning dvd's and downloading files all at the same time.

here's my system,

Gigabyte P-35 DS3R
Q6600 (slightly overcloced to 3ghz)
2gb GSkill Kit
Vista64

any comments welcomed

[CERO]

I think in Vista 64 there is some performance gain

[stevecs]

Are you swapping in what you're doing? If you are then yes more ram will help. If you're not then no it won't.

You can turn off your swap/page file and if you get an out of memory error then buy more ram.

[pochoboy]

stevecs,

how do i turn off swap page in Vista 64 Ult.?

No sense upgrading if it doesn't reach that point

edit: disregard this post as I found the option

[pochoboy]

I tested my system with Page file off in Vista 64, but when I run the monitor manager it still looks like it uses the page file ~ 134. Although it states physical memory 2xxx mb, 13xx used and 0 mb free.

could you dicipher this?

[Truckchase!]

Don't turn off your pagefile. There is no reason to do so. You will not get a performance gain.

[One_Hertz]

Don't turn off your pagefile. There is no reason to do so. You will not get a performance gain.

exactly, you will run slower without a pagefile regardless of how much ram you have.

[YukonTrooper]

There is a performance gain using 4GB if your system actually uses that much ram.

[momoceio]

Exactly, you aren't going to see a gain if you're not even using the full 2 gigs you already have anyway. Also, as was said, do not turn off your pagefile...it's a good thing. You can't fully disable it anyway, if you set it to disabled then Windows just creates one in the Windows directory somewhere and you have no control over it. I always just set my pagefiles to 2048 min and max but you'll get the best performance increase by putting the pagefile on a separate hard drive.

[stevecs]

exactly, you will run slower without a pagefile regardless of how much ram you have.

??? Umm. Beg to differ here, but as discussed in another thread, I have _never_ seen _any_ system run slower without a page or swap file as long as you have the memory in that system run your apps. I would grant that if you have the memory in the system and you have a page/swap file defined but you DON"T use it you probably will not notice a difference but you won't be any faster than turning it off. I turn pagefiles/swapfiles off on my systems to enforce the fact that I do not want the computer or stupid OS programers to swap stuff out regardless. Only exceptions are in cases where the work-load is dynamic and/or I cannot purchase enough memory to run the apps that the system needs to run (which is thankfully in none of my own systems but is common in corporate workplaces with penny pinching).

Pochoboy: I went back to XP x64 about a month or so ago, but under vista you turn it off the same way, go to control panels, into system, then advanced system settings, then under performance. under the advanced tab you have the virtual memory section where you can change/turnoff your pagefile.

[adamsleath]

There is a performance gain using 4GB if your system actually uses that much ram.

yeah; depends if you start opening large files (video/picture) wotever.
and how many progs at one time.; i'm sure you can push the envelope if you want to.

as for the pagefile thing; when i have no paging/swap file i get a warning saying virtual memory too low and windows gives me a pagefile anyway ...so...in my case windows xp allocates 2gb pf even when i manually set NO pagefile
probably other settings i have no idea about.

so regarding the "i can force windows to not use a swap file" - i cant do it by turning off the pagefile - is there another way?

[stevecs]

If you're getting the warning that you're running out of VM then you need more memory for your system. I have not seen on any of the systems here where when that message comes up that a pagefile.sys gets created anywhere but then again I don't have that message appear often/at all on the systems as I put in more memory whenever I see I'm getting close to full utilization just by watching the process table.

[adamsleath]

i dont have any noticeable hdd activity, and plenty of ram left over when i run my progs...so i call bollox m8 "just by watching the process table"

i have run out of ram in the past when i had 1gig with bf2 and x3 reunion..and hdd writing ingame is really noticeable....and it hasnt happened since ive had 2gig.

but i dont have a 4 core cpu either ...so, maybe 4 cores with many progs running would justify 4gig ram.

then when evryone gets 4gig ram there will be an 8 gig ram club

[stevecs]

You can call bullox but it's true. :P Seriously, I haven't really applied a lot of 'science' to it on a windows platform at least. I've just set up each system and added to running knowledge of the apps and by watching the process/performance monitor while it's being used. You can see how much memory is used by the system & apps throughout the day or what types of apps chew up memory (photoshop is a good one that I use that is killer). Games the same way. Normally base windows I give say 512MB, then if I load office suite that is another 512MB, then applications on top of that. For home users that would be games add another 1-1.5gb, if you do photoshop & games at the same time then you wan another 1-1.5GB on top of that. Just watch your queue and see what you're using. If you want to get qualitative then there's the performance monitor which you can log your memory stats.

All in all though with your system (assuming your sig is accurate) is kind of low on memory. 1GB of ram is pretty much the base for windows & office and some real small/simple apps. anything else you're going to run out of memory which it sounds like is exactly what is happening.

[adamsleath]

well i dont play a game and use photoshop at the same time. when i run out of ram with what im doing (buggerall) ill get more.

i spose if i wanted to play a game while copying a dvd in the background i'd get more ram but i'm not constrained for time.

and i could jump around from making home movies with my left hand and "simultaneously" preparing a powerpoint presentation with my right hand on two monitors ..i dont know if 4 gigs is enuf

and when there is 8cores and 8gigs ram i'll have to think of more things to do "simultaneously" i'll need more hands and more screens tho.

can you write two different stories - one with each hand - at the same time? - i doubt it; let alone 3 tasks simultaneously.
when i focus i focus on one thing at a time...although it is possible to contain many things in one's head simultaneously, i can only focus on one thing at a time, although performing simple tasks simultaneously i spose i can do that.

how many "automated" processes do you run in the "background" with your comp? folding? server? dvd "encoding"? human genome project?

if you are involved with one task that is highly complex (3d modelling and design for example) and intense (to a deadline) will you have the concentration required for another task simultanously that is as intense?

are you running background apps/algorythms that you arent "really" focusing on, automated written by someone else, that consumes your ram?

are you running complex rendering software for large 3d models?

[stevecs]

Well, right now kind of quiet using only about 1.5GiB of ram. Just have VLC running in one window (watching Bleach episode), got DVDFab running ripping a DVD, outlook watching/reading mail. Visio working on a diagram for work, excel to update some spreadsheets for raid calcs. two putty windows monitoring some processes running on my server, firefox with about 15 tabs checking various forums/websites, IE checking for some updates, and winamp updating my flac library. So not much actually. Normally I have premier, photoshop, vuescan (slide scanning) and then run a simple game while I'm waiting for some tasks to run like oblivion or witcher.

[purecain]

more ram the better.... once youve reached your max for your machine build another and fill that one full of ram aswell.... and so on.... dont ever stop.....
(caution!!!! this is humour..... just for all those who've seen what i've read and started stockpiling memory)

[adamsleath]

lol..lots of progs open but not much happening

[Icy]

heh another way is to go faster rather than more.

What do you guys think?
2gb of faster ram (say 8500)
4gb of slower ram (and 6400)

[NickS]

I think in Vista 64 there is some performance gain

Definitely. Stuff's just smoother. Plus its nice to have insane amounts of RAM, especially if you play Crysis, BF2, Stalker, etc.

Oh, and go with 4GB of 6400's.