Quick question about RAM

[torx11]

I have 4GB of RAM running at 1600mhz. So my question is when should my computer feel sluggish when it is running low on RAM? When the RAM usage is above 4GB and thus tapping into the HD space for the RAM or much lower? I feel like my whole computer is slower when I have used about or over 3.2GB of RAM. About 1GB is used by the system and 2.2GB is given to VirtualBox. Is it possible that this is due to low RAM? Would buying another 4GB of RAM help with this situation?

I have an i7 920 for a processor. Normal 7200RPM hard drive.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Hawkeye22]

I'm not sure what the tipping point is, but I like to have at least 8 gig of ram when running a VM.

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

And yes, because the hard drive is exponentially slower than RAM, you should notice large slowdowns when swap space is used. Upgrading to 8GB would likely solve the issue.