Optimal virtual memory settings

[chssvl]

I have an Athlon XP 2400+ with 512MB of PC 2100 RAM in a MSI KT3 Ultra motherboard running on Win 2K SP4

My question is how big should I set the virtual memory for optimal performance? I've heard conflicting arguments. Some saying that fixed at 250MB others saying that 1.5 or 2.5 times the ammont of physical ram.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[fishmahn]

opinions abound.

If you're not doing anything that will ever use VM, then 0 is your best number for performance. But don't do that with only 512MB. Some say 1x RAM, some say 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, etc. Pick one. I think the best performance is when both the minimum and maximum values are set the same. So, set it for 1gig min and max, and have at it. (or 512 may be ok too).

You just don't want it so low that you run out of memory. If you do some games, web surfing, office apps, then 512 may be ok, but for bigger games, 1gig may be better. If you do video editing, or large picture editing in photoshop, then more will be better.

Mike.

 

[Blasphemy]

Also, if you have more than 1 hard drive, set the page file to be on a different hard drive than the OS is on. This will make access time for the page file faster. I usually use 1024K nomatter how much RAM is installed which is a safe bet. IMO it's better to have a big page file than a small one, and like fishmahn said set the min and max values the same...this prevents fragmentation of the page file, which also increases access time.

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