How much RAM for SP2?

[Guest Lee M.]

Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have 1.25GB

installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB. Task manager

shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every program I typically

run and I usually don't have them all open at the same time. Does that

imply that more RAM won't do much other than increase the amount of memory

available (and sitting there unused) with a bunch of programs loaded?

 

Thanks for the help.

[Guest Malke]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

Lee M. wrote:

> Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have

> 1.25GB

> installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB. Task manager

> shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every program I

> typically

> run and I usually don't have them all open at the same time. Does that

> imply that more RAM won't do much other than increase the amount of memory

> available (and sitting there unused) with a bunch of programs loaded?

 

You don't need to add memory for SP2, or even SP3 which is the current

Service Pack level now. XP typically runs very well with the amount of

memory you have installed. Unless you're experiencing some difficulties,

and it doesn't sound like you are, there's no reason to increase the amount

of memory you have in the system.

 

Malke

--

MS-MVP

Elephant Boy Computers

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com

Don't Panic!

[Guest Gerry]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

Lee

 

You're looking at memory usage / available from the wrong perspective.

Available RAM at any given time is less important than the extent to

which the system resorts to using the pagefile at any given time. You

can get some idea of pagefile usage by comparing the Peak entry under

Commit Charge to the total installed RAM. If the Peak is more than the

installed RAM, and this is a regular occurence, then you need to add

RAM. If the Peak is less than the installed RAM then the pagefile usage

is minimal. Some usage of the pagefile is inevitable because some

operations require pagefile memory.

 

You can get more accurate information on pagefile usage using

pagefilemon, a small freeware utility.

 

Use page file monitor to observe what is the peak usage. Start it to run

immediately after start-up and look at the log. Pagefilemon takes

snapshots. You need to run it at the beginning of the session at then

run it again at intervals throughout the sessions. The log is Pagefile

log.txt. If you right click on the file in Windows Explorer and select

Send to, Desktop (Create Shortcut). The same applies to

XP_PageFileMon.exe.

 

A small utility to monitor pagefile usage:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

 

Note that programs using undo features, particularly those associated

with graphics and photo editing, require large amounts of memory so if

you use this type of programme check these first observing how the page

usage increases when they start and whether the usage decreases when you

close the programme.

 

--

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Gerry

~~~~

FCA

Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Lee M. wrote:

> Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have

> 1.25GB installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB.

> Task manager shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every

> program I typically run and I usually don't have them all open at the

> same time. Does that imply that more RAM won't do much other than

> increase the amount of memory available (and sitting there unused)

> with a bunch of programs loaded?

> Thanks for the help.

[Guest db.·.. >]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

a lot of off the shelf

software is designed

for the typical off the

shelf computers having

512 megs of ram.

 

the need for additional

ram come into play for

software that recommends

more ram like for graphics,

video and computer

programming.

 

 

--

 

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

 

"Lee M." <lmacmil@forget_it.com> wrote in message

news:nP-dnWCuV75JkqXVnZ2dnUVZ_g6dnZ2d@comcast.com...

> Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have 1.25GB

> installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB. Task manager

> shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every program I typically

> run and I usually don't have them all open at the same time. Does that imply

> that more RAM won't do much other than increase the amount of memory available

> (and sitting there unused) with a bunch of programs loaded?

>

> Thanks for the help.

>

[Guest HeyBub]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

Lee M. wrote:

> Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have

> 1.25GB installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB. Task

> manager shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every

> program I typically run and I usually don't have them all open at the

> same time. Does that imply that more RAM won't do much other than

> increase the amount of memory available (and sitting there unused)

> with a bunch of programs loaded?

>

 

There IS a point of diminishing returns, but you run smack up against the

physical limitations of XP (about 3.5GB) before you reach it.

 

Memory almost never sits there unused. XP tries very hard to maximize memory

utilization under the theory that if not used now, the opportunity is lost

forever.

[Guest Twayne]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

> Lee M. wrote:

>> Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have

>> 1.25GB installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB.

>> Task manager shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every

>> program I typically run and I usually don't have them all open at the

>> same time. Does that imply that more RAM won't do much other than

>> increase the amount of memory available (and sitting there unused)

>> with a bunch of programs loaded?

>>

>

> There IS a point of diminishing returns, but you run smack up against

> the physical limitations of XP (about 3.5GB) before you reach it.

>

> Memory almost never sits there unused. XP tries very hard to maximize

> memory utilization under the theory that if not used now, the

> opportunity is lost forever.

 

Untrue; depending on what the machine is used for, 512 may well suffice,

a Meg is usually great and then past that the improvements begin to

dwindle quickly or are completely unnoticeable. Only a few very

specialized apps actually require more than a gig of ram; and almost no

normal user does either.

[Guest Lil' Dave]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

"Lee M." <lmacmil@forget_it.com> wrote in message

news:nP-dnWCuV75JkqXVnZ2dnUVZ_g6dnZ2d@comcast.com...

> Is there a point of diminishing returns for memory? I currently have

> 1.25GB installed in an Athlon 2800+ system. The mobo supports 3GB. Task

> manager shows 557MB physical memory available when I load every program I

> typically run and I usually don't have them all open at the same time.

> Does that imply that more RAM won't do much other than increase the amount

> of memory available (and sitting there unused) with a bunch of programs

> loaded?

>

> Thanks for the help.

>

 

In the specific case you cited, adding RAM won't do anything but increase

the default swapfile size for your configuration.

--

Dave

 

Memorial day:

In honor for those who served and

died for your freedom of speech, exercise

that right where you fear repercussion

the most for your voiced opinion.

[Guest HeyBub]

Re: How much RAM for SP2?

 

Twayne wrote:

>>

>> Memory almost never sits there unused. XP tries very hard to maximize

>> memory utilization under the theory that if not used now, the

>> opportunity is lost forever.

>

> Untrue; depending on what the machine is used for, 512 may well

> suffice, a Meg is usually great and then past that the improvements

> begin to dwindle quickly or are completely unnoticeable. Only a few

> very specialized apps actually require more than a gig of ram; and

> almost no normal user does either.

 

Is true. "Sufficient" was not the criteria.