Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

http://www.techspot.com/tweaks/memor.../xpmem-4.shtml

Go here and follow the instructions, but also in the General tab for your log files properties, Select memory from Performance Object dropdown, then in the list below scroll up and select Available MBytes.

The run your system for a while and load up you most intensive apps that you use often (usually games). When your done, stop the logging in the same place and look at the file you created - it will look something like this...

"(PDH-CSV 4.0) (GMT Daylight Time)(-60)","\\NONE-xxxxxxxxxx\Memory\Available MBytes","\\NONE-xxxxxxxxxx\Paging File(\??\C:\pagefile.sys)\% Usage","\\NONE-xxxxxxxxxx\Paging File(\??\C:\pagefile.sys)\% Usage Peak"
"04/20/2004 17:55:24.078","280","17.132059733072914","25.57525 634765625"
"04/20/2004 17:55:39.078","288","17.456563313802086","25.57525 634765625"
"04/20/2004 17:55:54.078","291","17.892964680989586","25.57525 634765625"
"04/20/2004 17:56:09.093","291","17.88787841796875","25.575256 34765625"
"04/20/2004 17:56:24.093","292","17.920430501302086","25.57525 634765625"
"04/20/2004 17:56:39.093","292","17.917887369791664","25.57525 634765625"
"04/20/2004 17:56:54.093","292","17.917378743489586","25.57525 634765625"
"04/20/2004 17:57:09.093","290","17.912801106770836","25.57525 634765625"

The first part of the first line of the second section you see in my file (highlighted above) is date / time, the second part is Available MBytes ("280"), the third is current pagefile usage in percentage ("17.xxx") and the forth is MAXimum pagefile usage over the last 15 seconds in percentage. This will change depending on what counters you add/use, but basically the first section describes the layout of the file. (see below)

""(PDH-CSV 4.0) (GMT Daylight Time)(-60)","\\NONE-xxxxxxxxxx\Memory\Available MBytes","\\NONE-xxxxxxxxxx\Paging File(\??\C:\pagefile.sys)\% Usage","\\NONE-xxxxxxxxxx\Paging File(\??\C:\pagefile.sys)\% Usage Peak""

Try it - it helped me to discover that when playing Far Cry the reason i was getting choppy frame rates was because i was running out of RAM. It looks complicated but its not.

"04/20/2004 19:05:09.093","29","32.149759928385421","32.160441 080729171"

Yikes only 29Meg left! This is after i used this to find out that selecting High Res Textures used ALL my systems memory, and that the choppiness was because the Page file on my Hard Disk was being constantly accessed instead.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Also, if you press CTRL-ALT-DEL and select Task Manager, then click the processes Tab, you can see exactly what is using all you memory (at this time).

The problem is that if you run a game, you cant see how much mem its taking because your in the game, unless your ALT-TAB back to the desktop, but then your now 100% about what is actually happening.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Well I'd never put XP on a machine with less than 256MB of ram myself anyway. If your a gamer I'd go for 512. If your really heavy then 1GB.

Anything else well the system is just taking the mickey and your wasting your machine spec's

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

True, but i already have 512Mb, i have a fast processor and a fast gfx card, yet i got low frame rates.

Now i know why.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

I have 512 at the mo, but in a few months I hope to upgrade to 1gb because I intend to buy a MMORPG this year and they generally take a lot of memory.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

1GB seems to be becoming the "Norm" now for high-end gaming.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Yep i have 1GB of memory

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

i dont game much, but it still makes a diffarence running other applications speed wise, i need more then the 1GB i have now, simply to see if i can boost application and OS loading speeds more.........

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Plus lots of virtual memory i hope?

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Yep some of these new games coming out are just unreal feck the spec scare me like Farcry (HIGH setting) :Yikes:

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

What size is your pagefile? You can see it on the performance panel on ctrl+alt+del

after boot mine is about 95-102 mb

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

This may be a good time too ask. I have two 256 MB ram, cards but wont 1024MB. Now if I buy new I dont wont to through away the old ones. Do any of these shops do a swap so to speak because I only have 2 DDR slots

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

I have everything on Very High or Ultra except textures which is on Medium, and it works fine. But as soon as i use High or Very High res textures it slows to a crawl.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Perhaps he's got onboard GFX. ATI and Nvidia gtu fix these problems

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Defiant, I would think not as its not in their best interest.

I would suggest flogging the 2 256Mb sticks on Ebay and then buying 2 new sticks of 512k or 1 of 1GB.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

what problems :confused:

no its a GEFORCE TI 4600 graphics card

i think mines about 130 (on boot) its at about 356 right now in about 4 days of uptime programs have been/still are running.........

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

I would you thought it would be smaller than mine, how many processes are running?


I dpn't know much about this, just what doesn't fit in RAM goes into the swapfile, does anyone know anything about the 'conservative swapfile' tweak?

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

about 33 currently.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

You should let Windows handle your swapfile, if you run out of Physical RAM then windows allocates memory within your Pagefile on your harddisk. Therefore effectively using your Hard disk as a memory module, the problem with this is that its very slow by comparision to real physical memory.

The pagefile is an actual file on your C:\ Drive called pagefile.sys (its hidden).

The conservative swapfile tweak forces programs to use all available RAM before using the pagefile. Unfortunately, this has the problem of every program trying to grab as much RAM as it needs. Some programs will use the pagefile over the RAM as its not critical that they get information stored really quickly, unlike realtime apps like games which need everything now, saving your fast memory for applications that need it.

Hope that helps.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

If you can cut down the ones you don't need it could save RAM.

These may help
Windows XP services guide
Unusual services
Explanation of common task list programs

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

ill have a look, but i only have essential services as well as norton running at start up, but the rest obviously increases because of IE java programs etc

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Thats about right and I've lost count how many times I've reimaged my machine with XP PRO. Its one hungry beast which is why I said 256 min.

The problem was when XP came out allot of the PC spec were for windows me so here's XP on a machine with 128MB of ram :rolleyes:

PS anyone with that kinda spec I'd go for Windows 200. Its the same engine but doesn't wont as much resource's ;)

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

me and downquark 1 were talking about pagefiles not physical ram sizes :erm:

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Yes I know I've been in the business a long time. Do you think I dont check my page file :erm:

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

You could try selling them on ebay !
:)

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

Thers a simple rule of thumb with RAM.. you will never have enough...

:)

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

If money were no object... :D

I think 1 - 1.5GB is more than enough for most people. Unless you do high-end stuff, like working with 500MB Photoshop files or something.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

The Dell laptop I just bought was shipped with a doddgey memory module. Worked fine a lot of the time, until memory usage went past about 300Mb. It was a single 512 card. Then it would BSOD! New RAM is being sent to me today by courier so can't really complain about the after sales.

Ironically the Laptop is from Dell outlet. I bet the reason it was originally returned is the same as the one I am seeing now.

"We test all outlet PCs thouroughly before they are sold" yeah right. Their own RAM test on their diagnostics found this one.

Address FFFFFFFFh or something that far up.

Re: Here's how you know if you need more Mem (XP)
 

You do not need ans extra programs to tell you that you need more RAM.

All you need to do is have any Microsoft product installed on your PC & you are then in need of as much more RAM as you can afford/fit.

Take "Windows" as an example... :D