The average user, perhaps, does not pay much attention to the virtual memory of Windows-systems, but advanced users and professionals are aware of the role played by the swap file in them. Let's analyze a simple configuration and try to consider the swap file for 4 GB of RAM with a standard 2-core processor.
What is virtual memory for?
The pagefile.sys file is a system component that is responsible for backing up additional disk space to save data of currently executing programs and applications when there is not enough RAM.
The size of the swap file (4 GB of RAM in our example) is initially determined by the system upon installation by itself. The essence of its use is that any currently active program loads its executable components (the same DLLs) into RAM. When RAM is fully loaded, so that the system does not slow down further, but continues to execute running processes, the components are unloaded to the hard drive (this is the so-called virtual memory).
But here you should pay attention to one thing: access to data stored in RAM is much faster than accessing a hard disk, even if it is an SSD (solid-state drive) standard with a maximum read speed. Therefore, the issues associated with how much swap file (4 GB of RAM) is required for the normal operation of the system or active programs, cause many misunderstandings. Let's turn to the system itself.
Paging file for 4 GB of RAM: do I need to use it?
Opponents of climbing Windows settings and changing default settings very often say that it’s better not to touch this component, but you know, you never know what can happen (as it is believed, even if the size is wrong, the system can “fly off”). Nothing like this!
In general, there is a single rule for any configuration: the more RAM slots are installed, the less virtual memory is needed by the system. In the case of 4 GB of RAM, provided that heavy applications are not used in the work, its size can be changed or use can be completely disabled.
What happens if the page file (Windows 10, 4 GB RAM) is disabled?
As a rule, in any Windows system, the use of RAM is subject to uniform requirements. The system itself reserves about 30% of the RAM, just in case, so to speak, and uses it only after accessing the swap file.
As mentioned above, access to the "RAM" is faster, respectively, the program with its downloaded data is optimal. What if I turn off the use of disk space for backup? As practice shows, nothing bad will happen. The system will simply access the RAM directly in any case, bypassing requests for the selected area on the hard drive. In this case, this will not affect the system’s performance in any way, and we are not talking about any critical failures (this could only be seen on systems like Windows 98 or 2000). To date, the problem has been resolved.
Access to change settings
Setting up a page file (4 GB of RAM), which is an object called pagefile.sys in the system, is quite simple.
Access to the virtual memory parameters is carried out in the section of additional system performance parameters called through the standard “Control Panel”. For example, in Windows 10, the panel itself is called up first (the control command in the Run menu - Win + R), then the system proceeds to the section "System", then the menu of additional parameters is selected, and then the Settings button in the performance section is used.
At the entrance you will immediately see how much space is reserved by the system. To change the settings you need to use the appropriate button. In a new window, you can specify the desired size or disable the use of virtual memory in general.
Optimal size
Here you need to observe one unspoken rule: the swap file for 4 GB of RAM according to unspoken canons should be 1024 MB (1 GB) in size. But this is the only way it is considered.
Naturally, it can be increased or decreased, but too much physical volume should also not be set. This is fraught only with the fact that the system will constantly access not the RAM, but the hard disk, due to which the speed will be much lower. You can also set the upper and lower limit of variation, which gives a wide field for speed settings.
What is the result?
In principle, if you follow the unspoken rules, the page file for 4 GB of RAM has a strictly defined size. However, as with any rule, there are exceptions. For example, if an SSD drive is used, the access speed to it is higher than to ordinary hard drives. In this case, virtual memory may not be touched.
If the system does not intend to use resource-intensive programs and applications, such support can be turned off altogether. Believe me, nothing bad will happen. But the system will refer exclusively to RAM, which will affect the increase in performance. By the way, many users who are optimizing the system do just that. And no critical failures occur, as some opponents of changing the default Windows settings tend to claim.
And, of course, you need to pay attention to the memory bars used. Naturally, the DIMM standard is already moving into oblivion. But when applying the DDR standard, you should pay attention to the marking (modifications 2, 3 and 4). When installing the memory of one of these standards and the size of the pagefile.sys file, you can vary within a fairly wide range. In addition, the memory itself has different speeds for downloading or reading data, not to mention the amount of information stored. For example, if you have the same 4 GB with DDR4 SDRAM slots, you can refuse to use such support altogether, since the RAM itself exceeds the needs of the system with interest. But the right solution must be sought in each case, testing the configuration of the computer system.
In combination with all of the above factors, it is worth saying that the backup of virtual memory in the sense of editing the pagefile.sys file, which is responsible for it, must be done very carefully. Of course, you can turn it all off. Nothing terrible will happen. However, the specialists who created Windows-systems are also far from being so stupid, and the use of virtual memory has a lot of criteria by which to set or not change the recommended parameters.
You can rummage through both the system registry and the Group Policy Editor, which, in fact, duplicates the registry. But all these actions are too complicated for the average user to put into practice. Therefore, it is better to apply the methods and settings described above.
And one last thing: in systems with 4 GB of RAM and a processor with two cores, you can easily refuse to use such support. The situation is such that disconnecting it will not only not lead to critical failures, but, perhaps, will even increase the performance of the entire system as a result of directly accessing the RAM strips instead of the disk and partitions reserved on it. And this, as already understood, has a direct impact on the performance of any system.