Windows 7: optimal paging file size for games

Today, it is probably difficult to find a user of modern computer systems running Windows (and Win7 in particular) who would somehow not encounter the concept of a page file (it is denoted as Pagefile.sys and is a system one). Let's see what it really is, and also determine its best size to optimize system performance. What is the optimal size of the Windows 7 swap file is recommended, now it will be found out.

What is a swap file?

First, a little theory. Actually, the swap file itself, which is present in any Windows OS, is an additional means of increasing the size of the computer’s RAM when its own volume is not enough to perform some tasks that are difficult in terms of system resources or process large amounts of data (for example, floating point computing, which is mostly true for modern games and multimedia applications).

In fact, all the “junk” that is to be processed if there is not enough RAM is registered in this file. In other words, the object itself is responsible for reserving hard disk space for some operations. In other words, when the “RAM” is too overloaded, the data is reset to the hard drive, where the processing takes place.

But here it is important to understand one main aspect: the fact is that the system accesses the RAM much faster than the hard drive, it has an arbitrarily fast spindle speed (which, by the way, depends on the speed of data reading). Unfortunately, Windows 7 determines the optimal paging file size on its own. And this is not always good.

The fact is that the developers of the system themselves tried to establish the size of the reserved space, so to speak, in a kind of universal option for all possible configurations. But if you take into account the features of the installed equipment (often even non-standard), there can be many problems. The Windows 7 swap file itself, the optimal size of which is set by the OS itself, may not cope with the tasks assigned to it. But more on that later.

Access paging file resizing features and optimization methods

Settings and resizing of the file itself are done in the standard “Control Panel”. There, the settings and security section is initially selected, then the “System” menu. On the left side of the window there is a hyperlink to additional parameters. By clicking on it, you can access the main settings window. Here the tab “Advanced” is used and the transition to changing the settings by pressing the button “Parameters” is carried out.

Here, again, there is a tab “Advanced”, in the menu of which there is a line “Virtual memory” and a button “Change”. Click it and go to the setting.

It’s immediately obvious that a certain size is set by default, because the automatic selection line is enabled. Now uncheck it and try to change the set size at our discretion. This is where the tricks begin.

The fact is that some users have a firmly rooted opinion that a large established dimension will contribute to faster data processing. Absolute nonsense! If the specified size is too large, the system will simply begin to ignore RAM and will increasingly turn to the reserved area of ​​the hard drive. And this, as already mentioned, happens at a speed less than when accessing the "RAM". But the system itself, using RAM, can reserve about 30% of resources so as not to access the page file.

Why change the page file settings and settings

Now let's take a look at the optimal paging file size for Windows 7 x64 for games or for performing some demanding operations. In principle, in this case, the system capacity (32 or 64 bit architecture) does not play a role in general. If someone still does not understand, it all depends on the number of installed RAM slots, that is, its volume.

In general, many experts do not recommend setting the size too large, but you should not disable the swap file in most cases (unless you have more than 8 GB of RAM). The best solution is to manually set the size to half of the existing standard value. Microsoft experts do not recommend doing such things, believing that this will harm the entire system as a whole. As practice shows, nothing of the kind is observed. You can generally disable the use of the reserve area of ​​the hard drive, and this will not affect the operability or performance of the system. By the way, a game running from a hard drive (and not from an optical medium) will not produce errors, and processing the same three-dimensional graphics will be much faster.

Windows 7: optimal paging file size (generally accepted standards)

Now let's look at the generally accepted options suggested for the page file size in the "seven". To do this, just look at the following table.

As can be seen from the above data, the more RAM slots installed, the smaller the size of the disk space reserve. However, if we talk about some specific tasks or modern games, these parameters can be changed (it all depends on the requirements of the application itself, as well as on the existing configuration).

Should I follow the standard tips?

Standards by standards, but the question naturally arises: should we adhere to generally accepted rules?

Immediately pay attention to user reviews. So, for example, many argue that the optimal size of the Windows 7 x32 paging file (4 GB of RAM) can be set below the default value, or even disable the use of the reserve at all. But that is not all. Even if there is only 1-2 GB of “RAM” (if you work, say, only with office documents), you should not use the swap file at all. Its inclusion will only bring harm, since, as already understood, the system will turn to the hard drive more often than to the "RAM", which, in turn, can cause quite a strong "braking".

Windows 7 (x64) swap file size: real use

If you don’t want to follow the described recommendations, you can use “advanced” optimizer programs like Advanced System Care or something else. If you delve deeply into the settings, you can also find the swap file optimizer.

In principle, if you figure it out, such applications work quite efficiently, allowing you to properly change settings and set the optimal paging file size for the same Windows 7 system, however, provided that it is run as administrator.

What is the result?

In conclusion, it remains to add that the above actions should be taken only at your own peril and risk. Although in Windows 7 the optimal size of the paging file does not play a special role (most often modern computer systems have a fairly powerful configuration), it is not recommended to change its size, say, in the direction of increase. The easiest way is to simply turn it off, nothing bad will happen, believe me.