System RAM how much do you need?

I am always amazed when I read statements online that claim a specific amount of RAM is all you need. To say any fixed figure is sufficient is like saying you have enough money. Do you really? Sure, you might have paid your bills, but wouldn’t having more money have been better? With more funds, you could do things now that you might have to wait a long time to afford otherwise. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a larger budget for those activities?

The same logic applies to your computer's system RAM. Today, software developers strive to create programs that run with minimal active memory. They do this to attract customers who might otherwise think, "If they require more RAM than my computer has, I guess I won’t buy their software." But how do they achieve this? Are they truly making software with lower memory requirements?

Take, for example, Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a speech recognition software that ideally converts your voice into text in real-time. Anyone who has worked with audio files knows that sound files can be large. So how can DNS possibly work efficiently with just 8GB of RAM? The quick answer is: they aren't really making it work that way. The program will operate, but your performance will suffer. 

For instance, if Dragon can only utilize 4GB of RAM, you can be sure it reaches its limit almost immediately. Why doesn’t it crash? Because it is paging files somewhere else. The method of paging directly affects the speed of Dragon from that point onward. Just because Dragon pages files doesn’t mean it has finished with them; it only means it needs more RAM. When it runs out of available RAM, it sends part of an active file to your drive to free up some space. Once this paging starts, performance only gets worse.

Think of a woodworking project on a workbench that measures only 2’ x 6’. Once you run out of space for your tools and the project itself, you have to put some tools away, even though you will likely still need them and will have to retrieve them repeatedly. This is a colossal waste of time. It gets worse, though. Since you’ve already run out of workspace, you cannot get that tool again until you determine which other tool must be put away, even if you are still using it. You end up spending more time putting tools away and getting them back than actually working on the project. You may look busy, but you aren't accomplishing much. The same principle applies to computer benchmarks; it often turns into just busy work. Unless you have sufficient RAM (or bench space), you have no choice but to manage your tools and space carefully because you simply cannot keep everything you need within reach at the same time.

With system memory, once you've exhausted free RAM and paging and virtual memory begins, the system slows down dramatically. If your program isn’t a true 64-bit application, paging must occur; otherwise, the program would crash.

However, if you have excess RAM, those page files can be stored in the available RAM rather than on the computer's hard drive. This means when a memory-intensive program, like DNS, needs those page files, they can be accessed almost instantly from RAM—significantly faster than a 50X slower SSD or a 100X slower HDD. It’s like having a budget-friendly version of a 64-bit program, allowing you to utilize the extra RAM that you previously had no way to access. The operating system manages this, enabling your application to run nearly as efficiently as a true 64-bit program because the page files are quickly retrieved from RAM instead of a slower drive.

Is this the limit to the benefits of extra RAM? Absolutely not! If you have a 64-bit system with true 64-bit applications, the more RAM you have, the better those applications will perform because they can use the RAM without taking the time to page it elsewhere. There’s even more! Having extra RAM allows you to disable paging altogether on 64-bit systems. Disabling virtual memory can significantly boost performance, although you should test your applications before making this change. Some programs are designed to look for a page file even if you have enough RAM to avoid using it. Fortunately, this is relatively uncommon, and if it does happen, re-enabling the feature takes only a few minutes. Most of the time, disabling page files results in a substantial performance increase. Some users choose to create a small page file, just in case a program checks for one. However, with such a small size, both the program and Windows will be forced to use RAM rather than the slower hard drive.

One more thing to consider: when a program's creator states that it requires a certain amount of RAM, they are referring only to their program, not accounting for other applications you may have running in the background. You rarely run only one program; the operating system, many TSR programs, and other optional applications also require RAM! 

Now that M-tech offers 64GB of super-fast DDR4 memory, we are beginning to see programs run even more efficiently. Additionally, we have a special trick up our sleeve to further maximize your RAM and its availability. It’s a neat little secret that we only share with our customers. However, you can also call and ask nicely; most likely, our technical advisor will let you in on it regardless!

Here’s a link to assist you with this tweak and others. There are variations in how to implement these changes based on your operating system. If you don't find specific instructions for your OS, simply search online with phrases like, "how to disable a page file for Windows ??". As time passes, we will update our resources to reflect new information, but in the meantime, keyword search queries can help you find answers to nearly every question you may have.

Computer Tweaks