Some questions about more RAM and virtual memory in Nt 4.0

[whizler]

A colleague I work with claimed that after adding addition memory to an NT 4.0 WS computer (from 64 to 128), you should increase the swapfile size as well, to something like at least 1.5x the new memory amount. I argued that this was not needed at all, that the virtual memory settings should remain the same, or lowered if it is set high. Who is right?

This same colleague also argued that if virtual memory is set to a factor above, say, 2.5 of the RAM amount, this will result in degraded performance. I believed this was correct, but I wondered why the addition of more memory would make a "sub-optimal" swap file size that is too high suddenly optimal.

What is the minimum swap file size for NT 4.0? I know it can't be zero, but it seems that the more memory you add, the smaller it can be.

Thanks for your responses. If you can back up your opinions with references or your own experiences, I'd be grateful.

 

[Whitedog]

No matter what size you set the pagefile to, Windows will only use the amount it needs. NO MATTER What anyone at this board will say, the size of your pagefile WILL NOT impact performace... only take up more disk space. Use your performance monitor to look at how much usage the pagefile is at to verify this.

By default, windows creates your pagefile 1.5x your ram as minimum and doubles that for the maximum. You don't have to increase this when you add more ram, but if you are loading the ram up more being you have the memory, you should consider changing your settings.

There's not a lot you can do to control the amount the pagefile is being used other than a few registry tweaks.

Too bad you can't disable it like you can in 9x huh