SuperFetch

[lxskllr]

I just installed Vista64, and was contemplating going to 6 or 8gb of ram(I have 4gb now). I don't need that much ram, but if SuperFetch aggressively prefetches all of my data I'm thinking it might be worth it. Ram's super cheap now, and I was thinking that having that much might be almost like a ram drive with SuperFetch.

Opinions?

 

[postmortemIA]

you can't rely on superfetch to fetch what you exactly use. for example, it never reduces game loading times.

 

[jonmcc33]

Just know that it takes time and resources to load all that crap into memory when you boot up. I just don't like the feature at all. If I wanted to have all my apps in RAM I'd load them up by putting them in the Startup folder.

 

[ShawnD1]

Superfetch isn't that special.

Generally ram gets cheaper over time, so you might as well just wait until you need it.

 

[lxskllr]

SuperFetch is kind of special. I've been using Vista since before release, and I notice a definite speed up of app loading. I'm not really expecting it to be like a ram drive, but with 8gb, it should have most of what I use in a day cached. I don't care if I get longer boot times, I seldom reboot my machine. Besides, I'll trade a sluggish start for speedy operation every time 😉

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
you can't rely on superfetch to fetch what you exactly use. for example, it never reduces game loading times.

Does here...mind you I sit down to game at about the same time every day and typically play the same game several weeks straight.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Smilin
Does here...mind you I sit down to game at about the same time every day and typically play the same game several weeks straight.

LOL @ this comment. SuperFetch isn't smart enough to know what maps load up next. Game time loads should usually be pretty fast. It's the map/level loading that some people can't take.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Originally posted by: Smilin
Does here...mind you I sit down to game at about the same time every day and typically play the same game several weeks straight.

LOL @ this comment. SuperFetch isn't smart enough to know what maps load up next. Game time loads should usually be pretty fast. It's the map/level loading that some people can't take.

I've noticed quicker map loading in UT2k4. It might be because of shared textures, or something like that, but it's definitely noticeable.

What do you think Smilin? Is the performance increase worth maxing out my ram?

 

[themisfit610]

keep in mind that running 4 sticks of RAM usually has severe penalties in the overclocking department..

~MiSfit

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: themisfit610
keep in mind that running 4 sticks of RAM usually has severe penalties in the overclocking department..

~MiSfit

I already have my slots filled. What I would probably do is take out 2 1gb sticks, and add 2 2gb sticks. If I could find a good deal on Crucial 2GB Tracers, I would probably fill it with them. I only got them because they were a good deal at the time. I didn't think leds on the ram were useful at all. I find I use the lights quite a bit though to keep an eye on what my computer's up to. I'm sold on the concept of leds on ram 🙂

 

[marks70]

While I understand the concept behind Superfetch, I still have a difficult time understanding its true benefit. Most of my (and probably everyone's) applications that I use on a daily basis take about 2-3 seconds to load (without Superfetch). I'm referring to apps like Internet Explorer/Firefox, e-mail client, Office suite, and similar programs. Given that, do I really care if Superfetch allows me to launch an application in 1 second vs. the 2-3 without it? If we aren't talking about games, I just don't see what the hype is.

In my experience, Superfetch is one of those items that causes my hard drive to thrash away for 5-10 minutes after my computer boots up. I'd rather do without it.

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

^ That's how I feel.

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: marks70
While I understand the concept behind Superfetch, I still have a difficult time understanding its true benefit. Most of my (and probably everyone's) applications that I use on a daily basis take about 2-3 seconds to load (without Superfetch). I'm referring to apps like Internet Explorer/Firefox, e-mail client, Office suite, and similar programs. Given that, do I really care if Superfetch allows me to launch an application in 1 second vs. the 2-3 without it? If we aren't talking about games, I just don't see what the hype is.

In my experience, Superfetch is one of those items that causes my hard drive to thrash away for 5-10 minutes after my computer boots up. I'd rather do without it.

Just turn it off then.

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Originally posted by: Smilin
Does here...mind you I sit down to game at about the same time every day and typically play the same game several weeks straight.

LOL @ this comment. SuperFetch isn't smart enough to know what maps load up next. Game time loads should usually be pretty fast. It's the map/level loading that some people can't take.

Who said anything about maps? LOL @ your reading comprehension.

 

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Originally posted by: Smilin
Does here...mind you I sit down to game at about the same time every day and typically play the same game several weeks straight.

LOL @ this comment. SuperFetch isn't smart enough to know what maps load up next. Game time loads should usually be pretty fast. It's the map/level loading that some people can't take.

I've noticed quicker map loading in UT2k4. It might be because of shared textures, or something like that, but it's definitely noticeable.

What do you think Smilin? Is the performance increase worth maxing out my ram?

I would suggest letting application needs determine your ram. Having some extra for caching is nice but I wouldn't actually by heaps of ram to do it. If you are going to spend some cash on performance I would suggest some readyboost. Subjectively it seems to reduce some paging when the machine is loaded down with apps. Things are a tad bit snappier when switching between apps on a taxed system.