Windows 7 3 GB switch

SSHOAIB · 27 Oct 2010

Hi
I have a windows 7 enterprise 32 bitmachine with core i7/ATI 4670 and 3GB DDR3 RAM. I would like to use bcdedit to increase OS independent RAM. With BCDEdit is it safe to give all 3 GB (3072) to the softwares? Is it gonna make win 7 un-bootable?

On the same machine I used XP 32 bit pro before and used the /3 GB switch without any problem.
Please help I need my Sound production software to use more ram handling a lot of big wav file I cannot normally load.
thanks

yowanvista · 27 Oct 2010

my Sound production software to use more ram

Then the best option is to add more RAM and use x64

mckillwashere · 27 Oct 2010

I agree with yowanvista, more ram and x64 would be better....

What socket 17 is it??
if its a 1366 6gb or ram and x64 you will see a very large performance boost :)

SSHOAIB · 27 Oct 2010

I know going to 64 bit will be better but on my exisiting 32 bit OS giving all 3gb - is it gonna make the windows unbootable?
thanks

mckillwashere · 27 Oct 2010

Your license covers both x64 and x86 version of the os.

Barman58 · 27 Oct 2010

If you starve the system of memory before you start win7 is is certain to have a hit on system performance, just as physically removing memory would do.

Win7 memory management is very advanced and designed to manage the fluid use of available RAM better than previous operating systems from Microsoft.

If you have an issue with available memory for your particular application IMO the best solution would of course be the additional Memory x64 route, but if this is not an option try an audit of what you are actually using your memory for.

Look at start-up programs and your own working methods and try to eliminate any unneeded memory use

have a look here Sysinternals Process Utilities and use the tools to streamline your useage, this will hopefully improve your performance whilst retaining the fluidity in the system to cover changes in requirements of system processes.

Things such as setting unneeded or little used services to manual mode (not disabled) will also increase the available memory for your application.

If you check out some of the methods used by the gaming community to maximise their system performance for games there may well be adaptions you can use to improve your own system

j3anders · 28 Oct 2010

The 3GB switch won't do anything for you. Your software is still capable of allocating 4GB of virtual memory assuming you've got the RAM and swap for it. Physical memory is not virtual memory is not virtual address space.

Raymond Chen can tell you all about it: Search - MSDN Blogs

GeneO · 28 Oct 2010

j3anders said:

The 3GB switch won't do anything for you. Your software is still capable of allocating 4GB of virtual memory assuming you've got the RAM and swap for it. Physical memory is not virtual memory is not virtual address space.

Raymond Chen can tell you all about it: Search - MSDN Blogs

Not to an individual process. On the 32 bit OS, any process is limited to 2GB of virtual address space unless you use the /3G switch.

I used /3G under XP for Photoshop. I always had problems with program crashes when its working set grew to near the maximum. Some programs, like some ATI graphics components, would even fail to start with the /3G switch. It is really not well supported.

If you need an app to acces for than 2GB of memory, I would advise avoiding the /3G route and go for x64.

- Gene

sygnus21 · 28 Oct 2010

yowanvista said:

my Sound production software to use more ram

Then the best option is to add more RAM and use x64

That's assuming the software is 64-bit compatible. Yeah, he can move to a 64-bit OS, add more RAM, then discover that the software isn't 64-bit compatible

@ SSHOAIB,

If you do consider moving to a 64-bit OS, do your homework first! and make sure your hardware and software is compatible with a 64-bit OS.

As for your recording program... does it have an option to increase the RAM usage? Sort of like this in Adobe Photoshop....

Other than that, that's my two cents.

stormy13 · 28 Oct 2010

GeneO said:

Not to an individual process. On the 32 bit OS, any process is limited to 2GB of virtual address space unless you use the /3G switch.

I used /3G under XP for Photoshop

Forgot to mention that for a 32 bit app to use more than 2 GB it also has to be "largeaddressaware", of which I'm guessing (never used it) that Photoshop is one of those.