I've recently been tweeking my virtual memory after a friend told me it could help boost my comp.
I'm a minimalist and barely use any of my memory. I've recently set my VM at 8G-10G of VM. I'm sure this is over doing it, but are there any dangers to over allocating hard drive space to VM?
There's no danger in allocating more space to the page file other than having less free space available on the HDD. Windows 7 actually does a great job at managing the page file though, and it's usually fine to just leave the page file set to be "System Managed".
What could help improve the performance of the page file and Windows 7, would be to move the page file to be on a separate physical HDD than the one Windows 7 is installed on.
I can tell you a better way to boost the performance of your computer.... USE MEMORY. If you are not using RAM you are then using the Hard Drive which is the slowest link.
DO NOT, be a "minimalist" when it comes to RAM. Use every single bit available. Why else have it?
My Computer
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Alienware Aurora ALX R4
OS
Windows 10 Pro (x64)
CPU
Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2GHz - 4.5GHz)
Motherboard
Alienware Aurora-R4 x79
Memory
4x Samsung 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (16GB 1600MHz)
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia Geforce GTX 690
Sound Card
SteelSeries Siberia Elite
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell UltraSharp U3011
Screen Resolution
2560x1600
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB, Seagate 1TB Desktop Hybrid HDD, 2x Western Digital 4TB Green HDD
PSU
875W Some Dell PSU <.<
Case
Alienware Aurora ALX
Cooling
Custom Liquid Cooling (EK CPU & GPU blocks) dual EK 480RAD
Keyboard
Logitech G710+ Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G700s
Internet Speed
Verizon Fios (50 mbps average)
Other Info
Server: Intel NUC D54250WYK: i5-4250U, 16GB, 256 GB mSATA, Windows Server 2012 R2
I mean I'm a minimalist in the realm of Hard Disk space. I only install applications I use, and remove those that I don't. So running out of hard disk space isn't a worry.
However if VM really is slower Ill just scale back the VM to the recommended about. I already have 4G of RAM and the RAM gauge tool never goes past 46%. 36% now at 10G VM.
Does anyone know of ways to improve the CPU speed without new hardware? That's the one that hits 100% often.
Overclocking it. That's really the only option to make a CPU faster without replacing hardware. Depending upon the make of your computer, this may or may not be possible. For example, if you own a Dell, all of the BIOS features are locked down so you cannot overclock it, same goes for almost every manufactured computer (gateway, HP, Acer, Lenovo, etc).
My Computer
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self-Built in July 2009
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
Memory
8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
Sound Card
Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
Monitor(s) Displays
23" Acer x233H
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
PSU
Corsair 620HX modular
Case
Antec P182
Cooling
stock
Keyboard
ABS M1 Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Internet Speed
15/2 cable modem
Other Info
Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
My computer is retail bought. The hardware is all probably low grade so I try to stay away from overclocking. Ah well. Thanks for all the help anyway guys.