CSGalloway@nc.rr.com wrote:
>
> Yes but how do I know if I have an adequate amount, given all my
> programs?
The authoritative way to check is to run PerfMon.exe and have it graph "Page
Faults/sec" (in the "Memory" category) while you do at least typical use of
your computer. It won't be 0 when things are happening, because paging is
not only used when there isn't enough memory but also as the primary means
of loading file data into memory, but if you are getting high numbers
continually, you don't have enough memory.
To give a benchmark, on the computer where I'm writing this e-mail, I
currently have the following applications open:
Outlook 2000
Internet Explorer
SurroundSCM Source Control Client
2 x 4NT Prompt
2 x Visual Basic 6
Notepad
4 x Explorer Folder Windows
2 x SQL Query Analyzer
WorkUpdate Console (internal app that holds 100+ MB of state information
and continuously updates it)
RegEdit
PerfMon
2 x PingerThinger (system tray applet I wrote that pings an IP once every 20
seconds and graphs it)
SQL Server Agent
Pageant
Intel Graphics Tray Icon
UltraVNC
There are also a number of background processes and services running, a
total of 61 using some 718 MB of RAM. The machine has 1 GB of physical RAM,
which is about adequate for this level of use, and PerfMon is showing an
average of 150 page faults/sec. The average is high because of peaks of
500-1000 as I switch from application to application (occasional peaks are
>2000); the typical values are less than 150, and when I sit there watching
PerfMon, the "Last" value is frequently less than 15.
If you see numbers higher than I'm seeing, and if your system seems sluggish
and to be always accessing the hard drive, then you probably don't have
enough memory. If you get numbers the same as or better than I'm seeing and
your hard drive light only flickers occasionally when you're not asking
programs to access files, you're probably doing just fine. :-)
Jonathan Gilbert
