[exa]

I could never figure it out. Should I use virtual memory or not?! I have 256mb of ram, which is plenty enough, and I must know whether it is faster or not when it is on. I know applications require less ram with it on but things just.. feel.. sluggish, though some games give a bit higher frame rates with it on. Any suggestions?

[wlonh]

http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/Forum5/HTML/001400.html
http://forums.macnn.com/cgi-bin/Foru...ML/000298.html

[Cipher13]

I suggest you just set 1 meg of virtual, simply so apps use less RAM - having virtual on takes the amount of RAM the Finders uses down pretty dramatically. And one meg doesn't make any computer feel sluggish.
Finder normally uses about 45 megs on my G4 400/128 with virtual off, but with virtual on (1 meg) it uses only 30 megs.
I think its worth it just for that...

Cipher13

[garrettnelson]

I thought that it will only let you use no less virtual memory than the physical memory you have installed already. On my iMac DV, I have 64M of physical memory, and Virtual Memory will only let me go as low as 65M.

This is correct. What Cipher meant was, 1MB *over* the physical amount you have installed. That's the minimum allowable amount.

Linda

[Fredo]

That is also the default setting.

[Cipher13]

Thanks for the clarification Linda :-)
Exa, has the virtual helped with bringing the Finder memory req's (and other aps too) down without any performance problems?
I just read something about an init that brings the memory req's of all apps down to what virtual would make them, without putting virtual on - I don't know whether this is true, but I'm looking for it at the moment. If I find it I'll post the URL - I don't think there's such thing though...

Cipher13

[exa]

Well yeah, virtual memory does bring program's memory requirements down a lot, but it is off because virtual memory is conflicting with a theme of mine. Also, it does tend to make things slowere, a tad bit annoying for me. I'd like to know of that init that does the same as virtual memory, I know ram doubler does but I have too much ram for ram doubler to work on.

[bobsie]

Perhaps off topic a bit, but relevant to the last message.

I had Ram Doubler, and it really worked for me. But somehow I lost it.

The original is a floppy and I have that and the upgrade installer, but I have no floppy drive anymore. How can I get RD into my G3?

[wlonh]

do you have an older Mac? ethernet the two, or email the installer to yourself from the floppied Mac

Well, as a personal opinion, I would go with no VM, results to much faster internet rendering, at least on a low-bandwidth connection! Mine connection is 28k at fastest, usually 'round 14k!

[bobsie]

Originally posted by wlonh:
do you have an older Mac? ethernet the two, or email the installer to yourself from the floppied Mac

I have a blue G3 and a Pismo Powerbook, therefore no floppy. My impression is that Ram Doubler has a copy protection scheme which doesn't allow installation from a copy. If so, it would do no good to email it.

this is kind of OT also, but just mentioning it for the seach engine-
AFAIK machines running dual processors (clones like Daystar gemini and umax DP; and some 3rd party 2 in one daughtercard upgrades) need Virtual Memory off.
Some configs won't boot up if VM is on; others will run- but never use the VM that' has been set aside on the HD. Thus no increase in availble RAM and a big chunk of HD space reserved for no reason at all.
My opinion about using vm- the machine is faster without it- but if you can turn it on you have a margin of error if you have a giant document. Without VM on you have little warning to save work in PShop before the machine locks because it's out of RAM. The machines don't really slow down ~that~ much until it is out of free contiguous real ram, and if it's a choice of running slow or not being able to get it done at all- or having to close other apps that are needed- I'd go with slow (until RAM $prices come down again.

I have I'm RAM on PBG3 now, never use VM before (from 7100) since "many people" told me not to use...
After read the discussions, I've tried...
Really not affecting me from playing Oni...
But this also real... I've found that the response of display was slower (just talking about normal system action such as window closing), enough to sense by visual. When I turn VM off, it goes right again.
So, from this NON-professional tester's opinion, "Buy some more RAM if you need them".
BTW, I would like to ask a question, "Are there any better setting to VM which make it works more efficiently?"

[exa]

Dude, I posted this thread almost a year ago ... anyways I use VM and will since it promotes stability and decreases ram lost (unsure about os 9.1 though)... Maybe I'll buy a cheap 256meg pc133 chip, double my ram... 256mb just isn't enough...

[posthumanus]

i stumbled across a suggestion last year that said 'double it+1' so i set my 64mb iMac to 129mb VM and since then not a single crash, stall, sieze on any apps, including MS ones.

then again, i make reletively modest demands on my 'puter. others who flog theirs to within an inch of their lives might say different.

posthumanus over.

[Richard Pinneau]

<---- never flogs his mac, but...

I've got some archaic MS applications that I'm *almost* sure would be as happy to crash with VM=2x+1 as with anything else.

On the otherhand, I may be superstitious enough to just experiment with it.

[typoon]

My Pismo has 256 megs of RAM and I don;t use VM. I have been able to have open PhotoShop 6, Adobe GoLive 5,IE 5, Entourage, Real Player running at the same time before getting memory messages in 9.1. I had a total of about 12.9 megs of RAM left. My G4 on the other hand I definately don;t need to run VM because I have 768 Megs of RAM. I don;t use VM because it uses up HD space that could be used for something else.