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FlightSim PC Hardware Information - Memory
Posted by admin on Monday, November 26 @ 11:41:09 EST
Memory Kingston HyperX 2 x 1GB (OC 4.4.4.12 CAS)
My Opinion
Memory is a big talking point when it comes to Windows Vista and the comments you will come across most often is that Windows Vista is memory hungry like no other OS they have ever released. With Windows new Aero GUI (Graphical User Interface) being blamed for much of the memory usage the question is how can I keep my FS performing at its best?
Attack Is The Best Defence
There are two ways you can attack any memory problem you are having
with your new PC. The first way is to throw more memory at the problem
increasing the overall RAM to either 3 or 4GB. By doing this you
increase the volume of information the PC can store in memory for fast
access at a later date.
The second method is to increase the speed of the RAM either through
buying high speed high quality RAM which can be expensive or Over
Clocking standard RAM to higher core clock speeds.
Each of these methods come with drawbacks and before talking about the
method I have chosen to tackle the issue I want to explain the
drawbacks in a little more detail.
The Down Side
The downside to volume based memory systems is that they are slower. In the instance of having 4GB's of RAM you now have 4 slots on your motherboard being used which means the CPU needs to keep track of two extra locations of stored information. Using more IRQ's which I will explain another time. The other drawback is systems based on 32bit architecture like all Windows versions (with acceptations) below Vista (The 32bit version) wont recognise or use the 4th GB of RAM in your system. Currently you need a 64bit OS like Vista 64bit to take full advantage of the 4th GB of RAM. This in it's self comes with drawbacks due to the slow uptake of 64bit compatible software on the market. So for my Gaming machine right now I'm sticking with 32bit and I suggest you do the same.
Most PC's are optimised through bios linking for 2 sticks of 1GB RAM. This will provide much better speed than the volume option but if your system starts to use more memory than it has you run the risk of Blue Screening and overall poor system performance. Which will quickly bring your FSX session to a close. Also with Windows using up to 40% of your memory before you even start FSX there isn't much room to move.
My Choice
So which is better for FSX, A Volume based memory system that can handle large amounts of information or the Speed Based system which handles memory allocation faster.
No one would blame you for thinking I would choose the volume based system. After all my FSX installation uses 17GB's of hard drive space. That's lite compared to what it's going to look like after I have bought all the regions of Australia from Koorby.
You probably guessed by now, but yes I did decide to go down the fast lane instead. With 2 x 1GB sticks of Kingston HyperX DDR2 800. But this memory on it's own still might not have been enough and I wanted a little more margin for error in terms of performance. Sadly at the time DDR3 memory with its 1333 FSB which would have been perfect for my system was still out of my price range. So for me over clocking was the answer and this would give me the breathing room when running FSX with all the fruit.
Over Clocking RAM
After writing 500 words of information on the subject it has been recommended that I avoid telling people how they can over clock there RAM due to recent legal action taken in Perth by a user of a forum against another user due to damage to his PC after accepting over clocking advice. It's a shame I cant tell you more about how this can be done but instead I will point you in the direction of information already published.
Word of advice for anyone who's thinking of over clocking there system. - * Take responsibility for your own actions * -
Page filing The Ready Boost Way
Memory has always been a cheap and effective upgrade for a PC. However with Windows Vista you can now upgrade the way your system uses Page Filing as well. If you memory is of good quality and you just finished over clocking it, but you find you would still like a little more performance out of the memory system in your PC. Do what I do after work and take a load off. Take the load of page filing off of your slower Hard Drives and put it onto something faster. Like a USB thumb drive. You cant just use any USB thumb drive you have to use the Faster USB Flash Drives like the this one from Corsair.
Windows has even made it a no brainer so I'm not going to go into to much detail about how to install it. Just plug it in a free USB drive and Windows will ask you if you would like to use it to speed up your system. Click yes and your done.
How to find memory information in Windows Vista
One of the best places to find memory information while your PC is under load is with the task manager. Go to the taskbar and right click there you will find the Task Manager as a selectable option, click on the performance tab and you can see what state you memory and page filing is in at any one time. Monitor that activity onetime while FSX is running and you will find the source of most peoples problems when it comes to FSX performance. Check your performance against the information in the post to decide for your self if you need to look into upgrading your memory. As a guide If while running FSX you find more than 85% of your memory is being used then you could benefit from better memory performance or a Ready Boost Upgrade.
Round Up
Performance is speed and the faster your PC is moving information around the better. That goes for RAM as well and RAM wont become a bottleneck in your PC if it's being moved out of the RAM module fast.
My system will run FSX with 70% RAM usage. While that is higher than XP systems it's performing well with no blue screens or slow downs in game. What more could you ask for?
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