How to configure virtual memory for games. How to properly configure the paging file in Windows. Basic principles of the paging file

The swap file is hidden file, used in Windows according to the principle " extensions» RAM. By default it is in boot partition. This is where Windows itself is installed. This hidden component together with RAM make up the total virtual memory computer.

More to the point in simple language, then the swap file is peculiar critical reserve computer. It is used when you urgently need to free up full memory. Let's say several demanding applications were launched that required too many resources to solve problems. When the memory runs out, some applications are integrated into this component on the hard drive.

For example, the following situation has arisen: you have launched several programs, requiring 4 gigabytes of RAM, and you only have 3 gigabytes available. Accordingly, the missing gigabyte will be taken from swap file.

If the load is not very large, data will be downloaded from inactive or rolled up applications. When the computer is heavily overloaded with applications and the load reaches a critical level, it is used to active tasks. In this case, there is a high risk incorrect operation applications and various error messages appear.

On Windows it is usually found under the name pagefile.sys. His location on drive C. The component is hidden and will not be displayed in the basic version of the operating system.

You need to understand that the paging file is a kind of ambulance for computer speed. Accordingly, it is best to have the required amount of RAM so as not to experience problems with operating speed. For comfortable operation of the system, on average, it is necessary to have a reserve of 30 percent memory, even at times when a large number of tasks are being performed.

Optimal virtual memory size

By default, Windows determines its settings without user interaction. If you don't experience performance problems system, then it would be logical not to go into the settings. Otherwise, adjustments need to be made.

For modern gaming computers the configuration of this component does not determine the performance of the system. It is believed that if there is 16 gigabytes RAM use of additional resources is already not required. Disable file when memory is available less than 8 gigabytes not recommended. In this case, it is necessary to correctly configure the computer settings.

The optimal size can only be determined experimentally. Works for most users rule, according to which, the less RAM, the more often Windows will access the page file.

Recommended paging file sizes according to RAM

Increase, decrease or delete the page file in Win 10

In Windows 10, developers have implemented the option automatic change of this file. This parameter can be made static, as in previous versions operating system. Let's look at the chronology of actions when changing parameters:

Working with the paging file in Win 7, 8

In Windows 7 or 8, the paging file is initially set to automatic, but it does not change depending on system requirements. In order to change do the following in Windows 7 or 8 actions:

How to move the page file to another drive

It makes sense to transfer this file to another physical disk, in a section specially designated for it. In this case it will increase performance operating system. The movement algorithm is almost no different V Windows versions, starting with XP. To transfer, you must take the following steps:

How to clear virtual memory

Clearing virtual memory allows you to raise performance computer, and also contributes protection confidential data. By default, virtual memory clearing function disabled. To clear the memory, you can use special software.

Has proven itself well free program RamCleaner. Once launched, click on the tab Ram and then the button CleanNow. The data will be cleared in a few minutes, which the program will inform you about. It is recommended to carry out such an operation at least once a week to avoid possible problems with computer speed.

The page file, also called a swap file, is the computer's virtual memory. In some cases, its use is necessary. For example, you install a game on your computer that requires 4 gigabytes of RAM, and you have 2 gigabytes of RAM installed. Just when the RAM runs out, operating system accesses the virtual one, that is, the swap file.

Experienced users recommend disabling the page file on your computer and installing additional RAM instead. This is due to the fact that reading virtual memory is not as fast as reading RAM, as a result, the computer will work a little slower.

If you don’t want to go to the store, but there is no RAM at home, then you can increase the RAM using a flash drive. Follow the link and read detailed description how to do it.

If you have never set parameters for the paging file before, then by default the operating system stores it on the disk where you have the OS installed, and itself determines its optimal size.

To increase the speed of your computer, it is better to place the swap file on the wrong hard section the disk where you have the operating system installed, and on any other one.

Swap file size It is recommended to choose based on the installed parameters - set the minimum size equal to the OP, and the maximum should exceed the OP twice. If you have 4 GB of RAM: set the minimum size to 4 GB, the maximum to 8 GB.

If you want to clear the Windows 7 swap file before shutting down your computer, follow the link and read detailed article about this.

Now let's look at the question - how to increase the size of the paging file in Windows 7.

First you need to find out where the page file is located on your computer. To do this, go to “Start” - "Control Panel".

In the next window, open the “System” section.

Here on the tab "Additionally" in section "Performance" Click on the "Options" button.

In the parameters window, go to the tab "Additionally" and in the section "Virtual memory" Click on the “Change” button.

My swap file is located on the C: drive. To move it to drive D:, I mark it with a marker "No swap file" and click “Set”. An information window will appear, click “Yes”.

Then I click on the D: drive and mark the item with a marker "Specify size" and set the initial and maximum size of the paging file. My RAM is set to 2 gigabytes, respectively, the initial size is 2 GB, the maximum is 4 GB. If you want, then ask maximum value more, but keep in mind that the available memory on the corresponding partition is also reduced by the same value hard drive. Click "Set". If all options are set, click OK.

An information window will appear in which we click “OK”, and for the changes to take effect, we restart the computer.

That's all. We figured out not only how to enlarge a file Windows swap 7, but also found out where it is and what optimal size It's better to choose for him.

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Terminology:

RAM. Synonyms: RAM (Random Access Memory) – memory (storage device) with random access; random access memory, RAM. When you turn off your computer, the data stored in RAM is lost. As a rule, the larger the amount of RAM installed in the computer, the faster programs run.

Swap file (swap-file, paging-file) – file on hard drive ( pagefile.sys; has attributes Hidden, System), used Windows for storing parts of programs and data files that do not fit in RAM. As needed Windows moves data from the paging file to RAM (for use by programs) and back (to free up space for new data).

Synonyms: swap file; swap file; virtual memory file.

Virtual memory– a combination of RAM and paging file.

Swapping– swapping into RAM the missing page of virtual memory requested by the program.

If you see error messages caused by insufficient virtual memory, you will need to either increase the amount of RAM or increase the size of the page file.

Windows, as a rule, automatically controls the size of the paging file, but if the default size is insufficient to meet the needs of the user and the system (or, conversely, excessive, which happens more often!), then it can be changed manually.

How to change the page file size

Click Start -> Control Panel -> System, in window Control Panel –> All Control Panel Items –> System select menu Additional system parameters, window System propertiesopen the tabAdditionally;

In the section Performance click the button Parameters in the window Performance Optionsopen the tabAdditionally;

In the section Virtual memory click the button Change, in the window Virtual memory uncheck the box Automatically select paging file size;

Select the drive on which the paging file will be located,set the switch Specify size, in the appropriate fields, specify the initial and maximum size of the paging file in megabytes (for example, if the amount of RAM is 3GBset swap file size to 1024MB, – both initial and maximum);

Click the button Set –> OK, a window will appear System properties with a message “You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect.”, press OK –> OK –> OK, a window will appear Microsoft Windows with message ;

Save and close all open files,close all programs you are running, click the button Reboot now.

How to optimize the page file
Windows actively uses the page file, significantly unloading the PC's RAM. By default (oh the proverbial Windows default!) Microsoft has made the paging file dynamic, that is, the file size changes automatically, depending on the current needs of the operating system, although best performance system is achieved with a static file (it is not necessary to change the size of the paging file every time, its fragmentation disappears).

If you have 2 (or more) installed hard drives, it is recommended to move the page file from the drive where you have Windows installed to another hard drive.
If you have one hard drive, create a additional section volume 2 – 3GB. Convert it to FAT32. Defragment this partition. Specify the location of the swap file on this partition. Use the entire volume of this partition only for the swap file.

Notes:
1. Reading data from RAM is much faster than from a hard drive, so to increase PC performance, it is preferable to increase the amount of RAM than to increase the size of the paging file.
2. Windows 7 sets the current size of the paging file equal to the amount of installed RAM: if the amount of RAM on your PC is 3GB, then the system will automatically set the current size of the paging file to 3GB.
3. As a rule, after increasing the size of the paging file, a reboot is not required, but if it is decreased, the PC must be rebooted for the changes to take effect.
4. Microsoft does not recommend disabling or deleting the page file.
If on Windows XP, with a sufficient amount of RAM, it was possible to painlessly disable the paging file (this is a reversible process - at any time you can re-enable the use of the paging file if you think that the system has become worse), then on Vista and Windows 7 this is not recommended do, because when you launch resource-intensive applications, the OS will pester you with messages about “insufficient virtual memory.” In such cases (with RAM 3GB or more), instead of complete shutdown, you can reduce the size of the paging file to 500 - 800MB.

The page file is a pagefile.sys file on your hard drive that Windows uses when there is insufficient RAM. By default, the operating system automatically adjusts its size, and edit this parameter not required. However, in some cases self-configuration(increasing, decreasing, or disabling) the page file can improve system performance.

Before resizing or disabling the paging file, I recommend reading the article to the end, because... changing it, in some cases, may reduce Windows performance XP/7.

The point is that in in this case, large size not eating good. On the contrary, if the file size is too large, Windows will run slower. When the file size is large, the system often accesses not RAM, but pagefile.sys, which is located on the hard drive. And, as you know, the reading speed from disk is much lower than from RAM, therefore large file swapping slows down the computer and puts additional strain on the hard drive (which also reduces performance).

The optimal size of the paging file depends on the amount of RAM, I stick to the following table:

For Windows XP:

512 MB RAM – 2048 MB
1 GB RAM – 1312 MB
2 GB RAM – 1024 MB
4 GB RAM – 512 MB

For Windows 7:

512 MB RAM – 2560 MB
1 GB RAM – 1536 MB
2 GB RAM – 1312 MB
4 GB RAM – 768 MB
> 6 GB RAM – no page file

That is, the more RAM, the smaller the size of the paging file should be, so do not rush to increase it, it is better to use the table and select its optimal value.

How to increase the page file

Right-click on “My Computer” and go to “Properties” - “Advanced” - “Performance”. Next, go to “Options” - “Advanced” - “Virtual memory” - “Change”.

Select “Special size” and set required values in the fields " Original size" And " Maximum size", click "Set".

How to disable the page file

Using the right mouse button, go to “My Computer” in “Properties” - “Advanced” - “Performance”. Next, go to “Options” - “Advanced” - “Virtual memory” and click “Change”.

Select the disks one by one and click “Without a paging file” - “Set”. After the paging file is disabled on all disks, click OK. The changes will take effect after you restart your computer.

How to move the page file to another drive

Here the algorithm of actions is as follows:

Right-click on “My Computer” - “Properties” - “Advanced” - “Performance” - “Options” - “Advanced” - “Virtual Memory” - “Change”;
Select the disk on which at the moment the file is located, and click “Without swap file”;
Next, you need to click on the “Set” button and confirm the action in the window that opens;
Select the disk to which we want to transfer the paging file;
We select one of the operating modes: system-selected size (automatic paging file size) or special size (size specified by the user);
To save the changes, click “Set”, close all windows using the OK button and restart the computer.

Page file optimization

If your computer only has one hard drive, then it is better to place the paging file on the first partition;
If you are using two or more drives, it is better to transfer the file to the fastest drive;
It is not recommended to create a file on multiple logical partitions one drive. This will significantly reduce system performance;
If you have several drives, it is not recommended to use older models for the swap file hard drives– this will also reduce the speed of the computer.

Today, it is probably difficult to find a user of modern computer systems running Windows (and Win7 in particular) who would not in one way or another encounter the concept of a page file (it is designated as Pagefile.sys and is a system one). Let's see what it actually is and also define it best size to optimize system performance. Which is optimal Windows size 7 is recommended to be installed, it will be clarified now.

What is a page file?

First, a little theory. Actually, the swap file itself, present in any Windows operating system, is, as it were, additional means increasing the size of the computer’s RAM when its own volume is not enough to perform some “heavy” tasks system resources tasks or processing large quantity data (for example, floating point calculations, which mostly concerns modern games and multimedia applications).

In fact, this file contains all the “junk” that needs to be processed if there is not enough RAM. In other words, the object itself is responsible for reserving space on the hard drive for performing certain operations. In other words, when the RAM is overloaded, the data is dumped onto the hard drive, where processing takes place.

But here it is important to understand one main aspect: the fact is that the system accesses RAM much faster than hard drive, have it as much as you want fast speed spindle rotation (which, by the way, determines the speed of data reading). Unfortunately, Windows 7 determines the optimal size of the paging file on its own. And this is not always good.

The fact is that the developers of the system itself tried to set the size of the reserved space, so to speak, in a kind of universal version for all possible configurations. But if you take into account the features installed equipment(often even non-standard), many problems can arise here. The Windows 7 paging file itself, the optimal size of which is set by the operating system itself, may not cope with the tasks assigned to it. But more on that a little later.

Access to paging file resizing features and optimization methods

Setting up and changing the size of the file itself is done in the standard “Control Panel”. There, the settings and security section is initially selected, then the “System” menu. On the left side of the window there is a hyperlink to additional options. By clicking on it, you can access the main settings window. Here you use the “Advanced” tab and go to change settings by clicking the “Options” button.

Here, again, there is an “Advanced” tab, in the menu of which there is a line “Virtual memory” and a “Change” button. Click it and go to settings.

You can immediately see that the default size is set to a certain size, since the automatic selection line is enabled. Now we uncheck it and try to change it set size at your own discretion. This is where the tricky stuff starts.

The fact is that some users have a strongly held belief that a larger dimension setting will result in faster data processing. Absolute nonsense! If it's too big given size the system will simply begin to ignore RAM and increasingly turn to the reserved area of the hard drive. And this, as already mentioned, happens at a speed slower than when accessing the RAM. But the system itself, when using RAM, is capable of reserving about 30% of resources so as not to access the paging file.

Why do you need to change paging file parameters and settings?

Now let's look at the optimal size of the Windows 7 x64 paging file for gaming or for performing some resource-intensive operations. In principle, in this case (32 or 64 bit architecture) generally does not matter. If anyone hasn’t understood yet, it all depends only on the quantity installed strips“RAM”, that is, its volume.

In general, many experts do not recommend setting the size too large, but in most cases it is not worth disabling the page file (unless you have more than 8 GB of RAM). The most the best solution will become manual installation size at half the existing standard value. Microsoft experts do not advise doing such things, believing that this will damage the entire system as a whole. As practice shows, nothing like this is observed. You can completely disable the use of the backup area of the hard drive, and this will not in any way affect the functionality or performance of the system. By the way, a game launched from a hard drive (and not from optical media) will not produce errors, and processing the same 3D graphics will be done much faster.

Windows 7: Optimal paging file size (generally accepted standards)

Now let's look at the generally accepted parameters proposed for the size of the paging file in the "seven". To do this, just look at the following table.

As can be seen from the above data, the more RAM sticks are installed, the smaller the reserve. disk space. However, if we talk about some specific tasks or modern games, these parameters can be changed (it all depends on the requirements of the application itself, as well as on the existing configuration).

Standards are standards, but the question naturally arises: should we adhere to generally accepted rules?

You should immediately pay attention to user reviews. For example, many argue that the optimal size of the Windows 7 x32 paging file (4 GB of RAM) can be set below the default value, or even disable the use of the reserve altogether. But that's not all. Even with only 1-2 GB of RAM (if you work, say, only with office documents), you shouldn't use the swap file at all. Enabling it will only bring harm, since, as is already clear, the system will access the hard drive more often than the RAM, which, in turn, can cause quite strong “braking”.

Windows 7 (x64) Optimal Page File Size: Real-World Usage

In principle, if you look at it, such applications work quite effectively, allowing you to properly change settings and install for the same Windows systems 7 is the optimal size of the paging file, however, provided that it is run as an administrator.

What's the result?

In conclusion, it remains to add that the above actions should be taken only at your own peril and risk. Although in Windows 7 the optimal size of the paging file, by and large, does not play a special role (most often modern computer systems have a fairly powerful configuration), however, changing its size, say, upward is not recommended. The easiest way is to just turn it off, nothing bad will happen, believe me.