virtual memory

[cristoforo]

What is everyone using as virtual memory settings? I read in the help file of 3D Studio that the virtual memory should be set to (3) times your physical memory. So, I should set my virtual memory to 6GB if I have 2GB of RAM. I did this.....but the computer (2GB RAM, P4 3.60) was freezing during light cache and also during calculation of irradiance map. I instead rendered from one of my render nodes (1GB RAM, P4 3.00) with a setting of 3GB for the virtual memory and it rendered fine....using DR. On the more powerful computer I changed the virtual memory to 3GB and it rendered. So, curious to know what the correct settings should be to optimize my computers.

[trixian]

I might be mistaken, but afaik, windows can only access 2048 mb for each thread (or process) so setting it higher won't help. 3gigs would then require the 3gb switch enabled to be fully utilized. I'm guessing the info you read about setting it to 3 times the ram is outdated info from when users often only had 128-512 megs of ram. At least I remember reading something along those lines all that time ago. So could be windows is getting a nervous breakdown when being assigned 6 gigs.

Then again I might have been sniffing glue again and someone should come and slap some sense into my head.

[Da_elf]

well ive only got 2gb in my boxx system with winxp64 so since i get an extra 2gb with winxp64 i should be able to set my virtual memory at 2gb shouldnt i? or do they make a distinction of how much physical and virtual ram you can assign. i know on their website they boasted that in a fully 64bit environment winxp64 can handle 128gb physical ram and 16tb virtual ram

[trixian]

Assuming cristoforo is running the vanilla 32 bit xp pro or w2k.
Well I'm not really sure how this works, but I assume windows differentiates between physical and virtual memory, so on my own machine at home where I have 2 gigs of ram, I have set the swap size to a set size of 2048. But for all I know, windows could be only using 1 gig of ram while using 2 1 gig of virtual for a max of 2 gigs. But it seems as if it is using them separately.

Would be nice if one of those other tech-savvy forum strollers would chime in and correct, or explain.

[cristoforo]

I really do not not know which xp I am running?!?! At work, the systems window says Windows XP Professional version 2002 service pack 2. I will have to check at home.