SOLVED Use Less RAM w/ SSDs?

[setotitan]

I'm the first to admit that I will forever be a student of technology, and if someones got a better idea I'm glad to listen. However this sounded somewhat questionable.

I was on a remote session with a client that purchased new computers for their entire shop. The IT person has them running Windows 8 with 2GB of RAM because the machines all have SSDs. He's increased the page file system to supplement the memory. If you go to task manager you now see 4GB of memory.

This seems like a neat trick, but does it work? I thought paging was bad, is that only true when dealing with HDDs?

Thoughts, opinions, speculation.

 

[petteyg359]

Paging itself is not bad. There's no sense keeping a large object in primary storage all the time if you know it isn't going to be used anytime soon, and you need that primary storage for something else. The problem here is the "need that primary storage for something else" being so great that paging is occurring often enough to slow down the system. There's a need for more RAM, not a faster secondary storage device. The SSD is like taking Demerol while stabbing yourself in the face with an ice pick. It'd be better to quit stabbing yourself in the face (and get more RAM).

 

[Realee]

The paging file is only used when the memory required exceeds the available RAM.
That means writing to the SSD.
That means lowering the lifetime of the SSD.
That means the I.T. guy should be shot.

There's no excuse these days to have less than 4Gb RAM. Most store bought machines are 8Gb.

The real way to do it without lowering the lifetime of the hardware would be INCREASE the RAM, DECREASE the PAGE FILE.

 

[Woomack]

RAM is still much faster than the SSD. Win7/8 uses about 1.5GB+ RAM itself what means if you have 2GB RAM then you see huge performance drop using more memory demanding software. Even web browsers are caching a lot of data if you are longer browsing the web. Saving money on 2GB RAM is really stupid and I won't even mention that current 2GB RAM will work in single channel what is next performance drop.
In this case better is to get more RAM and standard HDD since system files are being loaded to the RAM anyway. With 2GB it's like having no RAM and work on ~100-200MB/s bandwidth ( vs 8GB/s+ what RAM offers ). Every magical bandwidth that you see in benchmarks above ~150MB/s in random transfers on SSD is caching but to cache larger files you have to use RAM so in general SSD performance will also drop when RAM is full ( and it is since you have system files there ).
Page file was created so you won't run out of memory when RAM is full and that's all.

 

[setotitan]

Thanks for the info guys! I can always count on getting my education with a side of comedy at the OC forum

 

[jawadesign]

Good info here...

I guess it was wrong for me to view the SSD as a GIANT RAM/DIMM module, lol!

 

[magellan]

Paging itself is not bad. There's no sense keeping a large object in primary storage all the time if you know it isn't going to be used anytime soon, and you need that primary storage for something else. The problem here is the "need that primary storage for something else" being so great that paging is occurring often enough to slow down the system. There's a need for more RAM, not a faster secondary storage device. The SSD is like taking Demerol while stabbing yourself in the face with an ice pick. It'd be better to quit stabbing yourself in the face (and get more RAM).

Ah the humanity!