# RAM Full Problem!



## lykos92 (Mar 9, 2008)

Hi again, I have a problem. When I copy/paste files, install games, write ISO files, etc... my RAM goes up to 99% and of course my PC's performance gets extremely bad. I thought that it was a HDD problem, but today I replaced my HDD with a new one, and the problem persists. When the installation/copy/write finishes, I have to wait about 10 minutes without using the PC for the RAM to get well. I would really appreciate some help/advice.

My OS is Windows Vista Ultimate x64, running on a AMD Phenom 2,60GHz, with 4GB of DDR2 RAM (800MHz) and my HDD is Seagate SATA2 500GB.

Thanks.


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## oldjoe (Apr 13, 2009)

What brand and specific model is the RAM?


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## lykos92 (Mar 9, 2008)

It's KINGSTON KVR800D2N6K2/4G DDR2 4GB (2X2GB) PC6400 800MHZ VALUE RAM DUAL CHANNEL KIT (DDR2 SDRAM PC6400) (CAS Latency: 6) (Standard 256M x 64-bit Non-ECC 800MHz 240-pin Unbuffered DIMM (SDRAM-DDR2, 1.8V)

Two of them, working on dual channel (2gb x 2)


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## belfasteddie (Aug 4, 2007)

I don't use Visa but I came across this. Also one guy wrote reboot vista a couple of times , this apparently flushes and recharges ram , page file etc.
: Lightbulb Windows Vista RAM usage FAQ.
I thought I would start a thread to address a commonly misunderstood concept.

I've seen countless threads and posts relating to Vista using large amounts of system ram. Posts such as: "OMG, Vista is hogging 1GB of system ram with no programs loaded" etc etc.

Hopefully this Vista Memory FAQ will help answer some of these questions before they are asked.

Q: Does Windows Vista use more memory than Windows XP?

A: Generally, Yes. Both the minimum and recommended requirements for RAM are higher for Vista compared to previous versions of Windows such as XP or 2000. Vista home basic requires a minimum 512MB, while all other versions require a minimum of 1GB. For comparison, Windows XP recommends a minimum of 128MB.

Q: Windows Vista uses over 1GB of my 2GB ram - and I don't even have programs loaded. What's wrong with it?

A: The key point to note here is the difference between "used" memory, "reserved" memory, and "free" memory. Previous versions of Windows such as XP would occupy a certain amount of memory to operate processes and services vital to the core functions of the operating system. These functions would occupy a certain amount of memory (considered by the system to be "used" memory) and the remining memory would be considered "free" memory. As such, Windows XP may "use" 200MB of system memory, and the remaining 1.8GB (in a 2GB system) would be considered "free" memory.

Windows Vista on the other hand uses a different approach to memory usage. All core processes and services will occupy a certain amount of memory which will be considered "used" memory by the system. This will be greater than previous versions of windows due to a slightly larger overhead and increased services etc - but not drastically larger. In our hypothetical 2GB system, this may occupy 300MB. Of the remaining 1.7GB of ram, there is an important difference between Vista and previous operating systems. Vista features a function called "Supercache" which proactively caches (or loads) commonly used applications into memory for quick access. Supercache effectively "learns" what programs a given user launches and loads key elements of these applications into memory even before the user launches the application. This Supercache function applies to all startup processes and applications too, as well as things like Outlook, Internet explorer and even games.

Supercache loads data into the main system memory in what is referred to as "reserved" cache. Vista will often expand this "Reserve" to consume around 50% (or more) of the entire system memory. In our hypothetical 2GB system, this would mean that Vista could reserve an additional 700 - 1000MB of system memory for Supercache functions, leaving just 700MB showing as "free" memory.

The important thing to remember when it comes to Supercache is that ALL data loaded into this special "reserved" memory is considered "volatile" by the system. The easiest way to describe it would be "Temporarily used, but immediately available" space. Should an application be launched that requires more memory than is currently considered "free", Supercache will immediately "drop" data from the "reserved" supercache pool and assign that memory to the requesting application.

So in reality, even though a Vista system may only show 700MB of memory as "free" and a huge 1.3GB as "used" - any given application which requires it would actually be given control of up to 1.7GB of system memory as Supercache reliquishes control of reserved Supercache memory. Once the application is finished, Vista will proceed to re-load Supercache files into memory, filling up the memory once again.

This process actually means that memory is used more efficiently, as "free" memory is essentially memory going to waste. Supercache takes advantage of this "free" memory by filling it with an efficient cache system which makes launching programs and applications much faster. As soon as an application requires more memory than is currently marked as "free", the system adjusts the reserved memory to avail more resources to the requesting application.

In brief: Don't panic. Vista isn't hogging 1.5GB of your system ram. It's simply using effective memory management to make the most of your ram!
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