What is the Optimal Virtual Memory Size For 8 GB RAM | WIN 10? (2024)

There is no hard and fast rule that encompasses the ideal page file size on all systems; it's very specific to the workload your computer is exposed to. The accepted answer here is what one would recommend to a casual user, not a power user.

Budgeting for max workloads: If you expect to max out your RAM usage, then at the very least you should be budgeting enough virtual memory to cover any worst case scenarios. I.e. if you have 32GB of RAM but often work with 50GB data sets, then you'll probably want a page file somewhere in the ballpark of 32GB to cover the difference and accommodate anything else that might be allocating memory.

Budgeting for Windows crash dumps: For complete memory dumps, you need a page file the size of your RAM + 1MB. Though complete memory dumps aren't typically needed since we also have kernel dumps, which will trim the file down by omitting information that is (probably) irrelevant to the crash. Kernel dumps are less demanding, but their size can vary considerably. According to Microsoft, kernel dumps will typically be around 1/3 the size of the RAM on your system.

Windows will use the page file even when RAM is available: This is important to keep in mind, especially if you're seeing unexpected slowdown with large page files. Windows will monitor memory usage and might page away processes with less activity to accommodate more active processes and also any processes that you may launch in the future. Take Windows Update vs your desktop, for example. The vast majority of the time Update is dormant while your desktop isn't, so it will page Update in favor of caching the desktop in active memory, i.e. giving RAM to the process that more actively needs it.

Windows is constantly making these decisions; managing a cache for hundreds of files that are constantly being written by background services whilst balancing it with the memory demands of active processes. Unfortunately Windows may not always get the priorities right, and we end up having to wait for the OS to page data back into active memory. It's possible, though I'm only assuming, that the amount of page space available plays some limited role in whether or not Windows decides something can be 'safely' paged without creating a dramatic impact on responsiveness.

Set it to your system's needs: Ideally, you'll want to be as helpful to your OS as possible by setting the page file size to nothing more or less than your system will potentially need. Setting it to some arbitrary value, like 1.5x your RAM, can either be overkill or underkill and may have a negative impact on system performance or reliability.

What is the Optimal Virtual Memory Size For 8 GB RAM | WIN 10? (2024)

FAQs

What is the Optimal Virtual Memory Size For 8 GB RAM | WIN 10? ›

To calculate the "general rule" recommended size of virtual memory in Windows 10 per the 8 GB your system has, here's the equation 1024 x 8 x 1.5 = 12288 MB. So it sounds as if the 12 GB configured in your system currently is correct so when or if Windows needs to utilize the virtual memory, the 12 GB should suffice.

What is the recommended virtual memory size for 8gb RAM Windows 10? ›

As a rule of thumb, the paging file should be a minimum of 1.5 times the size of your installed RAM, and a maximum of 3 times your RAM size. For example, if you have 8 GB RAM, your minumum would be 1024 x 8 x 1.5 = 12,288 MB, and your maximum would be 1024 x 8 x 3 = 24,576 MB.

How much virtual memory is needed for 8gb RAM? ›

On computers that have 8 GB of RAM, the suggested paging file size is 16 GB.

How much virtual memory should I set for 10gb RAM? ›

Microsoft recommends that you set virtual memory to be no less than 1.5 times and no more than 3 times the amount of RAM on your computer.

How much virtual memory should I set for 8gb RAM Windows 11? ›

Windows sets the initial virtual memory paging file equal to the amount of installed RAM. The paging file is a minimum of 1.5 times and a maximum of three times your physical RAM.

What is the optimal virtual memory size for 2GB RAM Win 10? ›

Note: Microsoft recommends that you set virtual memory to not less than 1.5 times the size of your RAM and not more than three times the size of your RAM. So, if you have 2GB of RAM, you could type 6,000MB (1GB equals around 1,000MB) into Initial size and Maximum size boxes.

How do I calculate virtual memory size? ›

The Initial size is one and a half (1.5) x the amount of total system memory. The Maximum size is three (3) x the initial size. So let's say you have 4 GB (1 GB = 1,024 MB x 4 = 4,096 MB) of memory. The initial size would be 1.5 x 4,096 = 6,144 MB and the maximum size would be 3 x 6,144 = 18,432 MB."

What is the recommended memory size virtual machine Windows 10? ›

A good starting point is to allocate 2 GB for Windows 10 or later desktops. If you want to use one of the hardware accelerated graphics features for 3D workloads, VMware recommends two virtual CPUs and 4 GB of RAM.

Is 8GB RAM enough for virtualization? ›

With virtual machines RAM is user configurable. For decent performance at least 8GB would be recommended if you have a computer with 16GB or more. Linux in general works best with at least 4GB of RAM, but it all depends on the workload.

Do I need virtual memory if I have enough RAM? ›

Virtual memory is important for improving system performance, multitasking and using large programs. However, users should not overly rely on virtual memory, since it is considerably slower than RAM.

How to increase virtual memory in Windows 10 16GB RAM? ›

We recommend this for players with 16GB of memory.
  1. Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings.
  2. Type performance.
  3. Choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
  4. In the new window, go to the Advanced tab and under the Virtual memory section, click on Change.
Oct 3, 2018

What size Pagefile for 8gb RAM? ›

The paging file is typically 1.25 GB on 8 GB systems, 2.5 GB on 16 GB systems and 5 GB on 32 GB systems. For systems with more RAM, you can make the paging file somewhat smaller.

What happens if virtual memory is too high? ›

VM can only be too high if its taking space from the drive and you need it back. Setting a max and min VM size the same ie, 2400mb min 2400mb max, the system will not waste resources altering the page file and the system will be slightly faster.

How do I set virtual memory for best performance? ›

How to Increase Your Virtual Memory
  1. Head to Control Panel > System and Security > System.
  2. Select Advanced System Settings to open your System Properties. Now open the Advanced tab.
  3. Under Performance, select Settings. Open the Advanced tab. Under Virtual memory, select Change. Here are your Virtual Memory options.

Is 8GB RAM enough for Windows 11 and Office? ›

If you're a light user, browsing the web, emailing, and editing documents, then 4GB may suffice. But it will definitely feel laggy. Increasing this to 6 or 8GB of RAM will not only give you a much better experience, but also allow you to do more with your system.

How much RAM is recommended for Windows 11 VM? ›

Memory: 4 GB or greater. Processor: Two or more virtual processors. The VM host processor must also meet Windows 11 processor requirements. There may be some instances where this requirement for the VM host doesn't apply.

What is the recommended amount of RAM for virtual machine? ›

You can run 3 or 4 basic virtual machines on a host that has 4GB of RAM, though you'll need more resources for more virtual machines. On the other end of the spectrum, you can also create large virtual machines with 32 processors and 512GB RAM, depending on your physical hardware.

What should virtual memory be set at Windows 10 for 4GB of RAM? ›

Microsoft recommends that you set it to be a minimum of 1.5 times and a maximum of 3 times of the physical RAM. If your computer has 4GB RAM, the minimum paging file should be 1024x4x1. 5=6,144MB and the maximum is 1024x4x3=12,288MB.

What is the best Pagefile size? ›

Ideally, your paging file size should be 1.5 times your physical memory at a minimum and up to 4 times the physical memory at most to ensure system stability.

How to use virtual memory as RAM Windows 10? ›

Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings. Type performance. Choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows. In the new window, go to the Advanced tab and under the Virtual memory section, click on Change.

What is the formula for calculating memory size? ›

To put it another way, Step 1: calculate the length of the address in bits (n bits) Step 2: calculate the number of memory locations 2^n(bits) Step 3: take the number of memory locations and multiply it by the Byte size of the memory cells.

Should I change virtual memory size? ›

However, reducing or eliminating your virtual memory to free up drive space carries some risk of causing errors or system instability in cases where you would need more virtual memory but have capped what your system can use. Increasing this memory setting is also generally not needed.

How do I set maximum size of virtual memory? ›

Click Start > All Programs > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Virtual Memory. Click Change. In the Maximum size field, set the value to the recommended value shown at the bottom of the window. In the Initial size (MB) field, enter a value that is half of the maximum size value.

What is 8GB RAM good for? ›

8GB of RAM is the amount of memory we recommend for casual computer users. If your usage includes internet browsing, email, lots of office programs, flash games, and multitasking – this level of memory should be sufficient.

How do I know if my RAM is enough? ›

Assuming you have Windows, you should be able to launch the Task Manager to see what percentage of your computer's RAM is currently in use. Just hold Ctrl + Alt + Del to open the Task Manager and view your computer's RAM usage. If it's above 60%, you may need to upgrade your computer with more RAM.

Why is it better to get more RAM than virtual memory? ›

If your computer is running slowly due to a lack of RAM, you might be tempted to increase virtual memory because it is less expensive. However, adding RAM is a better solution because your processor can read data from RAM faster than from a hard drive.

Does increasing virtual RAM work? ›

Is adding virtual RAM to Android really effective? Virtual RAM uses the regular storage unit of your Android device like a RAM expander. It will surely increase the capacity of your Android phone to hold a few more applications in the memory. But you won't notice an instant performance boost in your Android device.

What happens if I increase virtual memory in Windows 10? ›

Is it Safe to Increase the Virtual Memory above the recommended and will it improve Performance? ) that increasing the Virtual Memory from Advanced System Settings on Windows 10 will improve the performance.

How much virtual memory set for 16GB RAM? ›

The initial size would be 1.5 x 4,096 = 6,144 MB and the maximum size would be 3 x 6,144 = 18,432 MB.

What is the maximum page file size in Windows 10? ›

The minimum and maximum size of the Pagefile can be up to 1.5 times and 4 times of the physical memory that your computer has, respectively. For example, if your computer has 1GB of RAM, the minimum Pagefile size can be 1.5GB, and the maximum size of the file can be 4GB.

Does 12GB RAM need Pagefile? ›

You should still have a page file, some programs expect to see one. With 12GB RAM it doesn't need to be very big.

What is the recommended paging file size for 8GB RAM reddit? ›

Most people say that on 32GB it's wise to have 100GB on SSD free for paging, but on 8GB only 25GB is enough.

Why is my recommended virtual memory so low? ›

Low virtual memory indicates that not only the RAM available for your system hit its cap, but that reserved hard disk space used to free up RAM has also maxed out. This can occur during multi-tasking (running several programs at once) or if a single program or command requires a large amount of RAM.

What happens if virtual memory is too low? ›

The computer uses virtual memory to augment the ordinary RAM that is installed on the computer. If you reduce the size of the paging file, the Office program may not start correctly or may not start at all. This behavior may occur even if the computer has lots of RAM.

What happens if you don't have enough virtual memory? ›

If virtual memory doesn't exist, we can't load more than one program in the main memory. This means that without virtual memory, we can only run one program at a time. This is because each program might have to use different functions that may point to the same addresses in RAM.

How to increase RAM using virtual memory? ›

  1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
  2. On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
  3. Under System Startup, click Edit.
  4. Add space /3GB to end of last line of boot. ini file.
  5. Click on File>Save>Exit.
  6. Sample Boot. ini File Before and After Changing To Increase Virtual Memory.

Will more RAM speed up my computer? ›

Generally, the faster the RAM, the faster the processing speed. With faster RAM, you increase the speed at which memory transfers information to other components. Meaning, your fast processor now has an equally fast way of talking to the other components, making your computer much more efficient.

Is 8GB or 16GB better for office work? ›

Generally, we recommend 8GB of RAM for casual computer usage and internet browsing, 16GB for spreadsheets and other office programs, and at least 32GB for gamers and multimedia creators.

Is 8GB RAM enough for Office 365? ›

With 8GB of RAM, it should run Windows 10 and Office 365 just fine. How do I install Office XP Service Pack 3 on Windows 10? I just purchased a new computer and updates work okay except for this one. I do have some older Microsoft programs installed, i.e., Publisher and Word.

Is 8GB or 16GB RAM better for office? ›

With 8GB, you'll have enough RAM for your hobby, but you'll need at least 16GB for professional use. That way, you can open programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, InDesign, and Photoshop alongside each other without your computer slowing down. If you're working with large data spread sheets, we would also recommend 16GB.

Why is Windows 11 using so much RAM? ›

Windows 11 uses more RAM than Windows 10 because it has more features and programs. The memory management in Windows 11 is excellent, so you may not notice any performance issues. Depending on how much RAM you have installed, the system will automatically allocate more or fewer resources to different programs.

What is the recommended size Windows VM? ›

Single-session recommendations
Workload typevCPU/RAM/OS storage minimumProfile container storage minimum
Light2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 32 GB storage30 GB
Medium4 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 32 GB storage30 GB
Heavy8 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM, 32 GB storage30 GB
Aug 18, 2022

Which is faster Windows 10 or Windows 11? ›

Windows 11 does a lot under the hood to speed up a PC's performance. The same PC will generally run faster on Windows 11 than Windows 10. But no matter how zippy your Windows 11 may be, it can run faster. And keep in mind that PCs tend to slow down over time, and you want to make sure that doesn't happen to yours.

How much virtual memory should I set for 8GB RAM? ›

As a rule of thumb, the paging file should be a minimum of 1.5 times the size of your installed RAM, and a maximum of 3 times your RAM size. For example, if you have 8 GB RAM, your minumum would be 1024 x 8 x 1.5 = 12,288 MB, and your maximum would be 1024 x 8 x 3 = 24,576 MB.

How much virtual memory is recommended for 8GB RAM? ›

To calculate the "general rule" recommended size of virtual memory in Windows 10 per the 8 GB your system has, here's the equation 1024 x 8 x 1.5 = 12288 MB. So it sounds as if the 12 GB configured in your system currently is correct so when or if Windows needs to utilize the virtual memory, the 12 GB should suffice.

How many virtual machines can I run on 8GB RAM? ›

Even with no virtual machines running 4 GB RAM is required for optimum performance of a 64 bit OS with 8 GB being better. My Computer. I would also vote for 8GB of RAM. That will allow you to run at least 1 virtual machine in parallel.

How much virtual memory should I set for 4GB RAM? ›

The Page File should be approximately 1.5 - 2 times the size of your total system memory (RAM). A computer with 4GB of RAM will need a Page File a minimum of 6GB (6144 MB) and a maximum of 8GB (8192MB).

Is Pagefile faster than RAM? ›

In practice if you allow your system to rely on the pagefile your computer will slow down because reading and writing data to and from the pagefile is infinitely slower than to and from RAM memory. You say you have only 256 mb RAM. Increase it if possible to 512 mb or more.

Should I change my Pagefile size? ›

Having a larger page file is going to add extra work for your hard drive, causing everything else to run slower. Page file size should only be increased when encountering out-of-memory errors, and only as a temporary fix. A better solution is to adding more memory to the computer. How to install computer memory (RAM).

What is the paging file size for 8gb RAM Windows 10? ›

On most Windows 10 systems with 8 GB of RAM or more, the OS manages the size of the paging file nicely. The paging file is typically 1.25 GB on 8 GB systems, 2.5 GB on 16 GB systems and 5 GB on 32 GB systems.

How does Windows 10 use virtual memory? ›

Windows 10 virtual memory exists as a physical, hidden file on the hard disk called the page file: pagefile. sys. IT professionals should think of the virtual memory as using the hard disk for additional memory when there is not enough RAM for all process requests.

Is 8GB of RAM good for virtual machine? ›

With virtual machines RAM is user configurable. For decent performance at least 8GB would be recommended if you have a computer with 16GB or more. Linux in general works best with at least 4GB of RAM, but it all depends on the workload.

What is the recommended VM RAM size? ›

RAM Sizing for Specific Workloads and Operating Systems

A good starting point is to allocate 1GB for 32-bit Windows 7 or later desktops and 2GB for 64-bit Windows 7 or later desktops. If you want to use one of the hardware accelerated graphics features for 3D workloads, VMware recommends 2 virtual CPUs and 4GB of RAM.

What is the recommended memory size virtual machine? ›

Create New Virtual Machine

VirtualBox recommends that the memory size be at least 512MB, however, the more memory you make available to the VM, the smoother and more powerful it will be. As a rule of thumb, 1/4 of the amount of memory you have on your computer should be just fine.

How much virtual memory set for 16gb RAM? ›

The initial size would be 1.5 x 4,096 = 6,144 MB and the maximum size would be 3 x 6,144 = 18,432 MB.

Does virtual memory increase RAM usage? ›

This is where virtual memory comes in. Virtual memory frees up RAM by swapping data that has not been used recently over to a storage device, such as a hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD). Virtual memory is important for improving system performance, multitasking and using large programs.

What is ideal virtual memory for 4gb RAM? ›

On computers that have 4 GB of RAM, the suggested paging file size is 8 GB.

What is virtual size memory? ›

This is a measure of much memory a process can access after its execution. This includes swapped memory, the memory from external libraries, and allocated memory that's not used.

What size Page File for 8gb RAM? ›

The paging file is typically 1.25 GB on 8 GB systems, 2.5 GB on 16 GB systems and 5 GB on 32 GB systems. For systems with more RAM, you can make the paging file somewhat smaller.

How to set virtual memory Windows 10 16GB RAM? ›

We recommend this for players with 16GB of memory.
  1. Go to the Start Menu and click on Settings.
  2. Type performance.
  3. Choose Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows.
  4. In the new window, go to the Advanced tab and under the Virtual memory section, click on Change.
Oct 3, 2018

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