Comments on: Windows 7 – 4GB vs 8GB Performance http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/ A technical, gaming and current-events news site Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:00:42 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Tim Mattison http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-18324 Tim Mattison Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:57:44 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-18324 So far so good. The biggest problem I encountered was the fault of my slow, old RAID controller. I ditched that, used the on-board RAID, and now it flies. Well, America's Army 3 doesn't work (and only checks after it downloads and installs 4GB of data) but I never got to play it on Linux or Mac OS anyway so it's not that big of a deal. :P So far so good. The biggest problem I encountered was the fault of my slow, old RAID controller. I ditched that, used the on-board RAID, and now it flies.

Well, America’s Army 3 doesn’t work (and only checks after it downloads and installs 4GB of data) but I never got to play it on Linux or Mac OS anyway so it’s not that big of a deal. :P

]]> By: Riyad Kalla http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-18322 Riyad Kalla Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:51:23 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-18322 Tim, Only because I don't know the devices you'll try and use, go ahead and assume you *will* run into some snags, just so you aren't surprised. That being said, I had no driver issues with 64-bit Windows 7 but I *did* with Windows 2k3 64-bit years ago and Windows Vista 64-bit oddly enough -- namely with installers that would crap out with "This operating system is not supported" because the installers would do stupid checks against the 32/64 and just die. Oddly enough I didn't run into any of those "technicality" type of issues in Windows 7 -- everything literally just worked. So I want to prepare you for any hickups you have, but that being said, you will most likely have much better experience/luck with Windows 7 64-bit than Vista. This is the first time I've done an exclusive 64-bit OS and not regretted it, I wouldn't go back to 32-bit Windows 7 at this point. Tim,

Only because I don’t know the devices you’ll try and use, go ahead and assume you *will* run into some snags, just so you aren’t surprised. That being said, I had no driver issues with 64-bit Windows 7 but I *did* with Windows 2k3 64-bit years ago and Windows Vista 64-bit oddly enough — namely with installers that would crap out with “This operating system is not supported” because the installers would do stupid checks against the 32/64 and just die.

Oddly enough I didn’t run into any of those “technicality” type of issues in Windows 7 — everything literally just worked. So I want to prepare you for any hickups you have, but that being said, you will most likely have much better experience/luck with Windows 7 64-bit than Vista.

This is the first time I’ve done an exclusive 64-bit OS and not regretted it, I wouldn’t go back to 32-bit Windows 7 at this point.

]]> By: Tim Mattison http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-18309 Tim Mattison Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:17:36 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-18309 I'm in the process of installing Windows 7 right now on my machine with 8GB of RAM. This will really be the first time I've used 64-bit Windows. Will I be in for any surprises as far as driver support is concerned? I remember that being reported as a big issue with 64-bit XP and Vista. I’m in the process of installing Windows 7 right now on my machine with 8GB of RAM. This will really be the first time I’ve used 64-bit Windows. Will I be in for any surprises as far as driver support is concerned? I remember that being reported as a big issue with 64-bit XP and Vista.

]]> By: Instant http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16208 Instant Sun, 17 May 2009 01:34:39 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16208 @RaceCar: W7 will perform better than Vista. @RaceCar: W7 will perform better than Vista.

]]> By: New rig arriving; W7 or not? - AionSource.com http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16156 New rig arriving; W7 or not? - AionSource.com Wed, 13 May 2009 14:52:39 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16156 [...] newegg as we speak! Had to order after seeing this article. (that i have posted elsewhere as well) Windows 7 - 4GB vs 8GB Performance | The "Break it Down" Blog [...] [...] newegg as we speak! Had to order after seeing this article. (that i have posted elsewhere as well) Windows 7 – 4GB vs 8GB Performance | The "Break it Down" Blog [...]

]]> By: Windows 7 and Aion - Page 2 - AionSource.com http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16143 Windows 7 and Aion - Page 2 - AionSource.com Tue, 12 May 2009 21:33:46 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16143 [...] when using 8 compared to 4gigs in win 7 64bit Which I would of figured anyhow but not this much.. Windows 7 - 4GB vs 8GB Performance | The "Break it Down" Blog [...] [...] when using 8 compared to 4gigs in win 7 64bit Which I would of figured anyhow but not this much.. Windows 7 – 4GB vs 8GB Performance | The "Break it Down" Blog [...]

]]> By: Racecar 56 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16111 Racecar 56 Mon, 11 May 2009 00:06:47 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16111 Uh oh... If it's going to be lagging on 4GB of RAM, it will NEVER run on my current computers, I already have trouble with Vista. No more Windows for me. Uh oh… If it’s going to be lagging on 4GB of RAM, it will NEVER run on my current computers, I already have trouble with Vista.
No more Windows for me.

]]> By: Windows 7 Feature: Tells You Which Program Has Locked Your Files | The "Break it Down" Blog http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16077 Windows 7 Feature: Tells You Which Program Has Locked Your Files | The "Break it Down" Blog Sat, 09 May 2009 02:05:20 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16077 [...] mentioned a few times, I’ve been on the Windows 7 RC for a bit over a week now and been pretty much thinking [...] [...] mentioned a few times, I’ve been on the Windows 7 RC for a bit over a week now and been pretty much thinking [...]

]]> By: Riyad Kalla http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16037 Riyad Kalla Wed, 06 May 2009 23:08:48 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16037 Jigsaw, Good call, like the 920 or something? $254 or so last time I checked, the reall sink-hole is the dang motherboards... but all in all a Core i7 920, Mobo + 12GB of RAM and GPU were right around $1k which I thought was pretty reasonable for a "pretty close to the top" performing computer. Jigsaw,

Good call, like the 920 or something? $254 or so last time I checked, the reall sink-hole is the dang motherboards… but all in all a Core i7 920, Mobo + 12GB of RAM and GPU were right around $1k which I thought was pretty reasonable for a “pretty close to the top” performing computer.

]]> By: Jigsaw hc http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16035 Jigsaw hc Wed, 06 May 2009 22:33:07 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16035 I can't wait until Win7 released and I build a new system. I'm planning for an icore7 processor with 12 GB of RAM. If my budget allows. I can’t wait until Win7 released and I build a new system. I’m planning for an icore7 processor with 12 GB of RAM. If my budget allows.

]]> By: milkfilk http://www.breakitdownblog.com/windows-7-4gb-vs-8gb-performance/comment-page-1/#comment-16034 milkfilk Wed, 06 May 2009 21:28:40 +0000 http://www.breakitdownblog.com/?p=6184#comment-16034 "I will say that the first thing you notice is that the more RAM you give Windows 7, the less often it seems to hit the hard drive." Yeah, there's a filesystem cache. Anything that has been read tries to stay in RAM until something better comes along. Most OS's do this. I don't really know how to compare the OS's, I've just tweaked/observed the Solaris version of the fs cache. Once Ext4 or btrfs gets stable in Linux, it's really not going to matter. I/O seems to be the huge bottleneck these days and a copy on write filesystem has to be seen to be believed (ok maybe it's not life changing ...). “I will say that the first thing you notice is that the more RAM you give Windows 7, the less often it seems to hit the hard drive.”

Yeah, there’s a filesystem cache. Anything that has been read tries to stay in RAM until something better comes along. Most OS’s do this. I don’t really know how to compare the OS’s, I’ve just tweaked/observed the Solaris version of the fs cache.

Once Ext4 or btrfs gets stable in Linux, it’s really not going to matter. I/O seems to be the huge bottleneck these days and a copy on write filesystem has to be seen to be believed (ok maybe it’s not life changing …).

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