Hi,
If you are like me, you payed alot of money for a decent spec computer. So i am in no doubt that you also want to get the MOST out of your system.
I have optimised until the cows come home, i have registry cleaners cleaning the files that other cleaners leave behind (Thanks to MintyWhite for the tech advice, lol), but still i am left with that eternal issue - RAM and the way Windows handles it. I am an avid online gamer so you can imagine how important performance and graphics are to me *smile*
Here are some system specs to paint a techy picture:
Im running Windows Vista x64 on an Acer Aspire 6930G
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5800 (2.0GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache)
4GB RAM DDR2
NVidia GeForce 9600M GT 512Mb VRAM (dedicated)
I have inserted an SD card for an extra 4GB of readyboost advantage
I have increased my Virtual RAM to a whimsical 11.5GB (Dont ask, i pulled a number from the air that day!)

Now, is there any way that i can squeeze enough control of Windows to ensure that it actually utilises the plethora of RAM sources i have available?
Also, i have underlined the '2MB L2 cache' as im wondering if even that figure can be optimised to better serve the system?

Any constructive advice would be much appreciated.
Yours, a gamer in need.

Hi Stunned

I think you may be be misinformed as to what RAM does and what Virtual RAM does.

See these articles for more information;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random-access_memory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_memory

4GB DDR2 RAM is plentiful for most systems today. What makes you think that 11GB virtual RAM will boost your system?

Virtual RAM will generally only come into action once your physical RAM is at it's limits. To find out if this is the case, open up Resource Monitor and under the RAM tab check the Hard faults per second graph, if this is keeping to 0% for the most part, then there's no need for more RAM (physical or virtual) and the 11GB you've assigned is utterly worthless.

As for your processor, short of overclocking it, there's not much you can do.

Hi RSVR85,

LOL, i did just re-read my post and it paints me as a noob!
If i sound a little misinformed then it just goes to show that info from many sources is far greater than just the one.
I didnt actually think that having 11.5GB of Virtual RAm was going to do anything.. it was a superfluous waste of unused hard drive (created as the mood struck me).

I checked the Resource monitor under memory tab and it typically measured between 2 and 10 Hard faults/sec.
Im not about to dash out and jemmy any new RAM into my laptop.. just owndered if windows might actually give my gfx card a little more to play with.
As for the cache i highlighted in the last post, would you mind letting me know what function that has and if it can be tweaked?

Thanks for your prompt feedback

This Wiki can explain CPU caching better than i ever could.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_cache
As i say, there's not a lot you can do with your processor, there's certainly no settings in Windows that'll give you any joy (apart from overclocking). Generally speaking, the same goes for your GPU.

Top banana! Thanks for your help *smile*

Sorry i couldn't help more in your quest to optimize your PC!

@ Stunned - Have you considered upgrading to W7? I used to have Vista Home Prem. on the laptop am using and I formatted it recently and installed W7 Ultimate on it. I use only W7 Ultimate on the laptop now. It was just like I'd gone out and bought a brand new laptop! It's far faster than Vista ever was and the fast speed of W7 remains at a "constant", it just doesn't slow down over time like XP and Vista invariably do/did!
The spec of your laptop/pc would be ideal for W7 and it would certainly feel like you had "optimized" your pc ....... just by upgrading to W7!

From the previous comments I take it we're talking about a laptop correct?
I agree with the comment about an upgrade to Windows 7. I don't work for Microsoft or anything, but the RAM usage in my laptop went from about 1.3-1.5GB to .90-1.1GB when I upgraded (clean install). I only have 2GB of RAM, so that's quite a bit (75% down to 50% usage). If indeed it is a laptop we're talking about, overclocking is pretty much out of the question. You have no control over your power supply or cooling capabilities and could really screw things up with no way to return by cooking one of your parts. As far as RAM for your GPU, the memory your GPU has is all that it can access. On-board graphics chips (integrated Intel) can share system RAM, but a dedicated card has its own memory (that's why they have better graphics). From here you are really limited to stopping unnecessary processes before you start playing a game or upgrading to a less "hoggy" operating system-Windows 7.

Yeah, my RAM usage is now a steady 20% when pc is idle [of 2 GB RAM] with W7 Ultimate, whereas when I was using Vista Home Prem. on the SAME laptop it was well over 30% when pc was idle [of the 2 GB RAM]!
Also, tweaking your services will help bring the RAM usage down considerably! Black Viper is a good site to use. I used it for Vista and I used it for W7 services too!
Black Viper's "cheat sheet" pages for Vista and W7 are here:-
For Vista Services config:- http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm
For W7 Services config:- http://www.blackviper.com/Windows_7/servicecfg.htm
I noticed a considerable drop in RAM usage after dispensing with services I do not need!
If you want a "second opinion" on Vista and W7 services ..... try the SpeedyVista "cheat sheets" here:-
For Vista Services config:- http://www.speedyvista.com/services.php
For W7 Services config:- http://www.speedyvista.com/windows7/services.php
A word of warning though, if in doubt do NOT disable a service ...... set it to manual! At least then if the OS needs a particular service to start, it will be started manually by the system if it is needed.
Also, Black Viper's and SpeedyVista's recommended service settings do vary [but only verrrry slightly!] and I personally take more notice of Black Viper's recommendations, as he tends to "err on the side of caution" more ....... IMHO!

Thanks for all the very helpful advice. This forum is and continues to be a fantastic source of useful information.
Well done!