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Windows 7 pagefile size with large RAM and SSD
I recently got my new PC with 12 GB RAM (running Windows 7 64bit). The default installation suggests a 12 GB page file on the system drive (which I think is both inefficient and expensive on a SSD drive...)
I'm wondering if I need any virtual memory at all, 12 GB being more than I had on my previous machine including the page file (I had 3GB RAM + 3GB pagefile).
MartinStettner
Posted 2011-01-05T14:07:07.047
Reputation: 469
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Yes, you need a page file. Windows always needs to have at least a little bit of HDD space (or in your case SSD space) to function properly. Since you are using a SSD, I would lower the size of the page file down to around 0.5GB or so. Normally Windows likes to have 1.5 times the amount of physical RAM as a page file (seems ridiculous to me) as mentioned by this link. I don't know the specifics comfortably enough to explain why you need it (other than reasons you would need RAM and when your computer wakes from sleeping), but I know that your OS should have some allocated for a page file.
Update: After answering this question and attempting to do some research on other reasons Windows needs a page file, I noticed the conversation in the comments of the question...
David
Posted 2011-01-05T14:07:07.047
Reputation: 6 975
On my Windows 8 system with 8GB of ram, the pagefile during normal use is only 1.5 GB. – kinokijuf – 2015-08-11T10:45:47.277
"get a 4GB (or whatever you choose) flash drive, and set your page file on that." Sorry, but Windows will not let you put a pagefile on a removable drive of any sort. I have edited your answer to remove that suggestion. – Jamie Hanrahan – 2017-06-27T20:30:34.897
To the OP's question... you don't always need a pagefile. But a very large number of questions here are complaints about Windows' "out of memory" messages. These are almost always fixed by creating a pagefile, or by specifying a larger initial size. – Jamie Hanrahan – 2017-06-27T20:34:04.613
You should also NEVER completely disable it. You might run fine forever like that, but it has the potential for unfortunate consequences. Recommended reading at ServerFault (question is about Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 but logic is the same for other standard versions of Windows): http://serverfault.com/questions/23621/any-benefit-or-detriment-from-removing-a-pagefile-on-an-8gb-ram-machine
– Shinrai – 2011-01-05T15:07:37.673