{"id":3426,"date":"2019-09-18T07:00:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T11:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=3426"},"modified":"2019-09-18T07:40:06","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T11:40:06","slug":"is-high-disk-usage-a-ram-problem-or-a-pc-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/18\/is-high-disk-usage-a-ram-problem-or-a-pc-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"“Is high disk usage a RAM problem or a PC problem?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If a PC is running slow despite having reasonably current and otherwise-healthy hardware, then too-little RAM is for sure a prime suspect — especially if the PC was originally configured at the low end of the OS’s RAM recommendations<\/msreadoutspan>.<\/msreadoutspan><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if your PC is old, or has an underpowered CPU, or an old spinning-platter hard drive, then those or related components and issues could indeed be the bottlenecks, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But too little RAM forces the OS to rely overmuch on its pagefile or swapfile; the CPU spends its time frantically moving in-use code and data to and from the hard drive because there’s not enough room to hold it in live memory (RAM). With the hard drive mostly being used just to service the pagefile, everything else bogs down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding RAM gives your in-use data more elbow room, and lets the CPU spend more time doing useful work instead of just trying to move data out of its own way. Adding RAM is also relatively inexpensive, easy to do, and will almost always improve a PC\u2019s performance, even if it wasn\u2019t a primary problem. It\u2019s almost never a bad upgrade!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much RAM? Windows only requires 1 or 2 GB of RAM to run, but it — like all mainstream OSes (Windows, Mac, full desktop Linux\u2026) — needs 4-8GB of RAM to perform well<\/u><\/em>; with 8-12GB of RAM becoming pretty mainstream; and 12+ GB RAM not uncommon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get by with less RAM if you\u2019re running a compact Linux (see this<\/a>) or a stripped-down or older OS, but for decent performance<\/em> on a full, normal operating system, you’re gonna need at least 4-8GB of RAM; with more preferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the PC’s still slow, even with sufficient RAM, converting from HDD to an SSD is usually the second most-effective upgrade for a PC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But start by loading up on RAM: It\u2019s usually the cheapest, fastest, easiest way to improve performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: <\/strong>https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=3426<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[seperator]\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em> <\/strong>here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If a PC is running slow despite having reasonably current and otherwise-healthy hardware, then too-little RAM is for sure a prime suspect — especially if the PC was originally configured at the low end of the OS’s RAM recommendations. Of course, if your PC is old, or has an underpowered CPU, or an old spinning-platter…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,30,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-hardware","category-windows"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-Tg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2678,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/02\/what-is-the-windows-10-paging-file-and-why-is-it-a-good-idea-to-regularly-delete-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":3426,"position":0},"title":"“What is the Windows 10 paging file and why is it a good idea to regularly delete it?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-05-02","format":false,"excerpt":"For most people, it's NOT a good idea to delete the pagefile. A pagefile (or\u00a0swapfile) is a temporary scratchpad area on the hard drive that an operating system (e.g. Windows) uses to store code and data when the operating system is juggling more stuff than will fit into RAM. A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1744,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/29\/taking-my-own-advice\/","url_meta":{"origin":3426,"position":1},"title":"Taking my own advice","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-01-29","format":false,"excerpt":"Uncle! OK, OK, I give in! When I recently resurrected the Langa.Com site, and started working again with the old Windows Secrets gang over at AskWoody.com, I assumed my current laptop would be up to the task. After all, it had served me well for the last few years. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/time-for-a-new-PC.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/time-for-a-new-PC.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/time-for-a-new-PC.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/time-for-a-new-PC.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3143,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/30\/should-you-use-new-nvme-or-old-sata-ssd-for-booting-windows-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":3426,"position":2},"title":"“Should I use my new NVMe or old SATA SSD for booting Windows 10?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-07-30","format":false,"excerpt":"The general rule is: Put the operating system, and your other most-frequently-accessed files, on the fastest drive. NVMe drives can be faster than classic SATA drives; but the fastest SATA SSDs are faster than some run-of-the-mill NVMe SSDs. Plus, some of the spec-sheet advantages of NVMe may not matter all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5099,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/28\/what-is-the-difference-between-sleep-hybrid-sleep-and-hibernate-on-a-laptop\/","url_meta":{"origin":3426,"position":3},"title":"“What is the difference between sleep, hybrid sleep, and hibernate on a laptop?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-05-28","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Shreya Mehta) In\u00a0sleep mode\u00a0(sometimes called\u00a0suspend), your PC goes into a low-power state, consuming just enough electricity to keep the RAM contents intact; to monitor for system events (such as a key- or mouse-click, or closing the lid on a laptop); and to run similar low-power processes. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sleep-hybrid-hibernate.jpg?fit=404%2C442&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":170,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/24\/a-reader-asks-why-does-android-need-more-ram-than-a-full-windows-10-pc\/","url_meta":{"origin":3426,"position":4},"title":"A reader asks: Why does Android need more RAM than a full Windows 10 PC?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-08-24","format":false,"excerpt":"Q: Why does Android need more RAM than my full Windows 10 PC?\u00a0\u00a0(Question sent via Quora) A:\u00a0Your PC's RAM is usually just\u00a0the working memory for the CPU; a separate hard drive (solid state or magnetic) lets you store files and data outside of RAM. But in Android, the\u00a0RAM is not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2579,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/12\/a-reader-asks-why-is-there-a-need-for-separate-ram-and-hard-drives\/","url_meta":{"origin":3426,"position":5},"title":"A reader asks: “Why is there a need for separate RAM and hard drives?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-04-12","format":false,"excerpt":"Speaking very generally: RAM is very fast, temporary data storage used only while the device is powered on. The data in RAM goes away when you turn off the device. Hard drives are for storing data longer term; they retain data even when powered off. 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