Need more RAM for games!

[SkullKnight]

Current System: Windows 7 (32-bit) with 3.00 GB installed RAM

 

Im running games like oblivion and fallout 3 with lots of mods, and RAM usage has become somewhat of a problem. For example, oblivion inevitably crashes when I reach about ~1.6 GB RAM usage on it. I learned that this is because the system limits user processes to 2GB, and combined with other background processes, oblivion manages to reach this limit. Ive heard of the use of large address aware on 64-bit systems to increase the amount of RAM that can be addressed to an application, but Ive also heard that it can be done on a 32-bit OS if you also extend user memory space beyond 2GB (with boot edit).

 

So, Ive been thinking about adding another GB of memory (bringing my installed amount from 3GB to 4GB) and changing a setting in the boot manager to allow 3GB RAM for user processes instead of 2GB. Theoretically, combined with large address aware, this should allow oblivion to use ~2.6 GB RAM before it runs out.

 

However, Im a bit concerned that there might not be enough RAM for the OS to run in a stable condition if I do this, especially since 32-bit OSs dont always allow all of the theoretical 4GB memory to be addressed (the maximum 32 bit number is the exact number of bytes in 4GB). Based on what Ive read, I think that the userva option in boot can specify an amount of user memory between 2 and 3 GB, but ofc windows 7 uses some new form of boot management with no boot.ini, so things might be a bit tricky.

 

Anyone have any advice or ideas regarding if this will work? And also, is the "/3GB" switch now obsolete on windows 7? The instructions Ive found all just mention "bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 3072" for 3GB. In this case I can just replace 3072 with what I feel is needed (2700 is a decent compromise I suppose).

[chibievil]

well i have 4gb and i have windows 7 and it runs just fine i dont get slowdowns unless i have loads of programs running at once, and the simplist solution for the games to run smoothly is to shutdown any programs you not using and just run the game on its own

[evilneko]

When I was running XP32, and used the /3GB switch, Fallout 3 actually started performing worse. Tremendously worse. Also, there was no discernible difference between Fallout on XP32 and Fallout on XP64 (with large address aware enabler) for me.

 

You should probably look into what's running in the background, and try Fallout Stutter Remover.

 

Incidentally my friend games on a Win 7 system with a mere 2GB. It worked fine up until he tried Modern Warfare 2 in full 1080p on it. :laugh:

[Nexus Set]

You may have a program running in the background with a memory leak or it could be your game. I'm not sure if faulty mods could cause it, though it is possible.

[bben46]

Here are my Slow Game suggestions

http://tesnexus.com/articles/article.php?id=255

[SkullKnight]

The problem Im having isnt with lag, but its with the game actually running out of RAM and crashing as it tries to load more resources. I close everything else when I play, but it inevitably hits that memory cap after 1-2 hours. Im just asking if LAA and userva will actually increase the amount of RAM that my games are allowed to access, or if there is a better solution.

[evilneko]

That's the idea behind the commands. The real questions are will the game make use of it, or just crash again, and how much does 7 occupy. 7 will use however much it needs regardless of whether the switch is in place. If it needs 1.5, it will take 1.5. Check how much memory is available before you start your game.

 

I think there is a mod for Oblivion which regularly purges cell buffers, thus reducing memory usage, you might want to look into that too.

[bben46]

You may also try the Free program Game Booster http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5952

 

It removes a lot of background processes that are not needed while playing and cleaning the ram before you start a game.

[SkullKnight]

I think its a good thing that the OS will take as much as it needs, as all Im trying to do is let the game use all of the RAM that the system isnt using. Im already using streamline and OSR and some graphical optimization mods, so theres not much more I can do in that area.

 

Ill try out game booster and see how much that helps too. It should do until I can get the memory upgrade.