Dual Booting Windows 7

[SamDoehart]

So I've finally decided I wanna dual boot windows 7 alongside windows 10 so I can play Oldrim without the 4GB VRAM limit. However, I'm not really sure how much memory to allocate to windows 7 in the partition. I'll post my system's specs below. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

System Specs

CPU: Intel i7-4710MQ CPU @ 2.50GHz

RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [2x8GB]

GPU: NVIDIA GTX 970M (6.0GB)

[Purr4me]

So I've finally decided I wanna dual boot windows 7 alongside windows 10 so I can play Oldrim without the 4GB VRAM limit. However, I'm not really sure how much memory to allocate to windows 7 in the partition. I'll post my system's specs below. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

System Specs

CPU: Intel i7-4710MQ CPU @ 2.50GHz

RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz [2x8GB]

GPU: NVIDIA GTX 970M (6.0GB)

In windows, there is a rule of thumb: The kernel controls the limits used, not the hardware. But if you want to base the hard ware amounts on what can be done, you don't go over the limits of the OS.

 

Windows 7 will max out @ 3.73 gig's, so you set up your minimum ram in the swap file to be 2 x that less 1/3. to the math.

the max ram amount is 1 half that of the hardware limits less 1/3rd of it.

 

the same applies to 10.

[Purr4me]

1. 3.73 x 2 = 7.46 GIG's less 1/3rd of that added back.
2. 7.46 / x 3 = 2.48 GIG's = 1 third
3. - 2.48 _ 7.46 = 4.98 = Minimum settings for swap file.
4. Hardware has no meaning here if you have more than 4 gigs of hard ram available.

you have Two sticks of ram, each @ 8gig's, so to keep things where you have spike room, you use 8 gigs as the source /base limits, not 16 in total.

 

say you had 64 gig's ? well you would use 32GIG's instead. the large amount of ram we use for the maximum counts for a windows based swap file less 1/3rd.

 

The max is used for scratch areas for the system to write too, it is allocated and isolated and act's as virtual ram. Less 1/3rd gives room for growth or spike and allows the system breathing room.

• 4.98 x 2 =9.96 which is over that one stick of ram, now leaks into the second stick...we don't want that taking place.
• divide 9.96 x 3 = 3.32 - 9.96= 6.64
• 6.64 is 2 3rd's of one stick and gives a good base line to use for each stick of ram.
• remaining ram is left for the OS for each stick of ram and you never see a upper limits reached.
• 2 x 6.64 = 13. 68 is the max ram settings you choose for the swap files max.
• 13.68 - 16. = 2.72 ram for the OS..if not right on the limits the OS requires to run.

Just under 100 MB's of the Kernels limits for the OS to operate smoothly.

 

what's left over is used by other hardware devices such as Graphics. windows 10 is harder to deal with as it is Dynamic and breaks things.

 

if you can not understand any of this, just save the post in note pad for references.

This is from Microsoft's server media postings.

 

Ram 101.

[Purr4me]

min = 4.98

max = 13.68

 

this is virtual ram settings on any OS that uses 2 sticks or hard ram for 32bit or 64 bit kernels.

 

The math changes slightly if the systems hard ware uses different configurations of hard ram.

 

Overclockers.com has more info on the subject too.

Edited December 28, 2016 by Purr4me