Virtual PC memory needs (XP Professional)

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Marc Heusser - 29 Jan 2005 03:26 GMT

Running Virtual PC/Windows XP Professional on a Powerbook (1.5 GHz):
What is the reasonable amount of memory? ie which amount of memory to
give to Virtual PC with still significant speed speed-up?
(Currently on 512 MB total for the Powerbook)

I'm using it for learning programs that do not require a fast PC, and
little graphics.

TIA

Marc

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Marc Heusser
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John A. Weeks III - 29 Jan 2005 04:44 GMT

In article <marc.heusser-21DEF8.04265929012005@idnews.unizh.ch>,
Marc Heusser <marc.heusser@CHEERSheusser.comMERCIALSPAMMERS.invalid>
wrote:

> Running Virtual PC/Windows XP Professional on a Powerbook (1.5 GHz):
> What is the reasonable amount of memory? ie which amount of memory to
> give to Virtual PC with still significant speed speed-up?
> (Currently on 512 MB total for the Powerbook)

Windows is going to want a gig of RAM to run adequately.
The Mac is going to want some headroom, so you want at
least 512MB to a gig for the Mac. That makes 2 gig total.
And when you get done, it still is not going to be a race
horse. I have a 2 chip 2-gig G5 with 2-gig RAM, and
Virtual PC is sitll suggish. It is OK once you get up
and running, but startup, shutdown, and switching windows
is painful.

-john-

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Scott Ellsworth - 01 Feb 2005 00:19 GMT

> In article <marc.heusser-21DEF8.04265929012005@idnews.unizh.ch>,
> Marc Heusser <marc.heusser@CHEERSheusser.comMERCIALSPAMMERS.invalid>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> The Mac is going to want some headroom, so you want at
> least 512MB to a gig for the Mac. That makes 2 gig total.

I had heard, but have not had the time to check, that the default 256M
was a good idea for XPPro. Windows apparently switches caching
strategies for bigger memory partitions to a bigger vm buffer, which
does not work very well under emulation.

Again, unverified, but it does make sense.

Scott

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Dave Hinz - 01 Feb 2005 15:06 GMT

> I had heard, but have not had the time to check, that the default 256M
> was a good idea for XPPro. Windows apparently switches caching
> strategies for bigger memory partitions to a bigger vm buffer, which
> does not work very well under emulation.

I can speak from direct personal experience that XP in a VPC instance
sucks rocks with 256MB, but is quite usable at 512MB.

> Again, unverified, but it does make sense.

Not sure about that. Windows "perf meter" or whatever they call it showed
that I was swapping non-stop with only 256MB of memory allocated to it.
I'm of the opinion that any swapping is worse than not swapping, what
with ram being faster than disk and all. Maybe it depends on other things,
but in my case, XP was much happier with 512 than with 256.

I've solved the problem now by replacing my last windows-only app, and
my machine and I are much happier now.

Dave Hinz

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Scott Ellsworth - 02 Feb 2005 22:08 GMT

> > I had heard, but have not had the time to check, that the default 256M
> > was a good idea for XPPro. Windows apparently switches caching
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> I can speak from direct personal experience that XP in a VPC instance
> sucks rocks with 256MB, but is quite usable at 512MB.

Real world experience always trumps "I have heard". Thanks for the data
point.

> > Again, unverified, but it does make sense.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> I've solved the problem now by replacing my last windows-only app, and
> my machine and I are much happier now.

I rather wish I could, but I have not found a good Access-a-like for my
day job, and the upcoming GURPS character generator I want to use on
weekends is windows only. Ick.

Were someone to make a very small, very quiet, very cheap PC, I might
just throw XP pro on it and run VNC for those two needs.

Scott

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Dave Hinz - 02 Feb 2005 22:13 GMT

>> > I had heard, but have not had the time to check, that the default 256M
>> > was a good idea for XPPro. Windows apparently switches caching
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Real world experience always trumps "I have heard". Thanks for the data
> point.

The qualifier being I don't use it any more, but I can't imagine things
would have changed.

>> I've solved the problem now by replacing my last windows-only app, and
>> my machine and I are much happier now.
>
> I rather wish I could, but I have not found a good Access-a-like for my
> day job, and the upcoming GURPS character generator I want to use on
> weekends is windows only. Ick.

Ah well.

> Were someone to make a very small, very quiet, very cheap PC, I might
> just throw XP pro on it and run VNC for those two needs.

Another approach is to load Linux and VMWare on a PC, and run windows within
the VMWare instance. X11 display that to your mac, mount the mac's CDROM
drive to the Windows instance, and Bob's your uncle. Worked for me, but
it was more of a "Hey, can this work" kind of exercise than anything else.
Worked great, and that way you're getting a native Windows instance running
on Intel-ish hardware, so it's not emulated (VMware doesn't emulate, it
partitions the system), and the display is handled by X11 so the unix-ish
side of the mac makes _that_ work. Either elegant or "holy crap, what
demented mind thought of that", depending on, ahem, if you're the
demented mind who thought of that.

Dave Hinz

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LoTek - 29 Jan 2005 05:16 GMT

Yes 2 Gigs is the best. I got a powerbook (1.3 Ghz-768 MB RAM) I
ussually give from 320 MB to 512 MB to the PC and thought slow it's not
that bad.
Also turn your Energy Saver > Processor Performance to highest. Plus
maximum priority on the VPC processor settings.
Try tunning the WinXP also. Win2k is more responsive if want to change.
Lo.

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Bill Crocker - 29 Jan 2005 18:46 GMT

> Running Virtual PC/Windows XP Professional on a Powerbook (1.5 GHz):
> What is the reasonable amount of memory? ie which amount of memory to
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> Marc

XP Pro will run respectably in 512MB, provided you do not
have too many apps open at one time. As others have
indicated, 1GB is preferable.

Bill Crocker

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Flash - 30 Jan 2005 10:34 GMT

I give VPC 128 Mb and it seems to work OK for me.

Mind you, I'm running Win 98, but at least it runs at a respectible
speed.

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Flash

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Mac Forum / Applications / Mac Applications / February 2005

Virtual PC memory needs (XP Professional)