Subj : Re: Windows issues
To   : Angus Mcleod
From : Deuce
Date : Sat Jun 11 2005 12:50 am

  Re: Re: Windows issues
  By: Angus Mcleod to Deuce on Sat Jun 11 2005 00:47:00

 >  > If the idle task gets paged out, you then have 64MB of cache to
 >  > buffer the disk IO in which WILL increase performace.  When you switch ba
 >  > the idle task, there will be a noticeable flood of page faults, resulting
 >  > something that LOOKS like poor performace but in actual fact gave BETTER
 >  > performace overall.
 > 
 > I think this is part of how these so-called optimizers fiddle with the
 > metric to appear to be doing something good.  If your criterion is "Free
 > RAM" then they may actually generate increases in free RAM at the expense
 > of some other area of memory management that is actually already working
 > well.  If they can manipulate the OS into paging out more of an active
 > program, you will apparently get more free RAM.  But at the cost of
 > increasing the number/frequency of page faults on active processes.  Your
 > RAM-O-Meter shows a big increase, but your active processes actually slow
 > down, until that free RAM is re-committed by the OS.

Also, it can keep cached data from needing to be drained before an idle process
is paged back in which can result in snappier app switching (and much slower
apps)

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