FreeRAM XP ?

[orane75]

Does anyone know this application ?

do you think it will be worth using until the D*&?&%? patch arrived ?

 

[rpriha]

It's a complete hoax, as all "ram optimizers" are. Don't waste your time or money with those.

For a (rather technical) explanation on why ram optimizers don't work, see e.g. this article:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Windows/Article/ArticleID/41095/Windows_41095.html

 

[dkehler]

Um, no, it's not a hoax.

 

[lifeaquatic]

Well if its not a hoax tell me why every thing I've read says it is and why it doesn't work at all? Now I have to uninstall the stupid piece of crap you reffered us all to. Thanks dkehler.

 

[1c0n]

TOO LIFEAQUATIC
hey dont be a jerk, he suggested it to help your a__. you didnt need to, and typically they are useless, but this one in particular atleast helps. they dont really free ram persay, they do however steal ram from other apps, usually this is useless since the other apps are forced to read off the drive (not productive for performane) but in the case that the only thing you are running i civ 4, and after a couple hours/tuurns (depending on your case) its hogging 800 more MB than it initially did, really it IS helpfull by stealing that hogged ram back, now its not a solution, as it will start hogging again, but it WILL buy you another hour or so at decent performance.

IMHO if this doesnt work for you, so sorry. but it works for me, and im sure others. dont be a prick to someone posting suggestions

 

[dkehler]

Well if its not a hoax tell me why every thing I've read says it is and why it doesn't work at all? Now I have to uninstall the stupid piece of crap you reffered us all to. Thanks dkehler.

First of all, I never referred anyone to this piece of software. However, I do use it because it does seem to help with Dragon NaturallySpeaking and coincidentally, with Civilization IV.

I suspect that for most people, RAM freeing utilities would do little if anything, and in some cases, might actually reduce performance. But since many people seem to be experiencing what appears like a memory leak, FreeRAM may indeed provide a solution until a patch is released. I know for a fact that after an hour or two of playing Civilization, my RAM falls below the threshold (which I've currently set at 100 megabytes) of RAM, causing FreeRAM to free up and compress memory. This has the effect of causing a brief (about 30 seconds) time period of extreme computer sluggishness while it's doing its job, but afterwards allowing the game to run normally.

Without reclaiming that memory, the game continues to eat up memory until the computer either completely freezes or reboots.

I make no warranty or claim that it will help anyone else. I'm just relating my experience.

 

[dkehler]

Also, from the FreeRAM XP FAQ:

Q: But wait! Freeing up RAM is useless or can even decrease performance, especially on Windows XP.

A: This is simply not always true. Used RAM may be legitimate application data taking up memory, or it may be data that is no longer useful but is still stored in memory. Trying to free up the first kind of used memory does not help, because data must be loaded again later from the swap file. However, freeing up the second kind of used memory helps performance because then that memory does not have to be cleared before use; it is already free to be used immediately by newly loaded applications and data on demand.

Almost all other RAM-freeing programs do not distinguish between the two types of used RAM. However, FreeRAM XP Pro employs the intelligent AutoFree algorithm to compute the optimal amount of RAM to free. It uses a variety of system metrics to assess the current state of your computer, such as swap file size, to try to free up as much no longer used memory as possible while minimizing the amount of useful data that is freed and stored in the swap file. And one of the best parts about FreeRAM XP Pro is the customizability--if you don't like AutoFree, you can set your own amount to free, along with a slew of other configurable options to suit your tastes and computing environs, and such options can be called up easily with just a few keystrokes (i.e., a Windows shortcut) or by right-clicking on the system tray icon. We ourselves use FreeRAM XP Pro to monitor and optimize our RAM on the Windows XP computers we use for software development.

As an example of FreeRAM XP Pro's effectiveness, it works even without a swap file--that is, if Virtual Memory is disabled on the system. In such cases, free RAM is often gained through AutoFree or manually specifying an amount to free. Systems with virtual memory sometimes even see their virtual memory usage decrease. Additionally, FreeRAM XP Pro's memory compression technology (new in ver. 1.50) represents an entirely new way of freeing RAM by directly reducing applications' memory requirements. It works instantly, without relying on the swap file, and swap file usage often even decreases following Global Memory Compression using FreeRAM XP Pro 1.50. Reducing the Load metric displayed by FreeRAM XP Pro is often a more effective goal than increasing free RAM levels; a decrease in the Load represents a true decrease in the amount of memory required to support everything that's occupying your computer at the moment. FreeRAM XP Pro's various functions usually ensure that the Load decreases as a result of freeing memory or using memory compression.

Finally, we'd like to say that Windows XP is, undoubtedly, a step up above Windows 95 and 98 in terms of memory management, and that FreeRAM XP Pro will most likely not, of course, do "miracles" for your computer (although some users have reported improvements close to that level). Actual results will vary according to your own computer, as can be expected. But we think that in almost all cases, whether your computer is running 32 MB or 1024 MB of RAM, FreeRAM XP Pro's ease of use, RAM-freeing effectiveness, extensive features, AutoFree functionality, and comprehensive data reporting will enhance your computing experience in, most likely, more ways than one. And since FreeRAM XP Pro is completely free (and we mean completely--not something you find often these days!), you really have nothing to lose.