# System.ini file [vcache] settings?



## geoand (Apr 28, 2002)

Hi,

Can somebody please advise about a setting in the System.ini file. It's set as follows in this bit of the file -

[vcache]
maxfilecache=24576
chunksize=8192
minfilecache=17408

However SiSoft SANDRA [normally v good] recommends that for better use of memory & HD Cache -

Tip T1803 - the maximum disk cache size is low for the amount of system memory you have installed. Generally this should not be lower than ¼ of physical memory installed.

Fix: Compute ¼ of your physical memory in kilobytes (say 8192KB for 32MB). In system.ini find the [vcache] section and add MaxFileCache=8192 (i.e. the number you computed). Reboot Windows.

When maxfilecache to is altered as per SANDRA, [ie set to 65336] my ram runs out very quickly after surfing for 1 hour or using a couple of biggish progs. What do other users have this setting at in System.ini ?

Thanks,

George   
======

System
======
Pentium III, 550Mhz, 256Mb SDRAM, 15Gb HD, USB Powered Hub, USB Modem, USB Scanner, LPT1 Printer.
Win.'98se, ZA Pro, Norton Systemworks 2002, MemTurbo 2.1 [unsure what cache settings should be with this prog?]


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## ddraigcoch (Mar 3, 2001)

Geoand! How nice to see you here - welcome!

Your settings are fine as they for 256RAM I would say!


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## geoand (Apr 28, 2002)

Yeah,

Nice to see you as well! Glad to see there's expert help here!

Ok, if that's ok in system.ini, could the MemTurbo settings for the cache be overriding this - I'll check what they're set at & post back!

Cheers


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## geoand (Apr 28, 2002)

Hi again C,

My settings in Cache Tuning of MemTurbo II are,

Min Cache 17M - Max Cache 35M - Cache Block 8192 - Async IO Buffers 128K

From the help notes of this prog, these looked ok - perhaps I'm missing something? It says:

==============================================
Minimum Cache Size

Ensures that the minimum amount of memory that you specify is always reserved for the file cache. This can significantly improve performance on systems where a memory-hungry application or game tries to reserve all available memory for itself. Setting a minimum cache size (a good guideline is 1/16 of your system RAM) can improve file access and web server performance, and helps to prevent buffer underruns when burning CDs.
Recommendation: 1/16 of your total memory 

Maximum Cache Size

Sets an upper bound for the amount of memory that will be allocated to the file cache. Selecting a low value can prevent the file cache from consuming too much valuable RAM. Setting it too low, however, can degrade disk performance.
Recommendation: Leave at 0 unless you have more than 32M. If you have more, experiment with values around 1/4 of your total RAM.

Cache Block Size

Sets the size, in bytes, of an atomic block of cache data. With today's larger memory systems a number such as 8192 may provide significantly better performance than the system default.
Recommendation: Try the largest value that seems to yield better performance for your system. Optimal value will vary with disk geometry, but larger values are typically the best.

ASync IO Buffers

Sets the size of the buffers that are used to store asynchronous read and write pages. This setting is used only if you are using 32-Bit Disk Access and a permanent swap file. You can specify a value up to 128K (the Windows default is only 16K). Increasing this value can improve Windows performance. 
Recommendation: As with Cache Block Size, try the largest value that seems to yield better performance for your system. Start with 128K if you are not experiencing a shortage of RAM. 
==============================================

Hopefully this makes sense to you, it looks helluva complicated to moi ? I'll trust whatever you say, you ain't been wrong yet to my knowledge.

Cheers,  

PS - Should I just dump MemTurbo - are these progs any use?


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## TonyKlein (Aug 26, 2001)

Look at what WhitPhil has to say on the subject:

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69178&highlight=maxfilecache


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## ddraigcoch (Mar 3, 2001)

Couldn't agree more!


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## geoand (Apr 28, 2002)

Mucho Thanks Tonyklein,

Exactly what I'm looking for - must read & digest that before tweaking! Looks pretty darn good to me.

Ta,


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## TonyKlein (Aug 26, 2001)

You're welcome.

Since discovering TSG Forums, I've learned that when WhitPhil speaks, one does well to listen... 

Cheers,


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## WhitPhil (Oct 4, 2000)

Tony, 
Thanks for the recommendation.
I think I "have" learned that there is no reason to place limits on the file cache in Windows 98, until you approach or go beyond the 512 mark.

And slipe explains the situation very well in that same link.


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