CJJ Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 One of my users has come across an article on the Autodesk website regarding the amount of memory that can be allocated to AutoCAD and how to increase this amount. Essentially, Windows will only allow any given application to access 2 GB of memory, even if you have more RAM installed. You can modify your boot.ini file to allow windows to increase this number. We have tested this on a machine here, and it actually seemed to have shown some improvement, but it's hard to quantify the changes. I'm still not sure if I want to go ahead and set up all of my CAD users up with this or not, so I'd like to hear from anyone who has already done this. By default, the Windows operating system limits the amount of physical memory available to applications to 2 GB. It reserves the remaining memory for the operating system itself. However, if you have more than 3 GB of physical memory, it is possible to increase the amount of memory available to applications, such as Civil 3D®, to 3 GB.Autodesk has conducted some preliminary testing on this configuration and has found some improvement in performance when working with larger datasets. http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=9729516&linkID=9240697 I guess I just wanted to share this finding with you folks, and would like to hear from anyone else who has tried this. Did you find any improvement? Is there any downside to this? Has it caused more problems than it solved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Not any really huge "noticeable" improvement. But it does help, and only if you're running a pretty big scaled 3D CAD file. This is also, of course, all relative to the initial system startup performance and how many processes and background programs are running. But, it's an extra 1GB of RAM and it takes all of 5 seconds to do, so go for it. Best thing to do instead of scraping every single scratch of performance out of a measly 1GB of RAM, just get a workstation with 8GB of RAM on a x64bit version of Windows when upgrade time comes around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJJ Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 Where I work, I'm on a "spending freeze" where we can't spend any money unless we absolutely, positively have to. I have to go through about a week's worth of red tape just to replace a broken CD drive or a fried video card. Buying a new OS and more RAM for about 100 CAD users is virtually out of the question, so I'm trying to make do with what we have until Pres. Obama fixes the economy... which should be happening any day now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Where I work, I'm on a "spending freeze" where we can't spend any money unless we absolutely, positively have to. I have to go through about a week's worth of red tape just to replace a broken CD drive or a fried video card. Buying a new OS and more RAM for about 100 CAD users is virtually out of the question, so I'm trying to make do with what we have...That's cool. Just giving you the advice you needed, even if it was/wasn't what you "wanted" to hear. For the record, you can get computers pretty cheap running x64bit OS with 8GB of RAM, so just "when" upgrading time comes around, hit them up on it. And like I said, you probably won't notice a difference at all, but it does help. It won't make anything "faster" it will just allow some more room for some added efficiency, which will help certain issues such as lock-ups, freezes, slow program switching and slow drawing save/open/switching, etc etc. ....until Pres. Obama fixes the economy... which should be happening any day now...Uh.... don't hold your breath. I've never known of one human being that can fix a free market economy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJJ Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 You said exactly what i "wanted" to hear, and I appreiciate it. I was just saying that while you're right, I need to but new computers, I just can't right now. I started holding my breath the day they announced the Nobel Peace Prize winners for this year, and I won't stop until I'm signing a lease on a million dollar yacht being purchased with my income tax refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I started holding my breath the day they announced the Nobel Peace Prize winners for this year, and I won't stop until I'm signing a lease on a million dollar yacht being purchased with my income tax refund. hahaha, I like you already. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Oh and don't forget this article, maybe it will help as well: http://lazydrafter.blogspot.com/2006/04/configuring-for-speed.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 I've been running WinXP SP3 on a machine with 4GB RAM installed using the 3GB switch for quite some time and it has made working with large 3D drawings somewhat easier. I recommend you test it out on one or two machines. Be aware that some users have experienced problems due to incapatiblity with graphic card drivers thus forcing them to revert back. I did not have such problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankman Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Oh and don't forget this article, maybe it will help as well: http://lazydrafter.blogspot.com/2006/04/configuring-for-speed.html Nice post! Very interesting StykFacE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkent Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 re:lazydrafter I wonder if they actually are "Architectural Certified Experts"? Architectural is misspelled in the green Autodesk icon. Maybe he gave himself a field promotion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 haha, good find rkent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJJ Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 Just thought I'd follow up with my findings. Adding the 3GB switch to the boot.ini is working beautifully. We've been using it on a few computers for the past few weeks and I haven't seen a single problem because of it. I have been switching between 3GB and 2GB on my own computer and, to be honest, I can't tell any difference between the two. Some of the CAD users don't notice, but some say everything seems faster. I guess the benefits aren't too amazing, but it's hard to tell sometimes. Since I haven't seen any problems caused by this at all, I'm going to go ahead and give it my stamp of approval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cad64 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 You're not going to see huge perfomance improvements in everyday drawings. All the 3GB switch does is allow your computer to access an extra 1GB RAM. The extra RAM will come in handy when working on very large drawings or complicated 3D models, where panning, zooming and orbiting would generally lag. It will also help speed up rendering time. Other than that, you probably won't notice much of a difference. RAM is only utilized when it's needed. If it's not needed, it just sits there waiting. Try working with your Task Manager open and watch your Perfomance Monitor to see how your computer is operating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 I think it's the placebo affect! I'll second Cad64's answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea1307 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 just tried it, not sure i did it right where can i check to make sure its switched to 3GB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cad64 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 I think it's the placebo affect! Yeah, kind of like the way your car feels like it performs better after you wash it. just tried it, not sure i did it right where can i check to make sure its switched to 3GB? Go to your Windows Start menu > Control Panel and select "System". The window that opens will tell you how much RAM you have available. Or go to your Windows Start menu > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information, to find out much more about your computer. One way to tell if you did it right would be to restart your computer. If it doesn't boot up, you did it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.