Cache Tuning - Windows 98/ME                                        

Overview: Cache tuning helps you to fine-tune your system and increase its computer application performance. It makes sure that the maximum possible memory is free and any new application that is initiated gets enough physical memory to run without paging.

Machine configurations can vary greatly between individuals, so the default caching scheme is a middle tier that works reasonably well for most users. However, by specifically tuning the cache to your system’s most suitable settings, computer application performance can be greatly improved. MemTurbo's cache adjustments can also prevent buffer under runs when burning CDs, excessive delays from paging and when playing games, etc. You can fine-tune MemTurbo to handle your cache settings by checking the box Enable MemTurbo Control of these functions and configuring the following options that suit your needs.

Minimum Cache Size: Using this option, you can set the minimum amount of memory that is reserved for file cache. This is useful when you execute any application that consumes large amounts of memory for itself (I.e., game applications). By setting-up Minimum Cache Size we can ensure that the system performance is not obstructed and normal functionality is streamlined. Setting a minimum cache size can improve file access and web server performance, and helps to prevent buffer underruns when burning CDs. It’s recommended to set this option to 1/16th of total system RAM.
 

bullet

Maximum Cache Size: This option is necessary to set an upper limit for the amount of memory that will be allocated to the file cache. The maximum amount of memory allotted should be moderate as this would prevent the file cache from consuming too much valuable RAM.  However, setting it too low can degrade disk performance. We recommend you to set it to 0 unless you have more than 32M.  If you have more, experiment with values around 1/4 of your total RAM.
 

bullet

Cache Block Size: It 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. We recommend you try the largest value that seems to yield the best performance for your system.  Optimal value will vary with disk geometry, but larger values are typically better.
 

bullet

ASync IO Buffers: It 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. We recommend that 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. 

The recommendations below are created with 512 MB as the physical memory size. 

System Type

Minimum Cache

Maximum Cache

Standard System

32M

128M

Low Memory System

32M

64M

Power User

64M

96M

CD Writing

96M

96M

Gaming

8M

64M