86% of Windows PC’s Maxing Out on Memory

Citing data from Devil Mountain Software’s community-based XPnet, Craig Barth, the company’s chief technology officer, said that new metrics reveal an unsettling trend. On average, 86% of PC’s running Windows 7 are using 90-95% of their ram, as a  result there is bottlenecks and decreased performance as systems are forced to turn to disk-based virtual memory to handle tasks.

While Vista was known for using a lot of RAM while it was idle, Windows 7 hasn’t been plagued with the same issues. However according to the pool of  XPnet computers, the number of  Windows 7 PCs using 90-95% of RAM is double that of the number of XP computers that run at memory “saturation” point. XPnet have more than 23,000 PCs in their pool and a recent snapshot shows that only a mere 40% of XP machines were using high amounts of RAM.

The vast majority of Windows 7 machines over the last several months are very heavily-memory saturated,” “From a performance standpoint, that has an immediate impact on the machine.”

said Barth today. What is also more worrying is that Windows 7 PCs generally have more RAM than XP Machines. The average Windows 7 Machine sports 3.3GB while Windows XP machines have approx 1.7GB on average.

“Windows 7 machines have almost twice as much memory to work with, but the numbers show just how much larger and more complex Windows 7 is than XP.”

However, there is another side to this data collected by XPnet.

Barth acknowledged that XPnet’s data couldn’t determine whether the memory usage was by the operating system itself, or an increased number ofapplications, but said that Devil Mountain would start working on finding which is the dominant factor in increased memory use.

It may just be that the Windows 7 machines running at the time were using more RAM because of the number of applications they were running etc…. Also if your machine has 1GB or 20GB of ram, I think you will find that there is a good chunk of it being used. No it’s not because the Operating System is a resource hog, it’s just being sensible.

You see RAM is “Random Access Memory” which means it’s used for “Random” tasks. Your computer doesn’t know that you are about to open up your browser or that you want to open up a photo editing program. So instead it stores information in the RAM which can be quickly accessed once you call for that program. Allowing your PC to load up a application quicker than it would straight from a hard drive.

So basically just because your system happens to be using a lot of RAM doesn’t mean it your PC is a resource hog, it’s just being sensible, any unused RAM is just going to waste. It’s when your RAM is maxed out that you get system bottlenecks and crashes, which has never happened to me to date on my laptop. I’m running Windows 7 64 bit with 4GB ram, and I do plenty of multitasking. Right now I have a browser with 10 tabs open, iTunes, Messanger, Microsoft Word and a Photo Editing program and my RAM is just at 50%.

I rarely notice any slowdown with my system since upgrading to Windows 7, and I when my system is idle I generally use about 35% of my RAM. Only on rare occasions like when playing Call Of Duty do I see it spike up to about 75-80%.

So to wrap it up, I wouldn’t be worried in the slightest if your PC is using anything up to 70% of your RAM, Windows will automatically reallocate RAM to where it’s need as you approach 100% and it’s only on systems with very low amounts of RAM that you will get system crashesand freezing if it fails to do this.

I would take this data from XPnet with a pinch of salt, unless I hear different from you guys. What is your current RAM usage at and how much available memory do you have installed? What is it at Idle and do you ever max it out?

Let us know in the comments

Overpriced Gadget of the Week: $101,353 Dell Laptop

It may be another mistake by Dell or, a joke, or a complete rip off. Either way Dell is selling a Intel Core i7 Laptop for $101,353.

The Studio XPS 16 with a 1.6 GHZ i7 chip costs $101,353, but if you want to upgrade to a 1.73 GHZ chip you only have to pay about another $350. The good news is that they are taking $100 off faster memory, but frankly Dell I don't think that helps.

Dell Reviles “Future Proof” Desktop

We all know that the future is great, and that technology is advancing exponentially. The issue is that a product you buy now will most likely be outdated a year from now. Dell has decided that they are not going to be bullied around by constantly advancing technology, and has developed a “future proof” Vostro 430 desktop PC. This innocent looking box is fully configurable with the most advanced tech out there which includes, your choice of Core i5 or Core i7 processors and ATI or NVIDIA discrete graphics, along with up to 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, an optional Blu-ray drive, a 19-in-1 memory card reader, a couple of PS/2 and serial ports to support your older devices and, of course, plenty of room for further expansion (including no less than 10 USB ports). Surprisingly this powerful box starts at $699. You can get the high end options for under $1,000, Lets just hope all that tech does not end up like the rest of them; Outdated!

Toshiba Admits Defeat and Will Launch Blu-Ray Player

Toshiba, the creator Blu-Ray’s failed nemesis, the HD-DVD, has admitted defeat in the best way they can: They are going to launch a Blu-Ray player.

Toshiba's first Blu-Ray player should be launched sometime around Christmas "sources" say it'll be called the BD-18. We don't yet know anything else about the player.

Apple Demands Microsoft Stops Laptop Hunter Ads

Microsoft's Chief Operating Office, Kevin Turner told audience members during his Worldwide Partner Conference keynote told his employees about how Apple's lawyers wanted Microsoft to take down their Laptop Hunter ads. Here's the story he told.

And so we've been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? "Oh, I'm looking to spend less than $1,000." Well we'll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials.

And you know why I know they're working? Because two weeks ago we got a call from the Apple legal department saying, hey -- this is a true story -- saying, "Hey, you need to stop running those ads, we lowered our prices." They took like $100 off or something. It was the greatest single phone call in the history that I've ever taken in business. (Applause.)

I did cartwheels down the hallway. At first I said, "Is this a joke? Who are you?" Not understanding what an opportunity. And so we're just going to keep running them and running them and running them.

The whole keynote is available on Microsoft Presspass.

The most recent Laptop features Matt and Olivia, who were looking for a $700 laptop that they can use to share photos. It needs to have a large screen and great battery life, and of course they find their dream machine:

Teenager Falls Into Manhole While Texting

If parents need more evidence that texting teens is becoming increasingly dangerous, 15 year old Alexa Longueira from Staten Island walked into an open manhole while texting. Alexa is fine but she did loose a shoe and scraped her back.

Alexa fell about 5 feet into the manhole. Her mother noted that she was also mentally injured, as the sewer was "putrid" and one of her shoes remains there. Apparently, DEP workers were looking for cones to mark the open manhole.

The family said they will sue, but it is unclear who. Alexa really should have been watching where she was walking.

Image of Zune HD Marketplace Surfaces

An XBOX 360 program manager "Fitret” has posted on Twitter a photo of the Zune HD showing the Zune Marketplace selection, specifically an artist sub-menu for The Hold Steady. It does not show much but it does look nice. We just hope there is an app store.

Video of PlayStation 3 Slim Surfaces, Probably Fake

I’m just going to assume this video of a PlayStation 3 Slim, which was purportedly "stolen” at a Philippine street market is fake, but given the piling up evidence and the continuing leaks it just might be real. The video is blurry video of a plastic box with a new rounded logo. We’ll just have to wait and see if any legitimate sources have anything to say about this video.

Google CEO Captures Memories With Blackberry

Google CEO Eric Schmidt was caught snapping a photo from a Blackberry. Yes, Google makes apps for the blackberry, but Google makes its own phone too. It feels like Scgmidt is cheating on Google. We guess the big, ratty Google sticker adds back a sliver of street cred, but it's not like this thing's packing some furiously awesome camera that a Magic, Dream, or Hero doesn't. Lets just hope he is not using Bing or Yahoo as well.

China Gets iPhones Early, But Wi-Fi is Disabled

China Unicom will likely be selling an iPhone sooner than expected, but it will not have Wi-Fi capabilities.

The Government of China, which controls the 3 major cell phone networks in China said in the past that it objected to Wi-Fi in phones, perhaps because it's harder to sniff local packets than ones drifting through a wide-area network.

According to unconfirmed reports, China Unicom plans to sell a GSM based iPhone, but its licence is for something where Wi-Fi is blocked. As TradingMarkets.com puts it: "Apple has to cancel the Wi-Fi function without changing other components."

The good news is that, China has been waiting for the iPhone for a long time and they are finally getting it now. I just wonder how adept the Chinese jailbreakers will be at reactivating that Wi-Fi.

Laptop Thief Steals Laptop Right Out Of Someone's Lap

According to a police report a 19 year old Jessie Phoutthaphaphone was using a browsing MySpace beside a cracked window when a thief came in a stole his laptop right off his lap.

"I was typing and all of the sudden just woosh! I was like oh, what the hell?" Phoutthaphaphone said.

"This is clearly a real desperate act, I mean he (the suspect) stole the computer out of his hands while he's in his house," Minneapolis Police Sgt. Jesse Garcia explained.

"He was probably just creeping right here, I was typing, and then all of the sudden he just yanked it," the victim remarked. He only saw the suspect's hands; then saw his back as he ran around the corner of his home.

Jessie chased the suspect until he cornered him at a garage. A homeowner saw the commotion and pinned down the suspect, until the authorities arrived. Naturally, he incident described as both "bold and bizarre" has left authorities baffled.

Jessie’s last name was not available due to police restrictions.

Thanko Silent Keyboard is so Scilent its Scary

If you bought a Silent EX Mouse and you want to pair it up with a silent keyboard, you don't have to wait anymore. Thanko and has now updated its venerable Silent Keyboard with the EX moniker and an extra shot of quiet.The value of cutting 16.5 dB from the sound of a keyboard tap is somewhat lost on us. This silent keyboard retails at $52.79. You have the choice of bundling it with the mouse for $77.

Synology Debuts 4 Bay Compact NAS

Synology's just-announced DS409Slim NAS which is nice simple and very compact. Despite its puny size you can fit four 2.5 inch hard drives, along with some standard issue NAS specs like a 1.2GHz Marvell processor, 128MB of RAM, a pair of USB ports, and a single eSATA port. It can handle up to 2 TB of space. Look for this later this month at a price of $400.

Carbon Ring Storage Provides 1,000 Times Higher Memory Density

There is terrifying news. We've almost maxed out the density limits of magnetic memory, as it becomes increasingly harder to shrink the necessary grains in the process. In simple terms, we’ve maxed out on the amount of memory a computer can have. Don’t start fretting about this, because there may be a solution. A team of German scientists, have been doing more than just standing around and watching this happen. Colbalt (an element responsible for keeping you’re data safe) usually needs around 50,000 atom fleet for each grain, but boffins from Dresden have found a way to shrink that to 50 (that's good). Without the geeky technological details, attaching carbon rings to the cobalt reproduces the requisite hexagonal close packed structure, which leads to reduced space requirements. If this is viable, we can expect another race which hard drive makers try to make the competitions capacity look measly. The details are here.

Dell working on iPod touch-esque Device

The Wall Street Journal is reasserting a previous claim that Dell is currently working on a MID powered by Google’s Mobile OS. Sources have described it as a slightly larger iPod touch, while one went so far as to suggest a very tentative second half 2009 target release window, assuming the project doesn't get 187'd before then. Despite Dell’s history with Intel and the chipmaker's penchant for MIDs, the report pegs ARM as the processor of choice. The article repeatedly calls it a MID -- meaning a phone might still be in the cards, but given past whispers, it kind of makes you wonder.

Microsoft May Sell Windows 7 on Flash Drives for Netbooks

Sources have told CNET, Microsoft is planning to consider selling Windows 7 on flash drives, which would save netbook users lots of headaches. Windows 7 was designed to be a netbook friendly operating system. There are no further details at this time.

How to Add an Extra Hard Drive

1. Check if you need the IDE (parallel ATA) or Serial ATA. While older computers support IDE (Parallel ATA), new ones may only support Serial ATA. If you are not sure, open the computer case and try to determine the type of the used drives from the view. It is safer to use the same type that is already installed, even if the sockets for another type also appear to be present.

• IDE drives use a wide, flat ribbon cable and may have jumpers that need to be set.
• SATA drives have a thinner cable and no jumpers to worry about.

2. Make sure you have room for an extra hard drive, here's one way to do this:

1. Restart your computer and go into the BIOS menu.
2. Go to the "Standard CMOS Settings."
3. In this menu, you will find four settings labeled as follows: PRIMARY MASTER:, AUTO/PRIMARY SLAVE:, SECONDARY MASTER:, SECONDARY SLAVE:. Change all fields to auto detection.
4. Reboot your computer
5. On the first or second screen, you will see something like the screen above and it will say detecting (drive(prim/sec)) : (name of the drive if present). If any of them say none, remember which drive it is. If all of them have a drive name, all your bays are filled and you can't add a new hard drive without removing a disk drive or hard drive. Consider making an external USB drive.

3. Get the actual hard drive. Go to your local computer store or buy online from Newegg or another retailer. Make sure that the type (SATA or IDE (PATA)) matches. If you plan on replacing your existing hard drive (see warning on replacing drives), be sure to get one with enough space to compensate for what you're losing.

4. Shut down your computer.

5. Unplug all of the cords from the back of your computer and pull the computer out from the desk.

6. Remove the case screws. If you have a Dell, you only need to push down on the release latch(s) on the back or sides. If you're having difficulty, it's a good idea to consult your manual on how your particular case is removed. Put the screws in a safe place so you don't lose them. Remove the side panel and place it out of the way.

FIG. 2:The thumb screw.

FIG. 3:The ribbon cable connection.

7. Find the area where all the flat ribbon cables (or SATA cables, which are smaller and usually red) connect to the main board.(fig. 3) Find the cable that corresponds to the free drive that was detected in step 1-6, either primary or secondary.

8. Set the jumpers so the drive knows whether to act as a master or slave. The jumpers are the set of pins on the back of the hard drive. They'll have a couple of rubber or plastic blocks covering some pins. Find the diagram or instructions for your new drive on to set the jumper for the master/slave. Note that if both the master and the slave are available on the slot you are using (primary or secondary), set the hard drive to master. (fig. 4) Note that if you are using a SATA drive, the jumpers do not need to be changed, because each SATA device uses its own cable, and multiple IDE devices can share a cable.

FIG. 4:The jumper in the slave position. If it says to remove a jumper completely, put it on the single pin so you don't lose it.

9. Find the empty bay in your computer case. Using the screws that came with the drive or computer case, mount the drive. (fig. 5)

FIG. 5:The hard drive mounted in it's holster.

10. Connect the cable that you found in step 6 to the hard drive. If it won't go in, make sure that the safety bump is aligned with the hole.(fig. 6)

 

FIG. 6:The ribbon cable installed.

11. Connect a Molex power cable, (a smaller connector with red, yellow, and black wires.)(fig. 7) A SATA drive will have a different type of power cable on the power supply.

FIG. 7:The power cable is installed.

12. Put the side panel back on the computer and put the screws back in.

13. Plug all of the cables back into the rear of the computer, and connect them to their power sources if you unplugged them.

14. Boot up the computer. Go into your BIOS at startup (most likely by pressing F10 or DEL as the computer starts). Check the BIOS auto detect to ensure the second drive is detected. On the screen that shows that primary master/slave, secondary master/slave you should see the name of your new hard drive.