RAM usage while gaming

[Wite with problems]

I play GTA V on 4GB RAM on a Windows 10.
Before playing I make sure that all unwanted processes are cleared.

So I have about 40% memory being used out of which Windows is using 1.6GB
I start playing GTA V and see that about 90% of RAM is being used and GTA V is using 1.8GB of RAM.

Fine. After playing for some time the game freezes every now and then especially when driving. Now, GTA V is using only 600MB of RAM but still, 90% of RAM is being used. No additional apps are shown on the list of processes. What is causing this problem and how can I fix it? (Other than buying more RAM)

 

[Wite with problems]

I don't know if this was mentioned or not but you may want to try setting Pagefile to custom and set both min and max to 4096 MB. I use to always set Pagefile to double the ram but that was pre-windows 7 and a system that only had 2 GB so 4096 should be sufficient for you.

Yes my pagefile range is from 2-4 GB whenever it requires it, but the pagefile is the whole issue here. If I had more memory, I could have not set a pagefile, but if I remove the pagefile now, then the game will either crash with a low memory error or it won't start.

 

[u2desire420]

Go to http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/memory and search for your make and model of laptop and it will tell you what you can put in it. You may also want to eventually upgrade HDD to a 7200rpm or SSD. I know from recent experience that there is quite a bit of difference in performance between a 5400rpm drive and a 7200rpm drive. SSD's are obviously even faster but make sure you get at least 256GB SSD if you go that route.
For how to upgrade the RAM check Youtube and see if someone made a video for your laptop. Usually it is as simple as removing a hand full of screws at the bottom and slide bottom cover off to expose the RAM and HDD.
I say usually because some manufacturers are A-Holes and don't want you to upgrade and will do things to make it a PITA to do.

 

[ledhead11]

What laptop model do you have?

Even if it only has a single slot you should be able to get a 8GB card.

I've done many and most built in the last 5-10 years are usually easy to upgrade the RAM. The real limitations are either CPU/MOBO related.

 

[Wite with problems]

What laptop model do you have?

Even if it only has a single slot you should be able to get a 8GB card.

I've done many and most built in the last 5-10 years are usually easy to upgrade the RAM. The real limitations are either CPU/MOBO related.

Its a Lenovo z50 with 4 slots of RAM 1 being used, yes I can fit in a lot of RAM. Thanks for all your help.

 

[ledhead11]

What laptop model do you have?

Even if it only has a single slot you should be able to get a 8GB card.

I've done many and most built in the last 5-10 years are usually easy to upgrade the RAM. The real limitations are either CPU/MOBO related.

Its a Lenovo z50 with 4 slots of RAM 1 being used, yes I can fit in a lot of RAM. Thanks for all your help.

Sounds good. Just looked at the specs. Memory should help quite a bit. If/when you upgrade to an SSD that would give some more oomph! too.

 

[u2desire420]

Where did you get that it has 4 slots? According to http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/z-series/z50/#tab-tech_specs you can only put in Up to 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz. If Speccy or HWInfo is reporting 4 slots those programs are reporting the number of slots the Chipset/CPU can support.

 

[ledhead11]

It's ok either way. Basically unscrew the larger portion of the underside of the laptop(I know its counter intuitive considering the smaller panel's size). Here's a pretty good link on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LshQWII7LXM

It shows that you should have 2 slots and one that's populated from the factory. You can try simply getting a second 4GB card for the second but I really don't recommend it. It's doable but a risk. I really recommend either a single 8GB 1600mhz or 2x4GB 1600MHZ kit. As u2desire420 recommended the Crucial site I can also say I've used many Crucial's with no problems. Either way use a credible site and match your make/model specs exactly and you should be fine. I've also used Corsairs and G.Skills. I would also suggest trying to either look at customer comments regarding their memory upgrade experiences or trying to use the same company Lenovo did. I've had mixed experiences with Kingston but the truth is that HP stuff really works well with them and so its possible that Lenovo favors a particular brand also.

If/when you upgrade I don't know for AMD cpu's if it'll make much difference with either 2x4GB vs. 1x8GB ram. I'm mostly an Intel person and can tell you that from 2nd generation 'I5/I7' chips it doesn't matter much but pre-'I5/I7' had noticable gains with multiple cards. In either case the difference might be a couple of fps but I doubt much more if any.

One last and possibly major detail: According to the lenovo site you have an integrated GPU, not discreet. Integrated means the GPU is built into the CPU or MOBO. This is often a major limitation for laptop gaming. They usually have slower clocks, ram, etc. Discreet mobile GPU's can have similar limitations but integrated are mainly just for displaying powerpoints/basic videos/office stuff/etc. Ram could still help but this is a notable detail to be aware of. If you can afford the RAM and its cheap enough I'd say still do it but realize there are some real limitations here.

 

[u2desire420]

If you unit is either the Z50-70 or Z50-75 than http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/lenovo-z50-70/CT9177506 will work. You will only need the 1 SODIMM plus the added advantage of having both slots filled is that the memory will run in dual channel mode which will give a bit of a performance boost.

 

[Wite with problems]

If you unit is either the Z50-70 or Z50-75 than http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/lenovo-z50-70/CT9177506 will work. You will only need the 1 SODIMM plus the added advantage of having both slots filled is that the memory will run in dual channel mode which will give a bit of a performance boost.

Yeah, but I have on 4 GB stick already. Its DDR3 1600 MHz from Hyundai electronics. Isn't it bad to have RAM from two different companies? Even though they might have same operating frequency, the latency would vary right?

And does age affect RAM speed/performance?

 

[Wite with problems]

Right now I only have doubt whether to get a single 8 GB stick to replace my old one or to get another 4 GB stick to add with my old one. Only problem with the above is that the RAM brand will be different, and latency might vary.. Just want to know what difference it will make, or whether it will cause system problems.

Note: I am trying to save as much money as I could

 

[ledhead11]

There are those that will say mix/matching can be fine if you keep the same brand/timings/size. I really don't recommend it. For every person that says it works there can be one who said it didn't.

If your CPU is dual channel I would recommend 2x4gb. For best performance but that might be marginal in the long run. If its cheaper, 1x8gb would be fine.

Bottom line is get whatever is rated for your system. I suggest using either Crucial or Newegg's memory finder tools for your system. At least through Newegg you can read reviews on whatever it pulls up. There are other site with tools but depending on the age of the system they don't always show whats available even when they actually carry it(I've seen this happen on G.Skill).