RAM usage limit - How to optimize with Publisher

[AFY7]

If I have only 8GB RAM and I am working on a large, image-heavy file, how should I set "RAM usage limit" to give me the best performance? At 8GB? At something lower? Or would this setting make any difference to performance?

[carl123]

Logically speaking you would set the RAM usage to be as high as you have it installed in your PC to give the best performance to Publisher

The lower you set it you will (may) encounter slower performance in Publisher due to disk swapping taking place when it reaches the limit you have set

On the other hand, if you tell Publisher that it can use all available memory, this may "starve" other applications in their requirement for RAM causing the operating system to start frantically swapping out bits of memory to disk to service those other apps needs. This swapping could also have an impact on Publisher as your OS will be taken up valuable CPU and Disk resources whilst doing all this swapping for those other apps.

It is also highly likely that even if you tell Publisher that it can use all your RAM that your OS will override that directive and force Publisher to release the RAM it is using when other apps have a need for it also. Thus, only allowing Publisher to actually use all your RAM when no other app has a need for it.

There have been a few reports in this forum where users have reported that setting the RAM usage limit in Publisher to below the maximum RAM available has resulted in better performance for them (e.g. setting it to 6 rather than 8GB).

Personally, in your case I would just leave it at 8GB and let the OS take care of the RAM as and when it needs to. I would only physically intervene and experiment with reducing it if I notice other apps on my PC being starved of RAM

Just as a side note, I have 16GB in this new PC of mine and I have set all the Affinity apps to use the maximum of 64GB !!!  Obviously, they cannot magically use more than my 16GB but if/when I install additional memory in this PC I don't have to remember to go back into my Affinity apps and recheck/adjust this setting.

[AFY7]

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