RAM is a valuable commodity, but it’s not the only thing you need to increase your website’s performance. You also need to buy more storage space. If you’re looking to increase your website’s page file size, there are a few things you can do. One is to use a caching plugin like CloudFlare or Akamai. These plugins will cache your pages so that they are faster when you visit them again. Another option is to use an SSD for your website’s data storage.SSDs are becoming more and more popular because they offer high speeds and don’t require any maintenance. If you’re looking for an SSD for your website, be sure to check out our guide on the best SSDs for websites. One final option is to use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN helps improve the speed of your website by delivering files from different sources into your browser at the same time. This can help reduce the load time on your server and make it easier for people to access your site.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader IMB poses the following question:
Can IMB squeeze by with his page-file-workaround (in order to avoid drumming up some expensive vintage RAM)?
Will it help if I buy more RAM since the current performance is already acceptable, will it be even faster?
Will just having 256MB RAM but 4GB page file have some implications (maybe the HDD is being pounded or something)?
The Answers
SuperUser contributor Indrek writes:
Hans Passants chimes in with some insight into why the computer might feel faster:
Your decision will depend on what you subjectively deem to be acceptable for the task you are using the computer for. You are certainly not using it for office work?
For more information about the Windows page file, check out: HTG Explains: What is the Windows Page File and Should You Disable It?
It matters a great deal since you’ll be using the paging file a lot more frequently with this little RAM. A fragmented paging file causes a lot more disk head seeks and that’s slow.
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
