This may be well-known on this list, or not. And I may be preaching to the choir.
In the Mac version of Photoshop, "scratch disk" is its own built-in version of "virtual memory".
In Mac OS 9 and prior, you set the application RAM memory partition on an individual basis for ALL applications. I always set, for my graphic artist users....(up to 25 sometimes)....the maximum RAM (real, hard memory), that was available, minus the memory needed by the system. And turned Virtual Memory ON, and set at ONE mb above the installed amount of hard memory. (This has been Apples recommendation since v. 8.6), and have never had a problem, except with bozo users that tried to run Illustrator at the same time.
In Mac OS X, all that disappeared. You can NOT set application RAM partitions, nor set Virtual Memory, (its always ON), as the OS takes care of allocating more or less memory, dynamically, to whichever application needs it. The priority, naturally, goes to the frontmost application.
Rule of thumb for Macs running OS X: stuff as much hard RAM as you can into your machine. When running Photoshop....set the location for "scratch disk", and OS X will keep it purring along without a hitch. Photoshop will always get as much RAM memory as needed, up to the maximum available, minus the OS, and the minor amount to keep other apps open in the background. Any additional "memory" needed by Photoshop will be paged, (fairly quickly), in and out of the "scratch disk", (PS's virtual memory). Just make sure that you keep 10-20 percent of your hard drive empty. (which is just good management policy anyway.)
Bill Martin
On Tuesday, November 11, 2003, at 09:51 AM, Gordon C Harrison wrote:
I have been told that Windows will simply not allow PS to get all the memory
it asks for, and that that a "negotiated settlement" is always arrived at,
in which Windows always has the last word!
Recently I added another 0.5gb of memory, and I reset the memory allocation
for PS from 100% to 80%. Since then no recurrence of the "virtual memory"
warning has appeared. Based on my own experience if you have 1Gb or less
give Photoshop 100% ram, but don't try and run any other memory hungry
applications at the same time.
Gordon C Harrison
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