Windows 7 - How Much Ram?

[BT63]

If I am typically using about 5GB of RAM (out of 8GB available) for Windows 10, how much am I likely to need for Windows 7?

Thanks!
BT

[Lanark]

It really depends what you will be using it for?

Windows 7 is unsupported and with multiple unpatched vulnerabilities, is not safe to run a web browser or any kind of internet-connected software.

[Breelander]

If I am typically using about 5GB of RAM (out of 8GB available) for Windows 10, how much am I likely to need for Windows 7?

The minimum RAM specs were the same for Windows 7 as they are for Windows 10....

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 50bc24e15f

....so the ball-park answer (not knowing what you want to use it for) is 'about the same'.

Having said that, there are more processes running in W10 than in W7, I'd not recommend running x64 W10 in less than 4GB. I do however have one laptop with x64 W7 running perfectly well in 2GB.

So a more complete answer is: 'about the same, maybe a bit less'.


Windows 10 memory management is a bit misleading in that makes as much use as possible of the available RAM, expanding to fill the space available. It typically will have about half your available RAM in use, regardless of whether you have 2GB, 4GB or 8GB installed. The 'standby' memory (memory available to use if needed) isn't being wasted either. While it's waiting for an app to demand more memory it is used as a file cache to speed up access to your frequently used files and apps.

Only when you get to 16GB installed will you find that Windows stops expanding to fill the available RAM.

[BT63]

It really depends what you will be using it for?

Windows 7 is unsupported and with multiple unpatched vulnerabilities, is not safe to run a web browser or any kind of internet-connected software.

Yes, it may be vulnerable but I'm finding many valuable programs/apps/software are gradually becoming unusable with Windows 10 due to compatibility.

I am planning to run things on old W7 computers instead, keeping the W7 computers off the internet.

But before buying any additional computers I thought I should check the amount of RAM they're likely to need. Most W7 computers I can see for sale have about 2GB RAM, a few with 4GB and the occasional one with 8GB.
After Breelander's reply, I suspect I need the 8GB ones as I suspect upgrading RAM on the 2-4GB ones could turn out to be trickier than it first appears due to availability and compatibilty.

[xeny]

Yes, it may be vulnerable but I'm finding many valuable programs/apps/software are gradually becoming unusable with Windows 10 due to compatibility.

Can you give some examples? I've so far encountered two packages which have been problematic, one which is written in house and hard coded to a specific DirectX dll version and a version of Corel Draw! that dates back to XP.

[Breelander]

Yes, it may be vulnerable but I'm finding many valuable programs/apps/software are gradually becoming unusable with Windows 10 due to compatibility.

I am planning to run things on old W7 computers instead, keeping the W7 computers off the internet.

Not for any compatibility reasons, but for security concerns (such as ransomware) I always have one laptop set aside that never browses the web. It's the one I use for all my financial spreadsheets. That task is currently handled by my 2GB x64 Win7 machine.

...Most W7 computers I can see for sale have about 2GB RAM, a few with 4GB and the occasional one with 8GB.
After Breelander's reply, I suspect I need the 8GB ones as I suspect upgrading RAM on the 2-4GB ones could turn out to be trickier than it first appears due to availability and compatibilty.

I find 4GB is sufficient for most things, even using Windows 10. I only really need more if I want to run virtual machines and 8GB is sufficient for that.

When assessing laptops as potential purchases, my first stop for looking up RAM availability and compatibility is Crucial.

https://uk.crucial.com/

[AF62]

Yes, it may be vulnerable but I'm finding many valuable programs/apps/software are gradually becoming unusable with Windows 10 due to compatibility.

Really? I haven't encountered anything that would run on Windows 7 that won't in 10. It might take a little tweaking in the compatibility settings, but they work.

[PhaseThree]

If you already have a W10 machine with 8GB of RAM then why not just run W7 as a dual boot or as a Virtual Machine ?
Buying additional Ram for an ageing W7 machine seems like the wrong solution to me.
If you are going to buy additional RAM then buy it for the W10 machine.
A 16GB W10 machine as a VM platform works extremely well.

[jfgw]

When I upgraded a Windows 7 machine (Core 2 Quad) from 2GB to 8GB, I didn't notice any difference. I did have to install a 64-bit version of Windows 7 to make full use of it as the 32-bit version was only able to use just over 3GB - something worth bearing in mind if you are buying a used PC. It does depend upon what you are using it for.


Julian F. G. W.

[Infrasonic]

A 16GB W10 machine as a VM platform works extremely well.

I've just done exactly that with my W10 desktop (8GB to 16GB RAM - dual channel), for that very reason (VM's).

[Breelander]

Yes, it may be vulnerable but I'm finding many valuable programs/apps/software are gradually becoming unusable with Windows 10 due to compatibility.

Really? I haven't encountered anything that would run on Windows 7 that won't in 10. It might take a little tweaking in the compatibility settings, but they work.

Me neither, and I run a few programs that are over 20 years old now, such as Microsoft Autoroute and PaintShop Pro 7.04. Those were released at a time when Windows 98 was the OS available on most machines. I still used PSP for all my photo editing, works perfectly in Windows 10.

Windows 10 will often automatically detect compatibility issues when an old app is first run and apply the appropriate settings. If not, then they can be applied manually. There are compatibility modes available for as far back as Windows 95.

[Breelander]

If you already have a W10 machine with 8GB of RAM then why not just run W7 as a dual boot or as a Virtual Machine ?
...A 16GB W10 machine as a VM platform works extremely well.

The problem installing Windows 7 as dual boot on the latest machines is compatibility. Machines with a 7th gen (or later) Intel processor do not support installing Windows 7. These are generally found on PCs built in 2016 or later.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c05289634

That doesn't stop you installing W7 in a virtual machine though. But dual boot or VM, the biggest problem is that you won't be able to activate your Win7 unless you have a spare W7 key to hand.