Cache size setting for allowing ram-intensive plugings to run better?

[Jason Arthur Taylor]

I was having some issues with some plugins and read in a thread the solution was to decrease the cache size.  I think a recompile was needed.

I think the cache uses a lot of ram.  If you are listening to high bitrate mp3s on a physical hdd, sure, might be useful to have a big cache.  For me, however, I'd like a small cache, especially when certain plugins crash.  

Present options are only:

o Directory Cache: Y/N
o Browser limits
o Max playlist size, and 
o Gylphs to cache

But I suspect the biggest thing one can alter to change ram is mp3 pre-read cache.

I propose adding it, so one does not need to do a recompile to test an intermittant crash of a plug in.  And just because more ram is better.  

There are some hardware limits, like IRAM per chip.  But still, this seems to be a good option to me.  I am half expecting I am wrong, based purely on the acceptance rate of ideas here, so I look forward to reading posts by the experts explaining why this is actually a dumb idea.  On the other chance, perhaps I will get lucky and someone will code it.  Thanks in advance either way.

Jason

[saratoga]

I was having some issues with some plugins and read in a thread the solution was to decrease the cache size.  I think a recompile was needed.

I think the cache uses a lot of ram.  If you are listening to high bitrate mp3s on a physical hdd, sure, might be useful to have a big cache.  For me, however, I'd like a small cache, especially when certain plugins crash.  

Plugins can already use as much of the compressed audio buffer as they want.  No setting is required, they automatically take it. 

[torne]

To be more specific: plugins get a fixed amount of memory by default, which you cannot change by changing any settings. If they need more than that (because you've loaded a large file) then they stop audio playback and take over the audio buffer, which is the majority of RAM. If that's still not enough memory then you can get just a *little* more by disabling the dircache and reducing some of the limits, but the difference is very small.

There's not really anything else that can be done; at that point the only large thing left in memory will be Rockbox's actual code

[dreamlayers]

Can a plugin also use the codec buffer?

[JdGordon]

yes they can. I'm curious, what plgin was crashing? I very much doubt disabling dircache would solve the problem.

[Jason Arthur Taylor]

I was reading this post:

http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php/topic,25727.msg171853.html#msg171853

which, based on the above I assume is out of date and incorrect.

I am mostly using gameboy plugins, as the rockchess game is worthless.  (Ancient time-based difficulty algorithm combined with moore's law = nearly impossible to beat even on level 1).