Ja, es scheint mir fast so. Und zwar nennt es sich "Windows SuperFetch", und scheint den von mir schon gefühlten Performanceschub zu begründen:
"Windows SuperFetch, a new technology in Windows Vista, allows applications and files to load much faster than on Windows XP-based computers. In previous versions of Windows, system responsiveness could be uneven. You may have experienced sluggish behavior after booting your machine, after performing a fast user switch, or even after lunch. Although too many carbohydrates might slow you down after lunch, your computer slows down for different reasons. When you're not actively using your computer, background tasks—including automatic backup and antivirus software scans—take this opportunity to run when they will least disturb you. These background tasks can take space in system memory that your applications were using. After you start to use your PC again, it can take some time to reload your data into memory, slowing down performance.
SuperFetch understands which applications you use most, and preloads these applications into memory, so your system is more responsive. SuperFetch uses an intelligent prioritization scheme that understands which applications you use most often, and can even differentiate which applications you are likely to use at different times (for example, on the weekend versus during the week), so that your computer is ready to do what you want it to do. Windows Vista can also prioritize your applications over background tasks, so that when you return to your machine after leaving it idle, it's still responsive."
Auf gut Deutsch: Es geht jetzt nicht mehr darum so viel freien Arbeitsspeicher wie möglich zu haben (ein ewiges Wettrennen zw. dem Windows-User und seinem System, bisher), sondern so wenig wie möglich. Grund: der Speicher liegt nicht mehr "nutzlos herum", sondern wird als Highperformance-Cache benutzt. Eine intelligente Routine sorgt dafür, dass auch wirklich das im Cache landet, was man (wahrscheinlich) braucht.
Genauere Informationen hat Jeff Atwood zusammengetragen.
Via Marco.
