[Darryl Ramm]

"just songwriting" what does that mean? You are composing using VIs? Or like recording a single acoustic guitar and single audio track?

You are posting in a Pro Tools First forum area. First systems requirements are a 4GB absolute minimum and 8GB or more recommended memory. And in reality it *really* depends on what you do. Lots of memory hungry VIs and you may need much more that that. The First limits are likely mostly lower based on expectations of lower session workloads.

If you are talking about Pro Tools, not Pro Tools First, then yes some folks can get away with 8GB. Make sure you set disk cache to normal and don't run any other programs, even web browsers, especially Google Chrome, can consume many GB. Work at a sensible sample rate (44.1 or 48 kHz) and fully optimize the computer, do *every* last thing recommended. And make sure you are either recoding to a fast internal PCIe SSD or suitable spec dedicated audio (usually external) drive (the disk cache you are turning off (="normal") means you lose some I/O performance protection).

See if you can upgrade the memory in your laptop.