8G RAM vs 4G RAM

[Che_Guitarra]

I remember posting something like this a few years back, but 2G vs 4G. I was told then i'd hardly notice the performance difference - being an ITB I can say I noticed the difference almost instantly

Time has come again to ask the question as technology has moved a fair way since - on a dedicated PT9 mac, what are the observed performance differences 8G vs 4G?

[DarylG]

If you were running Windows I would say that currently you would not notice much, if any difference, but with OSX you ought to see a discernible improvement, if you are running large sessions. I would also say that if and when PT becomes 64bit, that extra RAM might come in very handy, because I've never known an upgrade of any software use less RAM.

However, if PT's memory usage never goes above 2GB, and you think that this is the way you will be working in the future, the extra RAM is probably not worth it at the moment.

D

[rafukyo]

I did this ram upgrade few months ago. It was immediate improvement. Not only for PT but for all the running app's. The computer is responding much faster and smoother.
I bought the new 4GB from OWC.
Very recommended.

By the way PT 32bit can use up to 4GB not 2GB.

[Park Seward]

Take a look at the Activity utility and see how much RAM your computer is using. If you are hitting the limit, more RAM will help.

[filosofem]

Originally Posted by Che_Guitarra

Time has come again to ask the question as technology has moved a fair way since - on a dedicated PT9 mac, what are the observed performance differences 8G vs 4G?

Simple, aim high. 4GB allocation to Pro Tools, 4GB allocation to what ever else, like ReWire, VE Pro, etc.

[DarylG]

Originally Posted by rafukyo

By the way PT 32bit can use up to 4GB not 2GB.

Nobody said it was restricted to 2GB, did they?

Anyway, that limit is theoretically. I get around 2.8GB before PT crashes. Anyone get more?

D

[filosofem]

Originally Posted by DarylG

Anyway, that limit is theoretically. I get around 2.8GB before PT crashes. Anyone get more?

Under a 64-bit OS architecture RAM allocation is 4GB for 32-bit applications. That is, providing the amount of system RAM is greater than 4GB.

[DarylG]

Originally Posted by filosofem

Under a 64-bit OS architecture RAM allocation is 4GB for 32-bit applications. That is, providing the amount of system RAM is greater than 4GB.

Yes, but that wasn't my point. I was saying that although the allocation is 4GB, at least 1Gb of this is not usable for Pro Tools.

D

[filosofem]

Originally Posted by DarylG

Yes, but that wasn't my point. I was saying that although the allocation is 4GB, at least 1Gb of this is not usable for Pro Tools.

No, that is not the case, if your system does not allocate 4GB RAM to a 32-bit application like Pro Tools for instance under a 64-bit OS then your system has problems. Even in the Pro Tools 7.x era (Windows 32-bit) with the 3GB/ switch we were capable of allocating 2.7 GB RAM before Pro Tools gave up the ghost.

[Che_Guitarra]

Originally Posted by Park Seward

Take a look at the Activity utility and see how much RAM your computer is using. If you are hitting the limit, more RAM will help.

I can't see a RAM monitor - just CPU (RTAS and Elastic), and Disk monitors... RTAS is always up there, and the disk monitor often spikes when the editing is heavy. Is there a RAM monitor i've never known about?

I'm getting every performance prompt under the sun - 'increase buffer settings', 'can't grab audio from the drives fast enough', 'drives too fragmented', 'reaching cpu limit', etc... plugins are all up to date, my computer is just a little too slow for my needs. Just eyeballing minimum specs i'll need for an upgrade

At this point leaning toward a 13" i7 MBP loaded with an SSD boot drive and 8G RAM... $2K is a lot for a computer, I really expect a quad core for that money. I'd go an Imac but really need the mobility of a laptop.