How much Ram is too much? + drive performance questions

[BusyBoxSt7]

I'm wondering a few things.

1) RAM
I know there's a huge difference between 1 and 2GB ram. I've got 3 right now. I'm wondering if I'll notice much better performance if I keep adding RAM and if so, how much should I do? .. Please note my use of HD includes VERY little TDM plugs, almost entirely RTAS.
2) Hard Drives
I've been shopping drives and noticed there are quiet/cool/energy efficient drives like the WD caviar green, and then noisier/hot/etc drives like caviar black... Is it necessary/useful to get a super high performance drive for the dedicated system drive? Project drives? (my guess is more likely a deal for the system drive but who has experience that can tell me?)

MY SYSTEM
Mac Pro Quad 2.66 OSX 10.4.8 (delaying Leopard due to PT8 upgrade fees)
3 GB ram
internal drives= 230GB system, 500 system mirror + personal, 1TB projects
external = 2TB WD enclosure running in mirror w/ itself (1TB.. it's a 2 disc enclosure)
PT HD 7.3.1
HD1 accel pcie (rarely use TDM plugs)
Lynx Aurora16 ADDA
UAD2 Quad almost omni (runs as RTAS of course)
hopefully some outboard and a console soon..

[lincol1]

Big difference for me from 4 to 8GB - everything was smoother, more stable.

I have read to avoid the "Green" Drives - I have always had good experiences with Seagate Barracuda's. Quiet, fast, easy, and inexpensive.

Necessary? - I dunno - All of mine are 7200 rpm - work great. Just me...

[c-tone]

Don't get the WD Green drives - most are only 5400 RPM. The 640 GB WD Blue drives are great for audio and plenty fast for most users. Not necessary to have a super fast drive for system either - the ones current Mac Pro's come with are fine.

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by lincol1

Big difference for me from 4 to 8GB - everything was smoother, more stable.

Hi,

Pro Tools including all plugins and rewired programs can only access just below 4 gig ram, so unless you're running lots of other apps in the background then much above 5-6 is of no real use at the moment!!

eventually with snow leopard, we'll hopefully be able to access a lot more!

Chris

[the dude]

Originally Posted by crizdee

Hi,

Pro Tools including all plugins and rewired programs can only access just below 4 gig ram

not entirely true, although the applications themselves are limited to 4 gigs
many of the RTAS VI's use excessive amounts of ram

for one example a medium sized kit in BFD will use 2 gigs +
now add them onto the other VI's inside your session and you can watch 10 gigs disappear

just open the activity monitor and then open 3-4 instruments, watch the RAM usage even if pt is the only application open you can use every bit of ram the system has installed

[JFreak]

For the last 4 years or so I've been using a single 74GB WD Raptor (10krpm) drive for audio sessions. It's perfectly capable of eating 64 tracks of 24-bit 96 kHz audio, so I think I would be okay with a lot slower drive too.

This is very easy to test, so buy whatever you want and test the drive performance before a bread-and-butter session. If it's too slow, then buy another and use round-robin i/o allocation. It it's still too slow, then add another drive. And another, and another...

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by the dude

not entirely true, although the applications themselves are limited to 4 gigs
many of the RTAS VI's use excessive amounts of ram

for one example a medium sized kit in BFD will use 2 gigs +
now add them onto the other VI's inside your session and you can watch 10 gigs disappear

just open the activity monitor and then open 3-4 instruments, watch the RAM usage even if pt is the only application open you can use every bit of ram the system has installed

Not true!!

according to Paul V of Digidesign the max everything running within PT including rewire apps can only access the 4gig limit of one program!!

Chris

[JFreak]

Still, +4GB RAM should help, because then you would have up to 4GB for Protools and the rest for the operating system. Or vice versa.

(that said, I've had 4GB for about 4 years now, and expect to notice zero difference once I get to install my new MP that has 6GB... should be delivered next week)

[lincol1]

Crizdee-
no comment on access, I too am aware of 32bit limitations - but proof seems to bee in the pudding - much more stable with more RAM - so much so I'll get even more. PT has never used more than around 3GB give or take, but I am definately using more than the 4GB I had originally installed. And no, not because I am using other apps simultaneous.

Also EW for example reccomends 8GB of ram and also has this to say...

https://www.soundsonline.com/support...=75&nav=0,7,24

[the dude]

Originally Posted by crizdee

Not true!!

according to Paul V of Digidesign the max everything running within PT including rewire apps can only access the 4gig limit of one program!!

Chris

You Have Been Lied to My friend

A Simple test for you ,JUST OPEN THE ACTIVITY MONITOR and then a few VI's
then watch your RAM usage jump WAY PAST 4 gigs ( so what gives )

FYI the VI's Load samples into RAM and not the pro tools 4 GIG limitation but any and all available RAM...... Go Figure

PLEASE dont comment till you've actually done the tests and see for your self,....