How much RAM can windows recognize ?

[Violet]

Is there any way to own a PC and have pro tools recognize more than 2 gigs on that PC?

[SeedGuy]

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=212853

Try that.

[Violet]

Thats not the answer I was looking for.

Can someone tell me which windows if any can read more than 2 gigs or memory?

XP Home
XP Professional
Vista Home Edition
Vista Ultimate
??

Or basically do I need to get a mac to run EastWest Platinum Edition with Omnisphere?

Thank you for a simple answer :)

[JMS40]

The linked thread is your only option with all 32 bit versions of Windows.
64 bit allows more but it's incompatible with Pro Tools.

Sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear...

[BradLyons]

The maximum amount of RAM that WindowsXP 32-bit will see is roughly 3.5GB to 3.75GB total.

[Violet]

No that was perfect if still confusing for the people who just want a simple answer...like me.

So for every one who has the question I posted, Windows XP and Vista can only recognize 2GBs unless you follow the link that "Speed Guy" left but even then you'll only get a little more.

Now I see why all serious musicians have macs, this RAM issue alone will make me get one. If your a composer using VI's windows is almost out of the question.

[Violet]

Thanks BradLyons :) A simple answer to a simple question, thank you.

[JMS40]

Hey... only trying to help.
You need to back away from the coffee pot..

And for what it's worth, there are many serious users here (and on other DAW software platforms) doing commercial projects on PC.
I believe Brad is running PT HD on a PC...

[The Weed]

It's my understanding that 32 bit Windows will recognize 3.5 gb or less depending on some system parameters and the size of the RAM in your video card. It's programs, including Pro Tools, that normally recognize less/are restricted to less (2 gb) and why the Large Address Aware switch is necessary. As you add Vi's to Pro Tools they become part of the "program" and quickly eat up the 2 gb limit. Again, why you need the switch.

With a Mac, you'd still be running a 32 bit program and, even under Leopard, you'd still be using an OS with a 32 bit kernel. See this article.

I'm not sure that you would get Pro Tools to recognize anymore than 4 gb of RAM under Leopard and according to the article, depending on what Mac you had, you may only get 4 gb of total RAM supported under Leopard. However, as reported by someone who claims to have Pro Tools working under 64 bit Vista and has 8 or 10 gb of RAM, Pro Tools sees 4 gb and his Vi sees 4 gb, meaning that his RAM was allocated in 4 gb chunks. This may be what happens under Leopard on a Mac that supports more than 4 gb of RAM, I don't know. I've searched, but I can't find the post.

For all those waiting and hoping for 64 bit OS support have a look at these parts from the referenced article above (my bolding):

"Currently, Mac OS X Leopard hosts both 32-bit and 64-bit apps on top of a 32-bit kernel (below). Using PAE, the 32-bit kernel can address 32GB of RAM in the Mac Pro and Xserve; Apple's consumer machines only support 4GB RAM, but unlike 32-bit operating systems they can use the entire 4GB (with appropriate hardware support). Leopard's 32-bit kernel enabled Apple to ship 64-bit development tools to give coders the ability to build applications that can work with huge data sets in a 64-bit virtual memory space (and port over existing 64-bit code), without also requiring an immediate upgrade to all of Mac OS X's drivers and other kernel-level extensions. That transition will happen with Snow Leopard."

And:

"The 64-bit Kernel in Snow Leopard

Apple is expanding its 64-bit support in Snow Leopard down into the kernel. This will enable Mac systems to accommodate more than the 32GB of RAM currently available via 32-bit PAE. With kernel support for full 64-bit memory addressing, Apple can add as much RAM as users can afford. Of course, if you're buying RAM from Apple, upgrading a Mac Pro to 32GB of RAM currently costs $9,100, so it might be some time before home users decide they need more than that much RAM.

While Leopard's 32-bit kernel can run both 32- and 64-bit apps, a 64-bit app can not load 32-bit plugins or shared libraries, and vice versa. The 64-bit kernel similarly requires 64-bit kernel extensions and drivers, as it can't mix 32- and 64-bit code either. The move to a 64-bit kernel will therefore require an across-the-board upgrade for all kernel drivers in Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopard will also require developers who write any plugins for Mac OS X apps to recompile their code to 64-bit. This includes everything from System Preferences panes to web plugins. The reason for the massive upgrade will be that Apple will also deliver the entire system compiled as both 32- and 64-bit, from the Finder to iTunes to Safari. On 32-bit Macs, Snow Leopard will run normally, but on x64 Macs, everything will get a significant boost as every app on the system will benefit from the advantages of x64, particularly the extra registers supplied by x64 and missing from the 32-bit PC.

That advantage will outweigh the additional overhead caused by moving to 64-bits and the resulting use of larger data items. In contrast, there would be no real advantage in recompiling Snow Leopard and its apps for 64-bit PowerPC G5s, as the G5 is not currently constrained by the register problem of 32-bit x86; the 64-bit G5 has the same number of registers as the G4, because the G4 already had plenty. The G5 actually runs 64-bit apps slightly slower because of the increased overhead imposed by 64-bit addressing. For that reason, Snow Leopard will apparently be Intel-only."

I'm not sure how to read this. It either means Pro Tools as a 32 bit app will work under Snow Leopard, a 64 bit OS with a 64 bit Kernel, or Pro Tools will have to be recoded to 64 bit to work with Snow Leopard, a 64 bit OS with a 64 bit Kernel. Either way, I think it will take a while for Digidesign to qualify Pro Tools under Snow Leopard as it did for Leopard. I would expect, if they have to go to 64 bit support for Snow Leopard on a Mac, they would also offer 64 bit support in Windows. However, I'm not going to be holding my breath.

Can anyone confirm the RAM allocation I mentioned above and/or offer insight on what Digidesign is going to have to do when Snow Leopard is released?

Cheers,

[LSW]

Originally Posted by The Weed

It's my understanding that 32 bit Windows will recognize 3.5 gb or less depending on some system parameters and the size of the RAM in your video card. It's programs, including Pro Tools, that normally recognize less/are restricted to less (2 gb) and why the Large Address Aware switch is necessary. As you add Vi's to Pro Tools they become part of the "program" and quickly eat up the 2 gb limit. Again, why you need the switch.

You are correct. Windows sees up to 4 gigs of address spaces, which means even if you have 4 Gigs of RAM installed, the first however many spaces will be allocated to the video card. That's why most say it's not really worth it to go above 3 gigs of ram in the machine, but WTF, even it it gives to a few extra MB above 3 it's worth it.