CPU vs. Memory

[Nashville Bass]

I was wondering which has the biggest influence in regards to running RTAS plug-ins (amount and speed) - CPU or memory?

What with the prices of Quicksilvers dropping so rapidly picking up a dual 1.25ghz is very tempting. I'm just wondering if stuffing this thing with memory will make a huge difference or not.

Also, what are some good places to buy Mac memory?

[draven]

Thats a tough call. Usually, if you have a fast enough CPU, I suggest more ram. I always find you can never have too much Ram. In the case of plugins, it's hard to say which is needed more. I think it depends on your current speed. If you buy a 1.2g CPU, but only have 256 ram, you're screwed. Even 512 wouldn't be the best idea. Or if you have 1.5gb of ram, but only a 400mb CPU. I usually am more concerned about ram then CPU tho. I'd be happy with an 800mHz, and 1gb ram.

My current setup was a 400mHz CPU, with 512mb Ram. I now have a 1.2gHz CPU with 1.5gb Ram. OS 9.2.1.

P.S. I re-read your post again. YES, stuffing it full of ram is a great idea! Fill it up!

[dans]

RAM is important, but CPU speed is king. Once you hit half a gig or 3/4 gig of RAM, adding more will do little or nothing for you. CPU speed is really what determins the number of plugs you may run.

As for where to buy RAM (and at today's prices, you may as well max it out if possible), I'd recommend Mac Connection. Sure, they may be more expensive, but they'll be there forever. I bought RAM from MacGurus, it was bad, and then they went out of business. I guess I didn't save much money on that one! If you call Mac Connection, just tell the sales guy that the price seems to be really high compared to other stores you've seen. They usually have a big markup on RAM and can cut you a deal.

[Mikeren]

CPU. That's the native in "Native" plug-ins. The "real time" in RTAS. It's the limiting factor in track count and plug-in usage.

MR

[Cliffy_Boy]

If the RTAS plug-in is a soft synth or sampler you need RAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

[Stage]

in my experiences i have maxed the CPU before i maxed the RAM.. that computer with a gig of ram should be rockin..

get your ram from crucial.com .. even the apple store recommends it (off the record)...

petr

[clorox]

System administrator here. You're asking the wrong question, and thus getting the wrong answers.

It's not black and white. It's not CPU vs. RAM.

If you have enough RAM (Random Access Memory) to comfortably load all the software you're gonna be using simultaneously (PT, plugs, Reason, etc.) into memory at the same time, plus a little bit more for buffering of IO streams, then adding more RAM does NOTHING for you. I suggest a GB of RAM, and you should be set there.

CPU speed affects the speed of practically everything on your machine. Plug-ins, as well as PT itself, use the CPU to perform their calculations. All the processes on the machine compete for those precious CPU cycles. When a plug-in hasn't been able to get an answer to it's request because the CPU is tied up, you suffer the dreaded PT CPU errors.

To summarize:

1) RAM is essential up to a point, then pointless. Things will crawl and fail until you hit a certain magic threshold of RAM, and then everything will magically run smoothly after you have enough. Adding more than enough does nothing.

2) CPU incrementally improves the performance of everything on your machine little by little. A little faster helps a little bit; a lot faster helps a lot. It's also amongst the most expensive upgrades, as well as the most difficult and most likely to cause compatibility and hardware issues, so usually people wind up buying new computers instead of upgrading CPU anyhow.

Hope this helps.