Help w/ PC Upgrade

[2012]

PT LE 7 - Digi 002R

Pentium 4
3.2 GHZ
1 GB RAM

I am generally running sessions with around 24 tracks. A few have 24+, but for the most part it is 24 or less. I'm maxing out the CPU too soon, however, and I'm forced to print some tracks to free up CPU so I can continue mixing.

Should I upgrade the RAM in my P4? Would I see any performance increase regarding plug-ins?

I am also considering just selling this machine and going after a Quad PC, or even switching platforms to a Mac Pro. Or maybe a Dual-Core PC would be sufficient? The P4 has never made me happy, performance-wise with Pro Tools.

So I am debating getting a new machine, or just adding RAM, if it will help my situation enough to wait on getting a new machine for another year or so...

Thanks for the advice with this.

-Jesse

[spkguitar]

Should I upgrade the RAM in my P4? Would I see any performance increase regarding plug-ins?

The only way increasing RAM will help you is if you are using Virtual Instrument plugins that require the RAM load (samplers, etc)

If you're going to upgrade computers right now, I would definitely recommend the Quadzilla. I'm completely amazed at the power of mine. I've only crashed one session, and it was because I was trying to.

If you're going to wait to upgrade/buy a computer, I definitely think you should wait until you are ready to buy to ask this question, as the answer will change considerably by then (even if it is only a month from now).