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Going beyond 4GB of RAM
- Thread starter Hexley
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Indeed it does have more slots. And I very much thankful for it though I wish they used more conventional DIMMs instead.
I need at least 8GB because I run multiple VMWARE servers for getting my Server 2008 Certs 
But other than that and Photoshop or video editing 4GB is plenty.
But other than that and Photoshop or video editing 4GB is plenty.
I must be missing something here. I'm a musician. For my first projects I used a second hand laptop, 500mhz, Windows 98, 256mb of ram. I needed nothing more to run a descent version of pro-tools, reason and (dont laugh) Audacity.
Now I'm on a mac, (due to Linux's incompatibilities and Windows's rubbishness). And it seems every year, i need more and more hardware to do something I have been doing for years. Only moderate things have changed on the programs i use... the attractiveness of the gui, some new ideas as far as sound effects go, and the software has slowly become easier to use with tweaking of editing tools. Apart from that, I still do that same thing, and it is now costing me far too much in hardware, just to be able to run my programs.
Now i just want my old craptop back because it's cheaper, easier and still does roughly the same thing (maybe not as fast or as well, but still, its getting silly)
Anyone else feel the same here?
Now I'm on a mac, (due to Linux's incompatibilities and Windows's rubbishness). And it seems every year, i need more and more hardware to do something I have been doing for years. Only moderate things have changed on the programs i use... the attractiveness of the gui, some new ideas as far as sound effects go, and the software has slowly become easier to use with tweaking of editing tools. Apart from that, I still do that same thing, and it is now costing me far too much in hardware, just to be able to run my programs.
Now i just want my old craptop back because it's cheaper, easier and still does roughly the same thing (maybe not as fast or as well, but still, its getting silly)
Anyone else feel the same here?
People will justify their need with many reasons covering up the leading factor which is merely a want. From motorcycles to computers, I have seen all sorts of justifications for what people purchased; I have done many myself; and rarely does it amount to a hill of beans.
Its all about what they want, by telling others what they need they again are just trying to justify their wants too
While most people in these forums adhere to this stereotype, I think that making the jump to 8 GB when the RAM modules come down in price would be a great option to consider. 8 GB might be a large number now, but it won't be in the future when Apps can use 4x more memory.
I ordered a 27 with the stock 2x2Gigs. I have a 1x1Gigs from my Al MacBook that I want to load in but Im not sure if they are compatible. The apple website says MB and iMacs use 1066Mhz DDR3, but I know the iMac uses a desktop i5 processor. Im not sure if that is a problem.
Also, is there a big advantage to pairing the 4x2Gig sticks compared to 2x2Gig and 1x1Gig besides the RAM difference.
Also, is there a big advantage to pairing the 4x2Gig sticks compared to 2x2Gig and 1x1Gig besides the RAM difference.
but why should apps want to use 4x more memory? im still no understanding why im upgrading in ram every year nearly, and yet software is evolving very slowly. They just release a newer version, which has a small amount more functionality and needs yet again, more resources.
everything just seems bloatware nowadays.
Well said!
Upgrade-itis explained in simple terms for the rest of us.
I was on "leading edge" and spent $35k hardware/software 1985-1998, then I got off that bandwagon.
Why not buy it and see how much you use? You could have no free memory left, you could have 3 GBs of free memory left. You don't know your personal use until you measure it.
I am a design student and the 2 gigs I have right now is just barely enough. I think 4 gigs would be perfect so that will be my next upgrade. Or a 500GB hard drive. : )
If you're using a computer for a fixed purpose like that, and you are happy with what you have, you should just stop upgrading it... seriously. Otherwise, what is the point of these stories? One upsmanship? So do I have to go to, when I was starting out in applied physics, I did my simulations on a 150 MHz Pentium with 48MB of RAM and Win 95? I mean, what's the point of that conversation? If I was happy at that level of functionality, back in 1997, that computer could still do essentially everything it did in 1997 today. If I tried to make it run Windows XP, it would be a disaster. But no one made me put XP on it.
OS X has added a lot of features in the past several years, and they're useful to many of the people who use Macs. But if you don't want them, no one is making you get new versions of your software. New Macs run current software well, and there's been a longstanding emphasis on developing software to the latest hardware. But iLife 2003 or the 2003 era ProTools can still do all it could do in 2003, and no one is forcing anyone to upgrade anything.
OTOH I would echo this. Apple's RAM isn't the cheapest on the market anyway. Buy it and see if you get page-outs, then decide.
Afraid so... I have to keep up to date with the software running at the studio's I record at.
I get your logic tho, and if I had the choice, I wouldn't spend the money. My point is, is that, shouldn't we be asking ourselves why we need to upgrade? Why we must have more and more resources to do roughly the same as before. Look at the new Live Messenger for Windows for example. It's horrendous. A prime example of the age of sloppy programming that we are now in.
Absolutely they are... I had a pair of free gigs from my Al MacBookPro and put them inside as soon my i5 arrived...now I have 6Gb! great to use those chips that were stored at home.
I currently have 8 gigs on my i7 iMac and push a lot of pixels.
I agree with other posters that many of us may never need so much RAM but for a guy like me who works on heavy memory munching applications like Photoshop, illustrator and Indesign increasing RAM to 8Gb helps quite a bit! Now I don't have to close applications when shifting hi res images around different programs because I ran out of available RAM. You can also say that multi-tasking runs better with more memory legroom and rendering seem to work a wee bit faster. (or it could be the quad core?)
In other words, working with more RAM is much more comfortable now then pushing pixels with my old 2.8 GHz iMac with 4 Gigs of memory.
I agree with other posters that many of us may never need so much RAM but for a guy like me who works on heavy memory munching applications like Photoshop, illustrator and Indesign increasing RAM to 8Gb helps quite a bit! Now I don't have to close applications when shifting hi res images around different programs because I ran out of available RAM. You can also say that multi-tasking runs better with more memory legroom and rendering seem to work a wee bit faster. (or it could be the quad core?)
In other words, working with more RAM is much more comfortable now then pushing pixels with my old 2.8 GHz iMac with 4 Gigs of memory.
Afraid so... I have to keep up to date with the software running at the studio's I record at.
Well, as has been said before, new software is written for new machines, to take advantage of new hardware features. This takes more RAM, and as more RAM becomes standard (as prices fall), developers are getting lazier and lazier, and those RAM requirements increase. With the rise of ultra-portable computers, however, there has been an increased emphasis on lighter-weight applications and less ram-hungry features. Hopefully that emphasis will translate, because bloated software isn't good for anyone except RAM manufacturers.
The other reason to upgrade (aside from features and speed, translating to increased productivity) is that computers just don't last forever. If your 98 craptop broke, or if you had a software problem, good luck fixing it or getting support. Things are EOLed rather fast in this industry, it helps drive new sales.
its only $90 for another 4 gigs, do it.
Your type of usage could use the extra headroom.
Of course, you already know that your iMac has 4 slots for ram, so four 2 gig sticks gets you there.
Apple uses conventional SO-DIMMs, not sure what you are talking about.
(And grrr, Why do people post "I think....blah blah" when it would take a simple surf over the to apple web site to check would answer that?)
Your type of usage could use the extra headroom.
Of course, you already know that your iMac has 4 slots for ram, so four 2 gig sticks gets you there.
Apple uses conventional SO-DIMMs, not sure what you are talking about.
(And grrr, Why do people post "I think....blah blah" when it would take a simple surf over the to apple web site to check would answer that?)