VM of Choice, RAM amount

[mckyvlle]

As I'll be getting a BlackBook very soon, I would like some opinions on how much RAM to get for it. I'm pretty sure I'll get at least 2gb, but 4gb is really affordable now and I see quite a few going for 4gb. My main memory-hogs will be VMs: running Ubuntu and Windows XP. What do you guys think: get 2gb first and play wait-n-see or get 4gb right off the bat?

Speaking of VMs, Parallels or VMware Fusion? I'm not trying to start a flamewar here, but as a Mac newbie, some guidance is very much appreciated

 

[jnc]

Get 4GB -- how often do you hear about someone who feels they've bought too much RAM?

 

[mrwizardno2]

I've used both Parallels and VMWare, and from my experience, VMWare seems to be a better solution. It seems less resource hungry, and runs the machines better. Whether anyone agrees or not is totally up to them, but that's just what I've noticed.

I'd go for the whole hog and get the 4 gigs rather than have to open the laptop a second time to screw with its memory. I know when I have several VM's running (I usually assign 512 megs to a gig or so to each) I use a lot of ram. 4 gigs make them all happy.

 

[rdowns]

Go for the 4GB now. It's cheap.

 

[spiffy05]

It should be noted - don't buy your extra RAM from Apple!

~$900 for 4gb of Laptop RAM is BEYOND insane! Take a look at the many subjects on this forum as to where to find good prices on new RAM. I also just got a new SR Macbook (white) and am planning on bumping to 4gb!

I haven't used Parrallels, but I'm currently playing with the 30 day trial of VMware Fusion and I'm loving it! (even with only 1gb of RAM)

 

[Cybergypsy]

Just bought 4G for 80 bucks....coming Monday keep your eyes open http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=657092

 

[mckyvlle]

Wow! Getting 4gb for USD80 is really cheap! The going price for a single 2gb stick here is HKD1000, approx USD125. Guess I'll have to haggle a bit. I'm buying from an Authorized Reseller (no Apple Store in Macao). I was planning to get the RAM from the AR too, but I guess I'm taking a look at getting the RAM direct from manufacturers now.

Looks like 4gb is the way to go

Say, does VMware Fusion's VM work with other products in VMware's line, e.g. Workstation under Linux or Windows? If it does, Fusion will get my vote, since I run a couple of VMware VMs under Linux at work.