Benefit of more RAM

Hello,
My current desktop system (Quad Phenom II 3,4GHz, / on SSD, /home on HDD) is equipped with 8 GB RAM and no swap. I'm thinking about upgrading to 16GB of RAM. Reason is mainly some memory hungry CFD post-processing software I want to run. I wonder how the rest of the system would benefit from this upgrade? Will the system benefit from the larger disk caches etc. or will be there no effect at all? (KDE is my desktop environment)
Thx!

Osiris wrote:Maxing out regarding the actually used memory by applications, no! But since linux uses the spare memory for caches e.g. it might still have an effect.
When you're not using your memory heavy software you're not getting anywhere near 8 GB (cache included), and when you're actually using it I doubt that you give a damn about cache. Theoretically what you described is correct, but since you already have 8 GB's, then I doubt increasing it any further would have any real effect. It would be much more noticeable if you had say 2 GB's and were considering upgrading to 4 GB, even if you weren't regurarly using all of your 2 GB. So my advice would be to get more RAM only if you actually need it, i.e. if you're regurarly running out while using your CFD software.
karol wrote:You are using SSD for / so I'm not sure if there will be a noticeable improvement in e.g. system responsiveness but RAM is cheap nowadays so getting more of it (if the board supports it) shouldn't be a problem.
Why SSD, you're thinking about heavy swapping? While they're fast, SSD transfer rates still can't be compared to DDR3 speed. Moreover, while I consider the panic around poor SSD longevity (limited write cycles in particular) largely exaggerated, it is still based on truth, and a lot of swapping is one thing you want to avoid.
edit: meh scratch that, I misread your post. Swap is not what you meant, but still might be a thing to consider.
Last edited by meph (2012-03-07 22:25:04)

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If my peak "physical memory" usage is around 50%, is adding more RAM a waste of money?

I have a W700-DS with the T9600 dual-core and an SSD, and when running 4GB of RAM I'd notice that memory usage tended to rarely exceed 50%. Just for the heck of it, I just upgraded to 8GB of RAM, and now I'm curious as to whether I wasted my money, as the 4GB usage never hit 100%. One thing I did notice is that my "Windows Experience Index" went from 5.9 to 6.4, but I'm guessing maybe that's just marketing BS from Microsoft.
Thanks for your opinions.

If you haven't checked it out already, take a look at what the Resource Monitor tells you. I'm "using" only abpit 3GB out of 12 right now, but 9GB is marked "standby" -- memory filled by SuperFetch with items I'm most likely to need. The memory is still availalbe for something else if Windows/SuperFetch guessed wrong, but if it guessed right, it's already there and ready to go. Thus the boost to your Experience Index isn't total BS. You may actually be find your system more responsive. For example, if you always start your morning reading email, then check a website, then finally open your primary work applications, having more RAM allows SuperFetch to predictively load more of this while you're doing something else.
Interstingly, as I was typing this, my In Use dropped to 2.7G, Standby has filled the remainign 9.3G and free is down to 0 (Hardware Reserved is a negligible 113MB).
You don't mention exactly what OS you're using, but I'm going to presume Windows 7 x64... with a 32-bit OS, you definitely would have been wasting your money with its nominal 3GB limit. SuperFetch wasn't quite as good with Vista, but there would still be some benefit there, I think. I have no experience with XP x64.

Re: Adding more RAM to Macbook Pro mid-2012

Hi,
I am in the same situation as Jerroslaw, but in my case my "swap" says "0 bytes". what would be the best idea to increase my RAM?
sorry for my lack of knowledge in this area..

Ah! You're running CAD software! Yes, you could surely benefit with a RAM upgrade. To me, 8GB of RAM is the 'sweet spot' for RAM on any Mac - you can upgrade the RAM to either 8GB or 16GB (the maximum).
Around here we tend to recommend Crucial and OWC RAM - it simply works with no problems with MacBook Pros where cheaper, 'value' RAM has trouble more likely than not. Visit the Crucial website and click on the System Scanner tab and download the small app. Unzip and run it and you'll be taken to the Crucial site with the exact upgrade options for your particular model. The exact specification for your machine are 204-pin PC-10600 (1333 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMMs. You can also check OWC - I just prefer Crucial because it's usually less expensive than OWC and it's what I run in my machine.
Visit both sites and check out their offerings...
Clinton

I was going to add more RAM but would it help?

I'm running a late-2011 15" MB Pro with 4GB of RAM. I use it all day in work, multiple pdfs open in preview, chrome with many tabs, terminal tabs, sublime text tabs etc. I have felt it going really slow lately, too many damned beachballs! I had decided to get 16GB of Crucial but just ran 'top' from terminal now and seeing the output below (it was turned on about 7 hours ago and put to sleep maybe twice since then), would I benefit from any more RAM?
PhysMem: 1000M wired, 1586M active, 1299M inactive, 3885M used, 188M free.
VM: 231G vsize, 1285M framework vsize, 1623950(9) pageins, 799503(0) pageouts.

check the links below - Amazon UK for both 8GB and 16GB for your Macbook Pro.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMSA16GX3M2A1333C9-Memory-1333MHz-So-Dimm/dp/B00 6ON5KZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366731849&sr=8-1&keywords=Apple+RAM+16GB
http://www.amazon.co.uk/memory-upgrades-1333Mhz-Macbook-computer/dp/B004TQHL7G/r ef=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366731849&sr=8-2&keywords=Apple+RAM+16GB

What good would more RAM do?

I use Photoshop extensively. I also use Lightwave 3D extensively.
My understanding is that Photoshop can only use 4GB of RAM and Lightwave is primarily a processor intensive piece of software.
Assuming I'd be using both at once, would having more RAM make much of a difference in performance? Considering that Lightwave would be hogging my processors, Photoshop while being a bit choppy in performance, would still have all the RAM it needs. Am I wrong?
Would more than 4GB make a difference?
Thanks for any suggestions.
-Vincent

Barefeats made one observation recently... CS3 is the
perfect excuse for an 8-core Mac Pro!
That isn't quite right. CS3 is a perfect excuse for a Mac Pro, because all apps will benefit from the speedy Intel native code, but not all apps will benefit from the 8 cores.
BareFeats says said Photoshop is not a great excuse for an 8-core Mac Pro other than to get CS3 native Intel speed. "When we ran Photoshop CS3 and Aperture 1.5, Activity Monitor showed all 8-cores cranking (up to 796% usage) but the total time to complete the task was barely faster than with the 4-core Mac Pro."
After Effects fares much better on 8 cores: "As you know, we've been fishing for an application that, by itself, can justify the purchase of an 8-core Mac Pro. I think we have found it: Adobe After Effects CS3."
The difference? As Photoshop engineers have explained, in single-frame image processing there are too many operations that can't be parallelized or at least not without costing too much to make it worth it. You hit a point of diminishing returns with the cores and it happens before you get to core 8. With After Effects, you just have each core work on a different video frame, and you are flying.
I'm not saying someone shouldn't make up excuses for an 8-core Mac Pro, but the additional cost blows enough budgets that I wouldn't point someone to the 8-core if I suspect they're putting their money in the wrong place. For most people, more RAM is more important than more cores. I'd tell most people to get a quad 2.66 or quad 3 and put the extra money into RAM.

Ok, so i bought a imac 27 about 4 months ago, and now they release a new one! ****... So my question is, should I sell this one (which by the way is the i5 2.8 with 1 gb 5750 and 4gb ram) and buy the new imac 27 i5,or keep the one i have and buy more ram

ok, so i bought a imac 27 about 4 months ago, and now they release a new one! ****... So my question is, should I sell this one (which by the way is the i5 2.8 with 1 gb 5750 and 4gb ram) and buy the new imac 27 i5,or keep the one i have and buy more ram. I mostly use my computer for photoshop cs5 and illustrator cs5 for graphics out put as well as surfing the web and music.
Please give me you thoughts on what I should do!! Thanks lot!

The new iMac is about 25% or so faster than your current iMac(comparable model would be the 3.1ghz version). There are a couple of things that you will benefit from such as the dual Thunderbolt/Mini Display ports/ which may help with multitasking. The video card in the new iMac again the comparable model being the 3.1ghz is a lotttttttt better than the current one that you have. So thinking of the long run those few things may be beneficial for you to upgrade(but it depends on what is important to you).
I had the 2.93ghz i7 version that I just bought in March this year and I turned around and sold it about a week before the new iMac's were announced. I got about $1600 for it, yeah I took a loss but to me it was worth it because my new iMac performs that much better. Now keep in mind I went from i7 to i7...3.4ghz i7 with the 2gb video card. Now I have dual thuderbolt/mini display ports. I have noticed significant gains in my video editing and also in my gaming. So to me it was definitely worth the upgrade!
One last thing, I would not have sold my 2.93 i7 and then bought the 3.1ghz i5, the big reason is because HT(hyper threading), it's only on the i7 model(3.4ghz)... If you take a look at some of the bench marks on engadget, maclife, macrumors, macworld, ****Barefeats.com(they really get into benchmarking)*** you will see charts that will help you make a better decision.
In closing I would say look into it, if you can get a good price out of your current iMac to put toward a new iMac then do it. Like others have mentioned to you, tech changes and Apple will change the tech in these machines next year or do a speed bump later this year or so. One last thing if you go from the 2.8 i5 up to the 3.4 i7, you would definitely see the difference (HT is a must especially for programs that utilize it. You can go to my youtube channel(mob1278) and take a look at my geekbench results.... my 2.93 i7 scored around 10500-11000(8gb ram)...my 3.4 i7 scores from 12700-13000 with 4gb ram....so yeah as you can see big difference. Basically the 3.4 i7 would perform similar or just under a 2.4ghz 8core 2010 Mac Pro which runs you about $3500 with no monitor.... it's your money spend it how you want....and Lion is only going to push it even more when it is released!

More RAM for G510 - how to do it?

My new G510 came with 4 GB RAM, I want to upgrade on 8 GB RAM. Lenovo says, 16GB RAM is the upper limit.
But Lenovo says not, how to build in more RAM. I search for a build in instruction.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Hi czer27,
Thanks for Posting!
Yes Ideapad G510 should support 16GB
Here is a link of G510 datasheet for you
http://ksp.co.il/pdf/G510.pdf
It says
Please Refer to this link for purchase and upgrade guide
http://www.crucial.com/upgrade/Lenovo-memory/Essential+%2F+Value+Line/Lenovo+G510-upgrades.html
You can check this maintenance guide on how to access the memory on your system.
Hope this helps
Cheers!
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I have 1 GB RAM on an '07 MacBook Pro. 1) How do I check remaining memory? 2) I have Microsoft office 2004 - do I need to buy more RAM to upgrade to '11? 3) I need a new battery ... Is it worth the $$ to buy a new battery, RAM and Microsoft office 2011?

I have a MacBook Pro from '07 with 1 GB of memory. The battery is shot and my AppleCare has run out. I just upgraded the OS to 10.6.8. But a few questions:
1 - How do I even check how much memory I have left on this computer?
2 - How do I check how many battery cycles are left?
3 - I want to upgrade to Microsoft Office '11 because I don't have Adobe Acrobat to creat pdf's and I need to be able to do this for school... Instead of buying acrobat, I figured I would just upgrade to Office '11 because I can generate pdf's from Word. Roughly how much RAM does Office '11 take up?
4 - Does Apple still make batteries for this computer (from '07)? How much do they cost?
5 - How much does 1 more GB of memory cost?
AND lastly -- is it even worth it to spend the $ on more RAM, a new battery and Office '11?
Or does it make more sense to just get a new computer entirely? (trying to avoid this).
ANY help would be sooo appreciated! Thanks.

1 - How do I even check how much memory I have left on this computer?
If you're asking how to check to see if you need more RAM, open Activity Monitor and go to the System Memory tab, then compare page outs and page ins. If page outs is 10% or more of page ins, you probably need more RAM.
2 - How do I check how many battery cycles are left?
There's no limit on the number of battery cycles, it's just that the more cycles you've used the more "worn out" your battery gets. You've got a 4-year-old machine, and if it's still got the original battery, it's probably about time for a replacement battery. You can check battery health using System Profiler... look at the Power section under Hardware.
3 - I want to upgrade to Microsoft Office '11 because I don't have Adobe Acrobat to creat pdf's and I need to be able to do this for school... Instead of buying acrobat, I figured I would just upgrade to Office '11
You don't need Office 2011 to create PDFs. Any application capable of printing can create PDFs on a Mac. Just choose File -> Print, but instead of clicking the Print button in the print dialog, click the PDF button and choose Save As PDF in the menu that appears.
4 - Does Apple still make batteries for this computer (from '07)? How much do they cost?
5 - How much does 1 more GB of memory cost?
I'll "ditto" sig's answers to these.
AND lastly -- is it even worth it to spend the $ on more RAM, a new battery and Office '11?
Or does it make more sense to just get a new computer entirely? (trying to avoid this).
If Office 2004 is still working fine for you, stick with that and don't incur the costs of Office 2011. As to the RAM, only add more if the test I mentioned above indicates that you need it. If you buy more RAM when you don't really need it, you won't see much (if any) performance improvement. That just leaves the battery... and if the machine is still doing what you need it to do and you don't really need a new machine for anything, you could definitely buy a new battery and get a few more years out of it.

Can I add more ram than suggested

I need to get some more ram for my imac that apple say I can expand to 16gb. I currently have the standed 4gb.
In the following article from pcworld i noticed the following (especially the bold)
All iMacs come standard with 4GB of memory, installed as a pair of 2GB modules. When you order an iMac through the Apple Online Store, you have the option to upgrade the memory to 8GB (a pair of 4GB modules) on all iMac models for $200, or to 16GB (four 4GB modules) on the 27-inch models for $600. The iMac has four memory slots located at the bottom of the iMac that are user-accessible. Since two slots are empty when you buy an standard-configuration iMac, you can easily add more memory. The 21.5 inch iMac has support for up to 16GB of memory; third party companies are offering 32GB memory upgrades for the new 27-inch iMac.
Does this mean that I can technically go up to 32gb? Is there a down side to adding more the an 16gb suggested.

Although you can install up to 16 GBs of RAM in both 21 and 27" models, I can not confirm that you can install 32 GBs in the 27" model. You might check OWC to see what they say.

NVidia 8600M GT more RAM?

I have a MacBook Pro (~2008) 2.4GHz with 4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM and the nVidia 8600M GT video chip with 256MB vRAM. I am working with Adobe Photoshop CS6 and continually get a message that my 3D capabilities are disabled due to lack of vRAM available (need 512MB min) ...
Question: Is there a way to manaually provision more RAM to the video card to up it to 512 MB?
Thanks.

The NVIDIA GeForce 8600M is a dedicated graphic card, so you can't modify its VRAM because it's not being shared with your main memory. In Macs with integrated cards, you can add more VRAM by installing more RAM. See > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3246

How do I add more RAM to my macbook pro 15 inch late 2008 model?

I am wondering if I ma able to add more RAM to my 15 inch MacBook Pro from late 2008. It currently has 2 slots each with 2GB of RAM each. Am I able to change those out with higher amounts of RAM for each slot? Or is this thing maxed out and i'm out of luck? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!

MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory
maushoo_32 wrote:
Am I able to change those out with higher amounts of RAM for each slot?
Mactracker

How can I manage more RAM on my iPod Touch 4G ?

How can I manage more RAM on my iPod Touch 4G ?
My iPod Touch 4G used to have 120MB of free RAM, but it suppost to have 256MB of RAM...120MB is totally not enough for the applications and the iOS to run smoothly...my applications always close in a sudden and the iOS is extremely lag...
I'm thinking is there anyway to manage of free more RAM on my iPod Touch 4G, I wanna free at least to 150MB...
I've tried iMemoryEnhancer, Mem Tool, Daemon Tools and Memory Free; but none of them work...I've also tried simply click on Free Memory on SBSettings...but all applications came out with the exact same result...120MB...
My iPod Touch 4G is running on iOS 4.3.1(8G4) and got 277 applications installed with around 10 Cydia tweaks..so please can anybody help me out ?
TYVM

try these
1. quit apps on MT bar
2. restart your ipod
also, how many G(or M) have you used in the ipod, and how many G do you have in orginal?
Calvin

How much will more RAM speed up my iBook?

I am looking to upgrade my RAM.
I know that speed is a multi-factor question. I need to know what's important and what pitfalls to avoid.
I have an 12" iBook G4, 1.2GHz, 512 RAM (256 card, 256 internal). I recently installed a 120.0GB Western Digital "Scorpio" 5400RPM 9.5MM SuperSlim Notebook Drive with 8MB Data buffer.
I am choosing between a 512 or 1g RAM upgrade. My questions are:
1) How much will this speed up my computer? 2) Is the 1g really twice as fast? 3) with my specs?
I read a post where some poor cat had upgraded RAM, but didn't feel the difference in iPhoto.
My specs read pc2100 (pc2700 compatible). Will my specific machine work faster with pc2700? Comptick (which has an awesome battery price) has a 1g RAM upgrade for $189, which is pc2100. Apple's $300 1g is pc2700.
What do I need to know about the bus rate so that I don't slow things up there?

1) How much will this speed up my computer?
There is no way we can quantify this for you. It depends on your usage pattern (i.e. what application you use, how many applications open at a time, etc.).
2) Is the 1g really twice as fast?
Most certainly the answer is no. If lack or RAM was causing delays in processing, adding more RAM will alleviate those delays and make your computing experience smoother and more enjoyable. But changing your RAM from 768 MB to 1.256 GB won't double the speed of your iBook.
3) with my specs?
?? What is the question?
I read a post where some poor cat had upgraded RAM, but didn't feel the difference in iPhoto.
For the most part, iPhoto is disk intensive not RAM intensive. Therefore upgrading RAM will only improve certain aspects of iPhoto (such as photo editing).
Will my specific machine work faster with pc2700?
No, the PC2700 will operate at PC2100 speeds.
Current RAM prices from Mac knowledgeable vendors offering lifetime warranties can be found at RamSeeker.com and DealRam.com.
What do I need to know about the bus rate so that I don't slow things up there?
Nothing. Just buy PC2100 or PC2700 RAM and relax.

Opinions - time for a new computer? need more RAM, Time Machine back up full - get new computer?

I am in a quandary. My early 2008 iMac needs more Ram. I could upgrade from 2gb to 4gb for around $60. My 1T external hard drive for Time Machine is full and I do not relish the idea of it erasing old data if I continue to use it this way, but then I am shelling out more money for a new hard drive. Can get new 3T hd for about $200. Is it worth it to shore up my computer? I have recently upgraded OS to ML and it is really starting to act sluggish. I hate the idea of having to transfer everything over to a new Mac and therefore new OS. I need a working computer every day for business for my husband, so it would be impossible to go without a computer while things are being transferred over - and how long would it take for me to do that. Plus, will files and photos be transferred over exactly as I have organized them? I have spent a lot of time organizing bookmark folders in Safari, mailboxes in Mail and albums and folders in iPhoto. Don't want to start from scratch again. Also don't like the idea that the new iMacs don't have a slot for dvds and cds, playing and burning. I do a lot of this kind of thing. So then I would need to buy a separate thing for doing this as well as the computer itself. Have wondered how many things have changed from ML to Maverick. Another big learning curve???
Would really appreciate any thoughts and opinions. I am a senior citizen and don't know how to sort through this. One thing I think about is that I don't know how much longer I will be living and able to do computer work. I know everything is a risk, but would like some advice even if it is only an opinion.

It's probably time for a new machine. You won't have to start from scratch. Migration Assistant will bring over all of your data and apps (some may need to be re-activated using product keys). Depending on how much you actually have, a few hours should be all it takes over Ethernet.
Time Machine should continually erase the oldest backups when it needs space for new ones.
You might want to do both. Upgrade the RAM in the old machine to the max it will take, and buy a new machine as well. If your husband really needs a machine available all the time for business, having a 'spare' is a good thing.
Check out what's available in the refurb store. They are virtually indistinguishable from new retail stock and come with a full warranty. You can save hundreds.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

How can i allocate more RAM for my onboard video card on a 2011 macbook pro 13 inch running windows 7 via bootcamp

I noticed that since Macbooks.. macs in general use an EFI instead of BIOS. . .. Now i need to allocate some more RAM for the onboard video card since its currently running with an estimated 50mb.. I would like to increase this to 512 and cut the 3.95 down to 3.5 MB for the rest of the system ( allowing me to run more graphic intensive games and the such ... ) I know this could slow down the entire system.. ( i am aware of this ) and have gotten a 3rd party application to control and close out uneeded processes during gaming.. I just need more ram for my onboard video card.. Any help?

You don't allocate more RAM towards your video card, you put more RAM into the machine and hopefully some machines will bump the CPU graphics RAM allocation up a little.
The problem is you bought a integrated only graphics computer, if you want to 3D game you need a dedicated graphics computer with it's own or dedicated VRAM.
If your this serious about 3D gaming, your on the wrong platform.
Get a Windows 7 64bit i7 8GB RAM expandable 3D gaming tower with a good power supply and video card upgrade path, this way every few years you buy and stick in a new video card to play the latest games.
Mac's are not gaming machines and never will be because they would last too long if we could upgrade them.
http://www.cbscores.com/index.php?sort=ogl&order=desc

Benefit of more RAM

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