how much RAM?

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CyberSpy
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how much RAM?

Post by CyberSpy » Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:37 pm

I've got an MBox but my computer doesn't have enough RAM for me to really be able to use it. I'll really probably never have more than 4 or 5 tracks recorded and i doubt i'd be doing a ton of effects. Would 512MBs be enough? Or should i go ahead and get a gig of RAM? That's the most my computer can take.

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kcrusher
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by kcrusher » Thu Dec 30, 2004 9:46 am

512mb should be adequate.
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bukbukbuk
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by bukbukbuk » Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:34 pm

For what you describe, 512 should be fine. However, the best rule of thumb for Pro Tools is to jam as much RAM as possible inside your computer. Even a moderate amount of Plug-In use can chew through your available RAM. Good Luck.

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antilog
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by antilog » Sat Jan 01, 2005 3:48 pm

512 should be adequate, but get a gig if you can afford it.
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MusicEuphony
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by MusicEuphony » Sat Jan 01, 2005 6:10 pm

If you've got some money, you might as well get a gig of RAM. It'll make the computer a much more pleasant machine overall, anyhow. 4-5 tracks isn't much, but what kind of plug-ins are you going to be using? 4-5 tracks of sansamp or ampfarm would be much different than 4-5 tracks of d-verbs :P

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Re: how much RAM?

Post by mrufino1 » Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:58 am

Get as much as you can afford! I got an mbox in November after using SOnar for about 2 years, and 512 was always more than plenty for Sonar. However, PT seems to enjoy a lot of ram. I am using an emachines laptop (athlon 64) with 512 ram, along with a fireweire drive, and it was slowing way down on the mix I was doing this week. About 26 tracks, 6-8 buses, two reverbs, a bunch of compressors and eq's, one amplitube, and Reason. I am going to have to try to get more ram very soon, although it's harder on a laptop because it has 2 256 chips in it so to go to a gig I have to buy all new ram. Soon enough I guess (still paying off the laptop!).

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logancircle
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by logancircle » Mon Jan 03, 2005 2:15 pm

a gig, you'll prob start wanting more and more tracks over time.
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Tim Casey
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by Tim Casey » Mon Jan 03, 2005 2:48 pm

The rule of thumb I've come up with after owning five computers is that you should max it out while you can. The RAM for your machine will get much more expensive in the future as manufacturers gear up for the latest, most common chips. If your RAM is currently common, buy as much of it as you can cram into your machine. In three years, your RAM will be mighty rare and expensive, and whatever the max is, it STILL won't be enough...

otter
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by otter » Mon Jan 03, 2005 5:22 pm

don't buy your ram from apple either. there's all this hype about how you need to buy apple ram for your apple computer.
well i went out and spent $700 on 1 freaking gig for my powerbook (purchased at the apple store) only to get home, open and see it was made by samsung.
yes this is, as i've discovered through research, ram that is made especially for macs. but i realized after discovering this was a samsung product that there must be a cheaper place to get this. your not going to find it at staples or comp usa but i did find web site archmemory.com that was selling the exact 1 gig chip for a mere $269. check it out for yourself and goodluck...

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handinjury
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Re: how much RAM?

Post by handinjury » Mon Jan 03, 2005 6:42 pm

:?:
Does more ram really going to make a differance? in what way?
I have 2 512mb sticks in my pc currently, my pc has 3 slots( expansion up to 1.5gb of ram). My PT runs like shit with the newer 6.4cs9. I use a couple of dverb plugs and my cpu pegs out.
Would it help to run 1.5gb of ram?

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Re: how much RAM?

Post by Tim Casey » Tue Jan 04, 2005 2:40 am

1. Only buy the computer from Apple (and the cool monitor, if you've got mucho bucks). RAM and hard drives should come from somewhere else.

2. RAM is your blackboard, the hard drive is your file cabinet. The more RAM you have, the more stuff you can pull out of your hard drive before having to put anything back. It's probably the number one factor affecting a computer's speed. Of course, the CPU and motherboard have limiting factors, too, so adding RAM won't solve all your problems; it's just the easiest thing to do to boost performance.

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