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Benefit of upgrading from 2gb ram to 4gb?

  • 02-05-2011 9:44pm
    #1
    spiderjazz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭


    Started using my laptop recently for some home-recording, and from looking at performance meters, it seems that my system ram is being used quite a lot during normal operating of my laptop, and a lot more so during recording. So I'm thinking that a ram upgrade from the 2gb that is in it, up to 4gb should give me a bit of a performance boost. I also use this laptop for the occassional bit of gaming. It has an intel dual core t7300 2ghz processor, and an 8600m gfx card.

    From the crucial memory scanner, this is my current state:

    Memory Type: DDR2 PC2-5300, DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 (non-ECC)
    Maximum Memory: 4GB
    Currently Installed Memory: 2GB
    Total Memory Slots: 2
    Available Memory Slots: 0

    1. Is the ram upgrade going to be worth the performance increase that I will get from it?

    2. Is it worth getting pc2-6400 over pc2-5300? (pc2-5300 currently in it)

    3. Where would you recommend picking up ram from? I've used Dabs and Komplett before (3-4 years ago), so not really sure who is reliable these days.


Comments

  • #2
    Overheal
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,729 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    PC-5300 is 667Mhz PC-6400 is 800Mhz. It matters, thats how fast your ram can shuffle information around. The best DDR2 Ram I know of can do 1100Mhz (1.1Ghz) but thats not going to be compatible with your setup.

    It's definitely worth the performance boost, the more ram you have the less often your HDD needs to be accessed. For instance if you've been tabbing out of your games to the desktop and noticing it takes a long time to load a black screen between the game and the desktop, and you're hard drive is kicking in, thats because your system has to shuffle what it's keeping in RAM and whats on the Disk. When you are in a game it will put windows explorer on the pagefile (which is on the HDD) while you play the game. When you need it again, you will have to wait for it to be loaded back into RAM. If you have more RAM though, your pagefile needs to be accessed far less often. If ever. And depending on the speed of that RAM the time it takes you to swap from program to program and perform memory intense stuff like recording and buffering video will diminish.


  • #3
    brianthomas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 216 ✭✭brianthomas


    Yeah you should try to upgrade to the higher speed DDR 2. Get 2 gigs for each memory module. I shop in a place called elara. They are based near to me in clondalkin. In parkwest industrial estate. Think you have to collect only tho. Hope it suits. Browse on they're site for price. Or call them.

    Clondalkin in Dublin



  • #4
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    Depends what you are doing. If you monitor the ram usage and apps are constantly maxing it out, then you need more RAM. Or if you are constantly multitasking. If you are not then more ram won't make a difference.

    Based on what you said I'd go with 4 if not more.


  • #5
    spiderjazz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭spiderjazz


    Overheal wrote: »
    PC-5300 is 667Mhz PC-6400 is 800Mhz. It matters, thats how fast your ram can shuffle information around. The best DDR2 Ram I know of can do 1100Mhz (1.1Ghz) but thats not going to be compatible with your setup.

    It's definitely worth the performance boost, the more ram you have the less often your HDD needs to be accessed. For instance if you've been tabbing out of your games to the desktop and noticing it takes a long time to load a black screen between the game and the desktop, and you're hard drive is kicking in, thats because your system has to shuffle what it's keeping in RAM and whats on the Disk. When you are in a game it will put windows explorer on the pagefile (which is on the HDD) while you play the game. When you need it again, you will have to wait for it to be loaded back into RAM. If you have more RAM though, your pagefile needs to be accessed far less often. If ever. And depending on the speed of that RAM the time it takes you to swap from program to program and perform memory intense stuff like recording and buffering video will diminish.

    Thanks for the reply. My hdd was getting a hammering with recording, as I had the samples/recordings I was using on the hdd, as well as the recording software/plug ins. I'm getting an external harddrive to run the recordings off of, but the extra ram would be beneficial as well as stuff like drum software will be loaded up in ram.
    brianthomas wrote: »
    Yeah you should try to upgrade to the higher speed DDR 2. Get 2 gigs for each memory module. I shop in a place called elara. They are based near to me in clondalkin. In parkwest industrial estate. Think you have to collect only tho. Hope it suits. Browse on they're site for price. Or call them.

    Cheers. I see delivery is 8 euro for them, I'm in Cork and I won't be in Dublin anytime soon so that would be my best option. I'll give a look around at the different options to see whats out there.
    BostonB wrote: »
    Depends what you are doing. If you monitor the ram usage and apps are constantly maxing it out, then you need more RAM. Or if you are constantly multitasking. If you are not then more ram won't make a difference.

    Based on what you said I'd go with 4 if not more.

    Thanks. It's the recording in particular that seems to eat it up, especially when it starts gettings more intensive (i.e. when I have a load of tracks loaded up). Now that could be down to the processor as well, but I think the extra ram would help as well. I'm on Windows 7 32 bit, so 4 is my limit.

    Another thing I was thinking of doing is upgrading the hdd in the laptop from the 5400 rpm hdd in it, to a 7200 rpm. I think the ram would be a better investment first off though, as it should hopefully ease my usage of the hdd.


  • #6
    spiderjazz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭spiderjazz


    Could anyway let me know what the advantage of buying

    http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=ECE1580511

    over 2 of these

    http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=ECE1753173

    would be?


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  • #7
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    Consider SSD, or a Hybrid disk...too. I haven't read that much about them though...

    If you have ExpressCard slot, you could build an external raid using ExpressCard Power to eSATA Controller. Something like this

    http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fusionf2.html


  • #8
    spiderjazz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭spiderjazz


    BostonB wrote: »
    Consider SSD, or a Hybrid disk...too. I haven't read that much about them though...

    If you have ExpressCard slot, you could build an external raid using ExpressCard Power to eSATA Controller. Something like this

    http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fusionf2.html

    That external raid looks pretty cool, the speeds seem brilliant with it. Bit out of the budget at the moment however, really just trying to get the performance up for recording at the minimum of cost. Recording is purely for personal material so unfortunately can't put much money into it.

    Wouldn't mind an SSD, just did a fresh install and plan on running a lot of stuff for recording from an external hdd, a SSD would have things flying.


  • #9
    BostonB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,056 ✭✭✭✭BostonB


    You could build a cheaper version with some generic 3.5 sata disks, enclosures and a esata card for your laptop. Be much faster then your current set up. If your working with large recordings. But again you'd have to see how much time you spend waiting on the I/O (disk).

    Rams would be your first stop alright.


  • #10
    spiderjazz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭spiderjazz


    spiderjazz wrote: »
    Could anyway let me know what the advantage of buying

    http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=ECE1580511

    over 2 of these

    http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=ECE1753173

    would be?

    I'm going to probably go ahead and just order the Corsair memory. Before I do, does anyone know if there's any advantage to the Kingston one, or will the Corsair do the exact same job? All the specs seem to be the same for them.


  • #11
    spiderjazz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 244 ✭✭spiderjazz


    Just a quick update. Got the ram today and installed it without trouble. There's definitely an improvement with the 4gb vs. 2gb. Simple things such as opening explorer windows just seem faster and more responsive. The hard drive is also being accessed far less frequently.

    I had been monitoring my ram usage while recording recently and the meter was showing that 1.9gb was being used out of the 2gb when I had drum kits loaded up, so the extra memory should make a big difference.

    Thanks everyone for their advice.


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