More memory is always good, in general. That said, whether or not you see a performance boost in PSCS will depend largely on what you do in photoshop. Is it worth it? I have never, ever, met anyone who said "man, I have too much ram".
In the end, it’s a judgement call. If you’re tight on bones, then wait and see if you have "a problem". If it needs more ram, you can always add it later. If you can spare the dough, you won’t be sorry.
My two cents anyhow…
Peace,
Tony
Definitely get more memory, as much as you afford. CS will not be happy with 384. You should not need to use Dell’s own memory which is often way more expensive than other brands.
"You should not need to use Dell’s own memory which is often way more expensive than other brands."
BUT!
Don’t buy the cheapest, no-name brand of RAM you can find, either.
Does anyone know of a software program that would measure the improvement of performance if I add more RAM? Is it built into XP? Maybe this would be the definitive answer.
I can’t afford a new computer now.
I researched some of the other memory board companies only to find out that they don’t carry Rambus RDRAM boards (Requirements: 184-pin RIMM Speed: PC800 Description: ECC, Unbuffered Units Required: 1 System Type: Desktop/PC).
Does anyone know who would sell this specific memory?
Thanks! And thanks to those who answered my first posting!
David
Rambus is pretty much over, which makes modules hard to find. Rambus looked like a good idea, and maybe it was better in some ways, but the licensing issues and lawsuits, meant it was dropped by much of the industry, before it really had a chance to prove itself.
Rambus memory works much faster with fewer, higher-density modules, so if you could find a single 512MB or two 256, you’d be in better shape.
It sounds like it was a very expensive computer when you bought it. If the other components are industry standard, and the motherboard is ATX or baby ATX, maybe a new motherboard, with DDR memory, would be a better investment. You could start with 512MB, then run it up to 2GB later, if you like. It is a Dell machine, so I don’t know if a standard motherboard would fit.
At the time, Dell was tauting Rambus as the super fast memory board (so what else is new?). I don’t know what other motherboard would fit either, so that’s why I’m wondering if bumping one of the memory boards out (a Rambus 128MB one) and just get another 256MB board to put in– if the perfomance will be appreciable.
Thanks for your input!
David
Rambus memory goes slower with more modules. And Dell’s known for including whichever modules are cheaper on the day the computer was built. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dell installed three 128MB modules.
If you could replace multiple low-density modules with fewer higher-density ones, you’d see some results. Did they ever make 512MB Rambus modules?
I don’t know what the terms "low-density modules" and "high-density modules" mean? Originally, I had ordered the Dell with 256MB with Rambus memory (two DIMMS, 128 on each). About two years ago I ordered one 256MB DIMM to replace one of the 128MB boards, hence the 384MB I currently have.
IIRC, Rambus modules need to be installed in pairs.
Bob
Right, Bob. I have one 128MB Rambus module and a 256MB Rambus module currently in my Dell. I’m thinking of replace the 128MB with a 256 Rambus to make it 512MB -OR- (a new thought) do you think I could replace Rambus memory boards with something less expensive?
David
32-bit RIMM PC800/PC1066 32-bit Rambus modules provides two independent memory channels, which means there is no requirement to install these modules in pairs of two. RIMM3200 modules provide a memory bandwidth of 3,2Gb/s, RIMM4200 provides 4,2Gb/s and RIMM4800 provides an unparalleled transfer rate of 4,8Gb/s.
– Source of quote <
http://www.pc-memory-upgrade.co.uk/memory/rambus-rdram-32.as p>
Don’t bother following the link, it’s a UK site selling modules.
do you think I could replace Rambus memory boards with something less expensive?
Only if you see separate sockets for it on the motherboard–and there are probably none there. It’s a different (and patented) way to work, so Rambus requires different hardware.
I don’t think you’ll see much of an improvement with the extra 128 meg. That’s not enough to make a big dent in performance.
So in answer to your question:
Spend money to upgrade to 512MB RAM a smart idea?
My advice stands at no. It’s NOT a good investment. Get a jar. Put the 145 bux in it and keep doing that until you get enough for a newer system. Of course, if you just spend it, you’ll NEVER have enough for a new system. 🙂
My advice stands at no. It’s NOT a good investment.
It depends on how long he wants to keep the current machine, and how much work it would take to reinstall everything on a new one.
I don’t do any files bigger than about 32MB, and that works fine in 256MB of RAM. Of course, I don’t use Windows" XP? or Adobe® Photoshop" CS?, which would likely need at least 384MB© to do the same thing.
David,
As others have already said, RAMBUS is pretty much dead now and not supported by any major manufacturers that I know of. The problem is that you probably will not be able to use your RDRAM in any new computer you may buy in the future. So any money you spend today will end up in the trash (or Goodwill) when you decide to upgrade to a newer PC.
That said, and against my own advice, I recently doubled my 512MB to 1024 MB of RDRAM (very expensive) but since I plan on keeping my P4 another year or two, it was worth it to me. I don’t have any measurements to say if my PC is faster or not but I like to think it is (self-delusion running wild).
Here is a link for a company that sells RDRAM (they have a good return policy which I had to use for one defective stick – no questions, no hassles). They also have a configuration applet which lets you find out exactly what type and sizes of memory your computer uses.
<
http://www.4allmemory.com/index.cfm>
I don’t normally recommend any particular company but I was very happy with these folks.
Jake
Jake,
Thank you for the advice! I do intend to keep my computer for another year or two, so investing in this, in my mind, would be the best bet.
I checked out 4allmemory upon your advice, and I see why you’re happy with them. I’ll call them tomorrow. I could only find a price of $110 for 256mb and not the 1GB price you had mentioned. (What’s the URL for that price?)
Anyway, thank you again for the vendor web address! This will save me some money since Dell wanted about $153 for the same thing.
David
David,
You are right. I checked for the Dell Dimension XPS (I didn’t know what the exact model was). The $109 was for 512MB and the price for 1GB was about $197. Sorry for the confusion.
768MB sounds like plenty of RAM for most people… until they ship Windows Longhorn in a couple of years, but that will apparently require everyone to buy a new computer, and it will only be available for purchase with new computers. M*cr*s*ft’s Folly.
Well, if that’s the case, at least we won’t be debating whether you can upgrade an operating system with it when it comes out.
Bob
