nmr59

hi ya'll
I just got a new pc w/512megs of memory installed. I plan on using photoshop cs2 a lot. I've read it uses a lot of sys resources. Is a 2G memory upgrade gonna validate the expense? Any ideas welcome to find fairly inexpensive 1G 184-pin DIMM DDR PC2700: crucial is $150, newegg looks like $93. Will another 512 stick improve performance well enough for the time being? I'm shopping for an external HDD enclosure for my 120G seagate for the add'l media storage.
Compaq SR1215cl; 2G AMD Athlon processor; 120G Samsung HDD.
Mucho gracias, nancy

koala

The ammount of RAM you have won't necessarily affect your system resources, but sometimes when programs close down they don't release the resources back for the system to reuse (resource/memory leak)

Whenever I use a memory-intensive program like Photoshop, I always run memdefrag to free up any used system resources after closing.

512mb should be enough for image editing, unless you're working on a few large images at the same time. But, of course, more is always better.

Make sure your virtual memory (page file) settings are adequate for your needs http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php and keep an eye on Photoshop's satus bar to see when free memory is running low.

This Resource Meter Tool will show you how much resources are currently available for Windows to use www.utilmind.com/software/resmeter.html

Tumbleweed36

Hi,

Since you are asking for an opinion on the size of memory you need, thought I would offer mine. (Oh, I love these opinion threads, because one can't be wrong on one's own opinion)

Anyway, for what you are doing, you probably need 1 gig of memory, because there are times that the 512 will not be enough to sustain the level of intense work that you are looking for. Granted, for most of your work, 512 will be enough, but you will delve into the second 512 at times with Photoshop if you are using that like I imagine you are. Not that 512 won't do the job for you, but performance of that task will be somewhat restrained with only 512.

Now, for the 2 gig question. It is my personal opinion that 2 gigs are just not worth the extra cost. If you would check your resources, I think you will see that unless you are an intensive gamer and looking for that very last instance of a milisecond response, that 2 gigs are more about bragging rights than really needed ram. You just won't need that much for normal or even mildly severe applications. So, why buy what you won't use????

Now, you have my two cents worth, and boy that was fun.

koala

Tumbleweed, I'm in an argumentative mood today so I was hoping I could disagree with your opinions, but no luck. Can you be more controversial and wrong next time?!

Tumbleweed36

Darn,

I will try harder next time to stir that side of you that we normally don't see. Guess I failed this time to get you going. Hope you are having a great day.

ebackhus

For Koala...

No, 512MB is too much as it is. 2GB is only used in mainframes and lunch boxes and has no place in the user's home. Install Windows 3.11 and install just 16MB of RAM and feel the power!

nmr59

so basically I should just go back to my 333 emachines; 64m ram, 8g hdd & a box of crayolas?

koala

Don't worry nmr59. ebackhus is joking (I hope!)

I use 512 for Photoshop with 512 virtual memory, no problems. 1gig will allow you to be more productive if you're doing stuff like adding layers and filters, working on several images at once etc, things which need to be stored in RAM while you're working on them. Also, the Undo feature can use alot of memory.

See how you get on with 512mb and upgrade if it feels too slow.

Tumbleweed36

YES,

A BOX OF CRAYOLAS!!!!!! That would make it work better. You guys are all too much for me. Think I will back out of this discussion.............hmm, maybe I should say eBackhus all out of this discussion.

nmr59

Thanks for your wisdom people I will be buying another 512 megs of ram.

more fun for tumbleweed, then leave quietly lol:
row, row, row your boat
gently down the sream
if you see an alligator
don't forget to scream

Koala what is memory defrag? and how do I allocate 512 memory to PS and 512 to virtual... I know a little about a lot!
thanks
~n

koala

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse you. I meant I've got 512mb RAM and my virtual memory is set to 512mb. There are also settings in Photoshop to allocate 1 or more scratch disks (another term for virtual memory / swap file)

memdefrag is a small DOS program that takes a few seconds to run. It defragments and flushes out the Windows cache in RAM. So if you close down Photoshop and notice you've only got 250mb free RAM left, you run memdefrag and you should see it increase to about 400mb free. It's not essential, just something I like to do.

This is the version I use http://web.telia.com/~u32102551
And this is the latest, which I haven't tried yet www.tucows.com/preview/302669

nmr59

thanks for your attention. when I get into iffy areas like deleting registry keys I leave it alone unless I have clarity. I downloaded a registry editor at someone's advice without clarity and really mucked up my system files! I appreciate your clarity. I have ADD and while its not life threatening it does get in the way a lot.
Have a great day!
~n