Upgrading from 1GB to 2GB RAM. Any noticeable difference...

[Vanan]

in performance? Basically I'm wondering if doubling my RAM to 2GB in my laptop would fix my latency and audio software performance issues. I'm guessing yes, but some confirmation would be nice.

Running VST instruments through Nuendo using my MIDI keyboard and I'm having major latency issues. Adjusting the buffer only makes the whole audio skip and go off of record mode. I'm running XP.

If I need more than 2GB to be able to use my MIDI keyboard with VST instruments then I might as well get a new laptop as my max recommended RAM upgrade is 2GB.

Thanks in advance.

[Audio~Geek]

2GB is the max?

more ram always helps, if you have 4GB of RAM, Windows uses 2GB for the system and 2GB for programs.


Besides the RAM there other probably other configuration changes you could do to improve the performance. Disable wifi, bluetooth, remove extra peripherals like printers, use an audio interface, reduce the visual effects of Windows.

Lots of things to try, but in the end you might want to just INVEST in a solid recording laptop that is basically rock solid with any recording software, like what I got a MacBook Pro 13". It runs Pro Tools great and that's the most finicky software ever. Totally worth the $$

Just some thoughts.

[Vanan]

Thanks for the reply. Yea unfortunately I purchased a used laptop as I do most of my recording on a stand-alone box. The pc is handy for MIDI and more precise and faster audio editing.

Is it possible to go more than the recommended maximum RAM? Not sure why only 2GB is recommended when I can easily go up to 4GB since I have 2 slots. If I did go more, would it mean that the difference wouldn't be utilised or could I actually end up damaging something. Sorry for sounding like a dummy. Just don't wanna have any regrets and I've never done hardware upgrades myself.

[TonyB]

Upgrading to 4GB should give you a noticeable improvement.

Keep in mind that Windows XP and VISTA 32bit only addresses slight over 3GB. But you should see a difference.

[String7th]

Yes, you will notice improvements. RAM is so cheap go for 4 gigs. What's the CPU? If it's less than a 2.0 ghz dual core, I'd consider a processor upgrade too. Huge improvement.

[Audio~Geek]

if it's an older laptop, perhaps the motherboard only works with 2GB max. 4GB of RAM used to be a huge investment. No one had 4GB of RAM in their laptops until maybe 2 years ago.

[Vanan]

It has a dual core processor with 1.61GHz. So to get this straight, if I went to 4GB, XP would utilise 3GB and the remaining would be useless OR XP would use 3GB and it would leave other programs to use the remaining 1GB?

Upgrading the processor is out of the question for now. But yes, if the full 4GB is gonna be ultimately utilised than I would definitely seriously consider it.

[jono not bono]

I upgraded from 1 gig to 4gb along time ago and I noticed nothing haha...an believe me, I tried to notice a change in speed haha, trying to justify a difference...

All I know is that its worth it and yeah I can run alot of stuff without it 'falling over' but, and its a big BUT... its didn't reduce latency or anything like that haha, mainly cause Ram in a computer is gonna do nothing with the DSP bullshit that kicks off inside my motu haha

Yeah buy loads of it, buy some for your car, buy some for your cup of coffee...it always helps

Jono_not_Bono

[jono not bono]

ps...

On a lighter note, its so cheap now I don't understand why someone wouldnt buy the most their machine can hold...

Long gone are the days of spending hundreds of £££'s for 128 mb of Ram

The end.

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by Vanan

in performance? Basically I'm wondering if doubling my RAM to 2GB in my laptop would fix my latency and audio software performance issues. I'm guessing yes, but some confirmation would be nice.

Running VST instruments through Nuendo using my MIDI keyboard and I'm having major latency issues. Adjusting the buffer only makes the whole audio skip and go off of record mode. I'm running XP.

If I need more than 2GB to be able to use my MIDI keyboard with VST instruments then I might as well get a new laptop as my max recommended RAM upgrade is 2GB.

Thanks in advance.

Van, in my humble opinion, 2 gig should be fine unless you are running loads of softsynths or samplers at once. What happens when you freeze them? That should stop the skipping. I've run 2 gig for years without any problems with loads of tracks, plugs and softsynths. However, like I said, freezing is my friend and I do freeze tracks often.

For XP, you can actually run 4 gig and release the 3gig switch in XP, but I'd not recommend it because it doesn't always work for everyone. My current recording rig has 4 gig and XP is seeing 3.1 gig which has been enough for me and how I run my projects here. 2 gig should be helpful but I do not know that it will solve your problem. Personally, I feel the issue could very well be your hard drive as most laptops sport 5400 RPM drives. This can become an issue with some VSTi's or samplers. What processor do you have in your laptop?

You can try the 2 gig RAM but no promises that it will fix your issue. The first thing I would do is find out how fast that hard drive is. If it is a 7200 RPM, then try the extra gig of ram...or maybe consider a faster processor. They all walk hand in hand honestly....but in my case, processor speed/power is what I use the most of for my applications. When I went from 2 gig to 3 gig of ram, it didn't make a difference I could notice on my system.