Recommendations for an 8GB RAM system

Hi Everyone,

So I got my new computer:

HP TouchSmart IQ830UK with a pretty mid-range CPU and GPU.

What I did was I ordered RAM upgrade kit with 2x4GB Corsair RAM.

Now I am wondering what will be the best way to utilize the RAM.

Set up RAMDisk and set up SWAP on it?

Any other suggestions?

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 ()Party Pack

 

Well, 64bit OSes allow you to utilize all the RAMs already.
So, you don't need to worry about the RAM didn't fully used.
Yet, the GPU will allocated some RAM as well. The RAM that will allocated by GPU is vary on models.

 

What was your reason for upgrading from 4GB ram to 8GB ram? I mean, there must have been some solid reason to spend the ~$250 or so it costs for a 2x4GB desktop DDR2 kit, right?

Now if you've for some reason decided to drop $250 on the upgrade with no clear understanding of why you're doing the upgrade, then I recommend reading this link about page files. It suggests that putting your page file on a RAM disk doesn't make sense.

 

It is a mobile GM45 mobo so I paid more like $3350.

Well,

My main concern has always been with editing graphics. I am a hobbyist photographer and all the time I shoot in RAW format which gives large files with a lot of editing options.
I use Nikon Capture NX software and open 7-15 files at a time and edit them in the app.

In this process I have always had problems with stuttering performance and slowdowns.

I came to believe that the root cause of the problem is not enough RAM in the system (I had a much more powerful laptop with 4GB RAM and had the same problem which means it is not the CPU or GPU problem).

In order to use the RAM as effectively as possible I want to explore my options and decide whether it is best to use the RAM as it is or create a RAMDisk and put cache files from the editor in it or maybe use some other options.

P.S. If you want to bash me for spending my own money I do not think it is a good idea. I work, earn and spend money the way I want.

 

Use it as RAM. It will hold as much as possible in RAM before using the cache files.

 

Yip,

Just readng the article about setting up large amounts of ram and swap. Looks like a small amount of swap and lots of ram is the fastest option.

 

Thank you for clarifying your situation. Posting that info in the first place would have saved an iteration of posts & replies.

Best use if your RAM is to use it as RAM. Swap is used when the memory needs exceed available RAM; so its generally better not to artifically limit the amount of RAM available.

No slam intended on using your money as you see fit. I do think it's silly to spend money on an expensive upgrade with no clear idea of why you need it. That's the situation your initial post conveyed; your later post clarified things much better. (and you mean $350, right, not $3,350?)

 

Thanks for your input.

No slam intended on using your money as you see fit. I do think it's silly to spend money on an expensive upgrade with no clear idea of why you need it. That's the situation your initial post conveyed; your later post clarified things much better. (and you mean $350, right, not $3,350?)[/QUOTE]

I mean $350, sure

 

Capture NX is not a 64bit program. Just running on a 64bit OS will give it access to as much RAM as possible (4GB for a 32bit app), but the only thing you can to do to better utilize your memory is to get a 64bit editing program. No amount of swap or anything will help. Look into Lightroom or something similar... it should do the same kinds of things as you do in Capture NX, except it's a 64bit program. A RAM disk MIGHT be a decent option for you if Capture NX allows you to use temporary files and things like that, but it's very much a hack, and not really a good use of your resources.

 

I have already investigated the option and will be moving to a 64 bit application for editing my photos.

If I have to use NX I will use RAMDisk and put NX cache in it as the cache files take a lot of space and need to be processed fast in order for operations to complete quickly.

Just installed Dataram RamDisk software and used 1GB ramdisk for caching NX files. I tried opening 15 files, about 15MB each.

I noticed that the speed of opening and processing the files is muuuuuuuch faster than with caching on HD. I will also try and use a USB device to store the files and see how it compares to ramdisk.

 

I'd suggest Adobe Lightroom. I do all my RAW editing in it, works great.

 

I thought about it too. And no need to purchase 32/64 bit versions separately AFAIR.

 

A USB device should not be terribly fast. USB has a very limited data rate. Slower than your hard disk itself, even for flash memory. I think that will overwhelm the improved seek times, as image processing is not often terribly random access. A small ramdisk like you're using may be your best bet. I'm sure you know this, but I want to make sure that it's said that ramdisk's are temporary storage, and the battery dying or computer crashing will erase all their data. Make sure you copy everything to the hard drive when you're done working with it on the ramdisk.

 

I know they are temporary (the app I use saves it automatically every now and then) but I do not copy any files to it at all. I only set up a cache folder on it and the cached files are not needed after editing is finished and can be deleted.

 

Just got my RAM and installed it.

For the time being I left it as it is and minimized pagefile. I have a nice ramdisk utility and will be using when I need to edit my photos.

Thanks everyone for your input.