Ram for my quad g5

S

spoolin spec v

Registered
Hello, i am new to the site, as iam sure most of you wil be able to tell.

I just bought my quad g5, and one of the things i upgraded, was 4 gig of ram.
of ECC. Now, iam wanting to go to 8 gig. Do they make 2 gig sticks of ram? And Would i be at a loss if i switched from ECC, to non ECC?

ECC if i rember right is error correction codeing or something to that effect and basicly before the ram sends the wrong combo of 1's and 0's it catchs it so i dont get that beach ball spinning effect?

Thanks for your help
 
spoolin spec v said:
... one of the things i upgraded, was 4 gig of ram.
of ECC. Now, iam wanting to go to 8 gig. Do they make 2 gig sticks of ram? And Would i be at a loss if i switched from ECC, to non ECC?

ECC if i rember right is error correction codeing or something to that effect and basicly before the ram sends the wrong combo of 1's and 0's it catchs it so i dont get that beach ball spinning effect?

Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

Yes, 2GB chips are available, but really expensive. From Crucial.com, you can purchase 4GB, on 1GB chips for about $500. (you get 4 chips) . If you purchase 4 GB on 2 chips (2GB each), you may pay more than $1500

The ECC (error-correcting code) is not really needed, unless you need that extra layer of stability in a server application. It is NOT causing the spinning beach ball, nor is it helping with that. Going from 4GB to 8GB will not be any advantage, unless you are presently running one of the few apps that actually utilize more than 4GB, which are mainly scientific/math processing apps.
If you add non-ECC memory, you will be OK, but the ECC memory will be wasted (will not correct for memory errors if non-ECC memory is installed). It will still function, but as non-ECC memory. AND, you will see a small performance boost as a result. That ECC checking does take some time, and slows your computer slightly. If you do want the error-checking to function, then ALL the RAM must be ECC.
 
DeltaMac said:
Yes, 2GB chips are available, but really expensive. From Crucial.com, you can purchase 4GB, on 1GB chips for about $500. (you get 4 chips) . If you purchase 4 GB on 2 chips (2GB each), you may pay more than $1500

The ECC (error-correcting code) is not really needed, unless you need that extra layer of stability in a server application. It is NOT causing the spinning beach ball, nor is it helping with that. Going from 4GB to 8GB will not be any advantage, unless you are presently running one of the few apps that actually utilize more than 4GB, which are mainly scientific/math processing apps.
If you add non-ECC memory, you will be OK, but the ECC memory will be wasted (will not correct for memory errors if non-ECC memory is installed). It will still function, but as non-ECC memory. AND, you will see a small performance boost as a result. That ECC checking does take some time, and slows your computer slightly. If you do want the error-checking to function, then ALL the RAM must be ECC.
Click to expand...

Iam constatly running Final cut pro HD, and using eather After effects, or DVD studio pro, or some other programs as well.

IS there a way to calculate how much ram each program takes up, and how effeficant my comp. is running? to see if i do need more or not?
 
One way that you can use, is to open Activity Monitor (in your Applications/Utilities folder). This will allow you to monitor the amount of system resources that are used by any process. You can click on the System Memory tab, and monitor Page ins/outs. Page ins will increase as your system has been restarted. A large number is normal. Page outs should remain close to zero, or at least much less than Page ins. Large amounts of Page outs (sometimes more than page ins) may indicate that you could use more memory.

How large is your hard drive, and how much free space is available on the drive?
 
I have 2 500 gig drives inside teh comp. One has 430 gig, the other like 400. the one with 400, is where my capture scracth and all my raw videos are stored.
 
Just to verify - 430 and 400 is space available, or is it space used?

Have you monitored your page ins/page outs?
 
They are advertsied as 500 gig, of couse, they coem with a little less due to the programs they have on them to opperate or whatever.

And thats who much i have right now, one drive has 430 gig avabile, the other 400.

says, 30,262/0 is that right?
 
spoolin spec v said:
says, 30,262/0 is that right?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what you should monitor as you work. You should leave your computer on for a few weeks and continue to watch that. If the second number (page outs) is still zero, or remains very low - you have sufficient memory for your use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top