Windows XP + RAM?

[LancelotSA]

Hey guys,

I currently have a laptop with 2x512Mb of RAM. I have been trying to use Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Elements 8 and it is extremely slow. I suppose the first question should be whether a RAM upgrade will help this? Any of you had experience with the new Photoshop on a Windows XP system? I am finding that Photoshop Elements crashes all the time and google seems to show this as being a problem with the use of dual core processors.


Anyway, now for the actual questions I wanted to ask :

1. What difference would it make to my system if I upgraded to 4Gb of RAM (2x2Gb)? Obviously more RAM is better but crucial.com does not show a ridiculously huge benefit?

2. What amount of this RAM would actually be used by my Windows XP 32 bit system? I am lead to believe this OS only "sees" 3Gb? Would the extra Gb be a waste? Would I experience the same benefit with 2Gb in one slot and 1Gb in the other?

3. How different are the different types of RAM out there? I am limited to DDR2 667mhz notebook RAM but I have seen KingMax and Kingston Value for instance. Will I really notice the difference between these?


Thanks.

 

[ponder]

1. You should see a noticeable improvement.

2. I have 4GB and don't care that XP does not see it all. Linux & other 64bit operting systems however does use it tho the max. Surely you are going to upgrade to Win7 at some stage and you might as well go 64bit.

3. Nah, don't worry about the brand/type to much. Value ram is fine, it's not like you are going to overclock a laptop anyways.

 

[Brawler]

What CPU?

 

[DJNgoma]

Thought CS4 used the GPU more than the CPU unlike CS3, but that's I've heard. So don't take my word for it.

 

[Conradl]

1. Depends if your laptop is paging - easiest way to check without perform: After running CS4, hit Ctrl+Alt+Esc to bring up task manager. Select performance. Under commit charge there are three values. Total is the amount of memory used, both Physical (RAM) and virtual (pagefile). Limit is the total amount of memory that can be used (RAM and pagefile). Peak is the most memory that was assigned (RAM and page). If the peak is higher than your physical RAM, then installing more RAM will usually improve performance.

2. 4GB is the max memory a 32bit OS can address. It includes ALL memory, including display card, and other devices. If you have a 1GB display card, then your OS could see 3GB. Don't confuse this with VGA shared system memory.

3. No.

 

[LancelotSA]

I have 4GB and don't care that XP does not see it all. Linux & other 64bit operting systems however does use it tho the max. Surely you are going to upgrade to Win7 at some stage and you might as well go 64bit.

Thanks for the answers. I had a look at perhaps getting 64 bit XP but then I read that there might be compatibility issues with some programs? This laptop is used for work so obviously I cannot risk this. That is the same prob I have with a Windows 7 upgrade. I have seen talk of Win XP compatibility mode on Wn 7 though so I may be able to go this route sooner... but again not sure about 64 bit program compatibility.

What CPU?

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66Ghz

Thought CS4 used the GPU more than the CPU unlike CS3, but that's I've heard. So don't take my word for it.

Makes sense... and this could perhaps explain the slowness I am experiencing. With this being a laptop I only have the on board graphics. So perhaps RAM won't make a difference.

But actually in saying that I can't imagine a program would use the GPU to process images and not the CPU and RAM. I see they do mention a 16 bit graphics card in the specs but I have no idea what this means:

# 1.8GHz or faster processor I assume my dual core 1.66 should cover this
# Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended) or Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit Windows XP and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista) Check
# 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) I have 1Gb although as usual XP only shows 896Mb free
# 1GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices)
# 1,024x768 display (1,280x800 recommended) with 16-bit video card
# Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
# DVD-ROM drive
# QuickTime 7.2 software required for multimedia features
# Broadband Internet connection required for online services

 

[LancelotSA]

2. 4GB is the max memory a 32bit OS can address. It includes ALL memory, including display card, and other devices. If you have a 1GB display card, then your OS could see 3GB. Don't confuse this with VGA shared system memory.

Thanks.

As mentioned above I have on board graphics (ATi Radeon express 1250) so I may well get almost full value for my 4Gbs (?)

 

[Conradl]

Thanks.

As mentioned above I have on board graphics (ATi Radeon express 1250) so I may well get almost full value for my 4Gbs (?)

Yes. When you add a display card with memory, then you subtract the same amount from your system RAM (4GB RAM + 1GB VGA card = 3GB system RAM).

The onboard VGA reduces the system RAM and does therefore not leave you with "wasted" RAM (4GB - 1GB Onboard VGA = 3GB RAM; but using your full 4GB in total).