The affect of RAM ?
- Thread starter hakank68
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hello, i have to do a hardware analysis for my IT course, one of the things i need to write about is how RAM affects graphic design. i have no idea what to write, does anyone have any idea how RAM may affect graphic design?
Well my first point would be Google and research that way, but from experience in studies it's more sensible to do research by asking people who actually are in that field.
For me, it is noticeable when using a machine with less RAM and a machine with more but it's also the frequency of the RAM & the timings too. It helps to speed up processes in designer/editor programs (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, etc.) - meaning your fonts load quicker, files load and render quicker, and you can also do more complex effects without system hang time or crashing in some instances - with After Effects, effects can be applied faster too but this can also be helped with a better CPU & GPU. Recently, my machine went from a slow frequency 16GB kit to a high frequency 8GB kit, and I have noticed the frequency increase has helped despite it being halved.
Other people may argue but that's my experience
At the end of the day though, you can throw all the RAM at your system you want but if you're bottlenecking it somewhere else it won't make a huge difference.
Well my first point would be Google and research that way, but from experience in studies it's more sensible to do research by asking people who actually are in that field.
For me, it is noticeable when using a machine with less RAM and a machine with more but it's also the frequency of the RAM & the timings too. It helps to speed up processes in designer/editor programs (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, etc.) - meaning your fonts load quicker, files load and render quicker, and you can also do more complex effects without system hang time or crashing in some instances - with After Effects, effects can be applied faster too but this can also be helped with a better CPU & GPU. Recently, my machine went from a slow frequency 16GB kit to a high frequency 8GB kit, and I have noticed the frequency increase has helped despite it being halved.
Other people may argue but that's my experience
At the end of the day though, you can throw all the RAM at your system you want but if you're bottlenecking it somewhere else it won't make a huge difference.
Thanks so much for the swift reply, this has helped me understand it much better. thank you Anderp
Well my first point would be Google and research that way, but from experience in studies it's more sensible to do research by asking people who actually are in that field.
For me, it is noticeable when using a machine with less RAM and a machine with more but it's also the frequency of the RAM & the timings too. It helps to speed up processes in designer/editor programs (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects, etc.) - meaning your fonts load quicker, files load and render quicker, and you can also do more complex effects without system hang time or crashing in some instances - with After Effects, effects can be applied faster too but this can also be helped with a better CPU & GPU. Recently, my machine went from a slow frequency 16GB kit to a high frequency 8GB kit, and I have noticed the frequency increase has helped despite it being halved.
Other people may argue but that's my experience
At the end of the day though, you can throw all the RAM at your system you want but if you're bottlenecking it somewhere else it won't make a huge difference.
I would disagree with this , because for the most part it will make little difference unless you are OC'ing for games (which for professional reasons you wouldnt do on a work machine) - and even then its a very small percentage.
Having the right amount of RAM is definitely a necessity and with photo editing and using large databases and things like this the more ram the better (upto certain limits) and yes this will help load multiple photos quicker, and make the system more fluid in general.
Obviously the old addage of 4GB maximum for a 32 bit processor / Windows, (of which 3.25-3.5G will be seen in Windows properties) or over this limit if you are going for a 64bit OS and processor (and different versions of Win 7 have "soft" limits of maximum ram allowed, implemented by MS rather than a hardware limit)
Even a brand new install of XP on a 2GB ram machine can be very bad performing because its constantly paging to the hard disk (and therefore slowing down read/write times dramatically). Install the additional 2Gb and even a layperson would see a dramatic performance increase / more fluid and usable machine.
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I presume you mean effect, rather than affect.
Start by writing what you know about RAM, followed by what you know about graphic design.
Cover the points mentioned above, and anything else you can think of.
Include 2-3 example scenarios and the appropriate RAM choice for each.
Wrap it up with a conclusion that shows you've understood everything.
Start by writing what you know about RAM, followed by what you know about graphic design.
Cover the points mentioned above, and anything else you can think of.
Include 2-3 example scenarios and the appropriate RAM choice for each.
Wrap it up with a conclusion that shows you've understood everything.
Like I said, it's my experience. And you may disagree, but I've noticed an increase in speed using my 8GB kit rather my 16GB kit. But that's me. And I also said, when using more you notice a increase in responsiveness. I don't use my work machine for gaming at all. So whether or not you agree, my machine operates more smoothly with this kit. Fair does, my old kit could have just been pants in comparison - but Illustrator and Photoshop are a lot quicker to load/save and whatnot.
And good point about the 32/64bit OS restrictions
Just to say, not arguing with you, as I know there's not a lot of performance difference when it comes to timings etc. - I was just giving my experience. Other people will have different points.
Like I said, it's my experience. And you may disagree, but I've noticed an increase in speed using my 8GB kit rather my 16GB kit. But that's me. And I also said, when using more you notice a increase in responsiveness. I don't use my work machine for gaming at all. So whether or not you agree, my machine operates more smoothly with this kit. Fair does, my old kit could have just been pants in comparison - but Illustrator and Photoshop are a lot quicker to load/save and whatnot.
And good point about the 32/64bit OS restrictions
Just to say, not arguing with you, as I know there's not a lot of performance difference when it comes to timings etc. - I was just giving my experience. Other people will have different points.
which RAM do you use anderp ?
Like I said, it's my experience. And you may disagree, but I've noticed an increase in speed using my 8GB kit rather my 16GB kit. But that's me. And I also said, when using more you notice a increase in responsiveness. I don't use my work machine for gaming at all. So whether or not you agree, my machine operates more smoothly with this kit. Fair does, my old kit could have just been pants in comparison - but Illustrator and Photoshop are a lot quicker to load/save and whatnot.
And good point about the 32/64bit OS restrictions
Just to say, not arguing with you, as I know there's not a lot of performance difference when it comes to timings etc. - I was just giving my experience. Other people will have different points.
Wasnt thinking you were argueing
Bare in mind you didnt really do completely fair testing, so it may have very little to do with timings / frequency.
Also there is potential for you to WANT to see an improvement so much your tells you there has been (placebo affect).
Glad you are happy with your new ram. Also not everyone has an 8Pack in their pocket lol
In a general sense, more RAM = less paging (data being swapped in and out of RAM to disk).
When you say graphics programs, are we talking Photoshop or AutoCAD?
Not having enough RAM is going to slow down programs like Photoshop a huge amount. Uncompressed picture data at large resolutions takes up a lot of space, and if you want to start applying effects to that data, you're going to need a lot more RAM to store intermediate results (as all programs have an Undo/Redo function, the more OPs you make the more RAM gets used).
When you say graphics programs, are we talking Photoshop or AutoCAD?
Not having enough RAM is going to slow down programs like Photoshop a huge amount. Uncompressed picture data at large resolutions takes up a lot of space, and if you want to start applying effects to that data, you're going to need a lot more RAM to store intermediate results (as all programs have an Undo/Redo function, the more OPs you make the more RAM gets used).
