RAM - how much is enough?

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tricky_p

Member
Oct 11, 2010
29
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Hi all – memory related question here.

I have a t5500, dual Xeon workstation that is in need of a ram upgrade. My question is how much ram will I actually be able to use before other components start to bottleneck the system?

It is new dual E5620 system, with a quadro 4000 running windows 7 64bit.I will be using it for architectural 3D Modeling and rendering (rhino, 3d Max), AutoCAD, as well as Photoshop. It currently has 6gb of ram which is not enough.

I will want to go with multiples of 3 sticks to optimize their speed.

Thanks for the insight
 
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Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
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86
Depends on how much data you need to work on. There is no simple answer. As a general rule, though, I wouldn't do less than a doubling on a RAM upgrade, and maybe more, if you got stuck with 3GB or something silly like that (and if so, you'll need a 64-bit OS to use more, but I would hope nobody would make a real workstation like that with a 32-bit OS!).

Ultimately, even fast SSDs are still many times slower than RAM, so if you don't have enough RAM, worrying about any other bottleneck is pointless. If you can take advantage of >24GB RAM, maybe 48GB wouldn't go amiss (if your mobo/CPU supports that much, of course). If you are just on the cusp of needing more than 6GB, 12GB could last the life of the workstation. On Vista or 7, Task Manager is good enough to keep track of your RAM use.
 
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Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
5,909
19
81
As technology improves and time goes on, we will continue to see standards change. However, right now, I think the maximum capacity of being useful and worth the money is probably 8GB. While, I have to say, even being a gamer, I have a hard time suggesting 8GB due to its very minimal benefit over 4GB. However, 8GB is so damn cheap these days that it is a moot argument to have. 8GB is what you should go for, there is just no reason to get less really. 8GB is also what I would call the maximum amount of useful memory as well. Anything over 8GB is a complete waste if you ask me.

I mean, I still use 4GB and I dont have any issues doing even the most intensive stuff or multitasking. It does partly come down to what youre doing with your computer though. If all you did was surf the web and basic desktop stuff, 2GB or 4GB is probably plenty.....
 
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tricky_p

Member
Oct 11, 2010
29
0
66
Thanks Cerb + Fallengod:

I'll make sure to add some more detail to the original post, but to clarify:
- its a new system (march of 2011)
- I work with very large models that show topographic detail for many city blocks.
- I also work on large 'illustrative' photoshop site plans that are upwards of 1gb per file.
- currently running windows 7 64bit with 6gb of ram (which is not enough)
- I think the mobo/cpu setup can support upwards of 96gb but i dont see that happening.​

Although I do agree that games don't benefit from as much ram, I don't know if that applies to my situation. I am constantly running out of memory for photoshop/rhino (though I only have 6gb).

I guess the question is whether i would see the benefit of using 3x8gb or I should save the money and go with 3x4gb?
 
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mv2devnull

Golden Member
Apr 13, 2010
1,539
169
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"dual E5620"? Then there are RAM slots next to each processor, aren't there? If so, with 6x4GB you would still have only one bank per channel, and 24GB is a clear step up from 6 GB. Btw, having more than one bank per channel does drop the memory speed.

(I've used "dual E5620" with full 18x4GB. No point to go to 8GB modules yet.)
 
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