RAM question for 3ds max

[Abe77]

My cousin is buying a new computer and he wants to run 3ds max and other programs. He and I are wondering if 512 mb of RAM is enough for 3ds max. Does anyone who owns 3ds max know if 1gb of RAM would improve performance or if it would just be overkill? Also would it be better for him to invest his money in a duel processor PC?. Price is not a question right now.

Thanks

 

[DeViSoR]

Well I can't speak for 3Dmax since I'm a lw user.. but they should be working the same way. 512mb ram should be enough for starters. It all depends on how complex meshes and environments he wish to use. Rendering a scene and having not enough ram for textures will punish rendering time. I use 704mb ram and thats enough for me.

 

[Need4Speed]

That really depends on the complexity of his models etc. Though as a rule of thumb, the more RAm you have for Max and/or any other modelling packages, the better off you are. I would suggest you buy at least 1Gb of ram.

 

[Czar]

3dsmax wont be any faster with 1gb than with 512mb ram untill you reach your ram limit. Just let him start with 512mb, its easy to add another chip later on.

 

[Need4Speed]

not neccesarily so. MAX uses ram very quickly. Even small and not very complex scenes will use a good chunk of RAM. My take on it is, that if cost is not the issue, and you have to open the box, you might as well stuff the extra RAM in there. Odds are that you'll add it anyways later on. I use MAX here at work, and even small assemblies that I animate will use 200-300mb when being rendered. Some of the larger assemblies will use twice that amount. Some of the CAD packages I use here will run like frozen molases on anything less than 512mb. IMHO, with the cost of PC equipment being as affordable as it is, there is no reason to cut corners over a 100 bux...I'd rather spend the money than to get frustrated with my workstation.

 

[Abe77]

Thanks for the replies. He is getting a 2.2 gigahertz processor. Is that enough for a beginner or would he get big time rendering boosts with duel cpus?

 

[rbaibich]

He'll be way better w/ dual processors than w/ 1Gb of RAM. 3DS uses parallel processing. If you're not familiar w/ it, w/ parallel processing you'll get 4 times the single processor speed. The formula is like this:

p=2^n

p is the processor power, n is the number of processors.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

<< He'll be way better w/ dual processors than w/ 1Gb of RAM. 3DS uses parallel processing. If you're not familiar w/ it, w/ parallel processing you'll get 4 times the single processor speed. The formula is like this:

p=2^n

p is the processor power, n is the number of processors. >>



hmmm.... that seems unlikely... by that logic, a 4 way system will perform 16x faster than a single processor!!!
Please provide numbers to back up this claim

-Ice

 

[rbaibich]

<< hmmm.... that seems unlikely... by that logic, a 4 way system will perform 16x faster than a single processor!!!
Please provide numbers to back up this claim >>



This is just the formula to describe parallel processing. In a microcomputer it won't be always doing pure parallel processing. In workstations things start to change... That's why many universities choose to do parallel processing instead of trying to buy a Cray supercomputer.

 

[mgravy]

I use 3D Studio on a daily basis with 1GB of RAM and dual 1.5 MHz procs but my model's are very complex and demand it. Previously, I was using a Silicon Graphics dual 500MHz with 1GB of RAM and renderings would take much longer. I have also found that a SCSI Seagate 15000rpm HD has made a significant difference in my happiness

If he is just starting out it is probably wise not to go overboard -just make sure that it is expandable. For example, get a mobo with 4 dimm slots and start out with one 512 dimm of RAM. That way you can easily add more.

Take a look at my rig's specs below...

Oh! and DON'T go budget on the Video Card - (not a gaming card!)

 

[CTho9305]

i'm running on a tbird 700 with 256mb ram... and I can say that 256 is fine for simple stuff, but beyond that you DEFINITELY want more ram. rendering times on a 700 are not as fast as I'd like of course