Memory Upgrade

myko5

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I have an iMac (late 2011) and I want to upgrade the system memory. I currently only have 4GB installed as I bought the minimum knowing it was cheaper to replace it after, instead of paying Apple to do it. While having bridge and photoshop open I tend to get the spinning beach ball a lot. I found online that theses systems can be loaded with up to 32GB instead of the 16GB max Apple states.

So, my questions are:

1. Will it be that noticeable to get 32GB instead of 16GB?

2. Where can I find the best deals on memory online?

3. Is there anything I should be aware of when upgrading?

Thanks
 
What size are the files you're working with? I have a 2010 iMac with 4GB and I never see the beach ball. My file sizes in PS (CS5) usually vary from about 50MB to 120MB. Unless you are handling much larger files than this, I'm not sure it's a RAM problem.
 
newegg.com is my source for cheap computer stuff.

RAM is so cheaper you might as well stuff as much as you can in there. Go for 32gb.
 
Just regular Raw files. The .psd files probably at most get up to 50MB. I plan on upgrading ram regardless, but what might be the problem then if it isn't ram?
 
I'm not sure. I know that PS allocates some HD space that it uses (scratch disk). You could check on this - perhaps it somehow is not enough. A quick search turned this up:

Adobe Photoshop * Memory and performance

It's at least a place to start. I'm far from a computer expert, so there are probably a lot of other things that could be worth checking.
 
You may already be aware that in Photoshop's Edit > Preferences > Performance dialog box, you can adjust a variety of settings Memory Usage, History & Cache, and Scratch Disk parameters.

Those settings effect how rapidly Photoshop can perform.
 
Thanks guys for the info. I will look into there being other problems that exist that are causing the beach ball to appear.

Are there any other recommendations for memory, and from any other sites besides newegg.com?

Also, what are decent and reliable brands to buy?
 
1. Will it be that noticeable to get 32GB instead of 16GB?

The only time the amount of RAM gets noticeable is when you run out. You're unlikely to run out for normal photography. Doing things like deconvolution on a 64bit image file will quickly chew up RAM, as will stitching together a large panorama, but for the most part you will be lucky to hit 16GB on even rare occasions.

2. Where can I find the best deals on memory online?
No idea. Newegg?

3. Is there anything I should be aware of when upgrading?
Yes. Check your motherboard model and then go to the website and check for memory compatibility. For the most part all memory is compatible however there will be the occasional make and model listed that won't support something like dual channel. Also if you're going for performance check what memory speed your CPU is capable of and then look at the CAS latency of the memory. There's no benefit to getting for instance DDR3-1600MHz if your machine only supports DDR3-1333MHz However there's a difference between a CL9 and a CL12 chip of the same frequency.

Also check the largest chip you can support on the motherboard. You may need to buy 4 chips rather than 2.
 
Crucial.com usually has good prices. Go to their site and you can download a system scanner that will tell you show you the total amount of ram your machine can take how may free ram slots you have (you may have to remove the current ram to get to the amount of ram up I want) and it will also show you the type of ram your machine takes and the price.
 

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