Discussion
My rather aging Mesh is slowly dieing it seems.
When using Photoshop 2, it keeps on saying that I can't do stuff as there is not enough RAM.
I am running a 2.4Ghz AMD processor, with 1.25Gb Ram, which has worked fine.
I am in line to get a new one under new cpu budget, but it will be a while.
Is there an online test I can run to see if RAM is playing up?
On the subject of a new computer, what should I go for in terms of brands? (not mac ...)
When using Photoshop 2, it keeps on saying that I can't do stuff as there is not enough RAM.
I am running a 2.4Ghz AMD processor, with 1.25Gb Ram, which has worked fine.
I am in line to get a new one under new cpu budget, but it will be a while.
Is there an online test I can run to see if RAM is playing up?
On the subject of a new computer, what should I go for in terms of brands? (not mac ...)
First check how much memory is being used and how many processes are running after boot up..
Clear out the prefetch directory (reboot) then check how much memory is being used and how many processes are running after boot up..
Have a spring clean, ccleaner, anti-spyware, again check after use and a reboot..
What sort of size image are you trying to manipulate?
Clear out the prefetch directory (reboot) then check how much memory is being used and how many processes are running after boot up..
Have a spring clean, ccleaner, anti-spyware, again check after use and a reboot..
What sort of size image are you trying to manipulate?
Why not a Mac? Cheapest BIG performance you can buy right now. The Mac Pro is preposterously good value for an 8-core Xeon box. No other manufacturer can touch them at the moment (must be some sweetheart deal with Intel, either that or Otellini's bumming teh Steve).
You don't *have* to run OS X if you don't like it, ya know
Much as it pains me, Macs run Windows with the best of 'em these days...
Anyway your slowly deteriorating RAM problems are likely to be due to Windows. Get hold of a memory test boot disk (Memtest86 is the old-school one) and thoroughly test your RAM. If it all works, and you haven't changed your workflow since it used to work, then there's NO REASON why it should be slower now unless if Windows is all crusted up with crap in the Registry, spyware, and all the layers of anti-virus you need these days.
If the RAM checks out OK, and your Registry file is hundreds of megabytes in size and (due to the Windows architecture) open constantly by the OS, then perhaps try backing everything up, reinstalling Windows, bunging your user settings back on and trying again. Check the total working set size before and after to see whether bunging a clean version of Windows back on the box has made a difference.
Other than that, not much point in going past 2 GB RAM on an old 32-bit Windows install on what is presumably a 32-bit CPU. To support more than 4 GB, you need a Mac or a PC workstation with Xeon or certain Opterons (IIRC, not sure about the AMD option). The current 'Core 2 Duo' type systems using the laptop Santa Rosa chipset support a maximum of 4 GB of RAM.
Photoshop can easily eat a lot more than that.
You don't *have* to run OS X if you don't like it, ya know
Much as it pains me, Macs run Windows with the best of 'em these days...Anyway your slowly deteriorating RAM problems are likely to be due to Windows. Get hold of a memory test boot disk (Memtest86 is the old-school one) and thoroughly test your RAM. If it all works, and you haven't changed your workflow since it used to work, then there's NO REASON why it should be slower now unless if Windows is all crusted up with crap in the Registry, spyware, and all the layers of anti-virus you need these days.
If the RAM checks out OK, and your Registry file is hundreds of megabytes in size and (due to the Windows architecture) open constantly by the OS, then perhaps try backing everything up, reinstalling Windows, bunging your user settings back on and trying again. Check the total working set size before and after to see whether bunging a clean version of Windows back on the box has made a difference.
Other than that, not much point in going past 2 GB RAM on an old 32-bit Windows install on what is presumably a 32-bit CPU. To support more than 4 GB, you need a Mac or a PC workstation with Xeon or certain Opterons (IIRC, not sure about the AMD option). The current 'Core 2 Duo' type systems using the laptop Santa Rosa chipset support a maximum of 4 GB of RAM.
Photoshop can easily eat a lot more than that.
cyberface said:
Other than that, not much point in going past 2 GB RAM on an old 32-bit Windows install on what is presumably a 32-bit CPU. To support more than 4 GB, you need a Mac or a PC workstation with Xeon or certain Opterons (IIRC, not sure about the AMD option). The current 'Core 2 Duo' type systems using the laptop Santa Rosa chipset support a maximum of 4 GB of RAM.
Photoshop can easily eat a lot more than that.
Not quite true, (at least in Windows) 64-bit Vista can support 128Gb of RAM if you're so inclined.Photoshop can easily eat a lot more than that.
Most PC motherboards (at least the sort of ones I use - mid-spec enthusiast ones) will support 8/16/32Gb of RAM. i.e. 2/4/8Gb DIMMs. I believe my board will support 16Gb, but as I'm running XP Pro 32-bit I can't use anymore than 4Gb.
But it might be different in the spangly world of macs (I'm too knew to understand the intricacies of the OS), even if I do understand the architecture
One a slightly different note, didn't realise the Santa Rosa based laptops, were restricted to 4Gb of RAM...
I have run cccleaner, I have it on my laptop, but forget to put it on the workhorse.
Will have to see how it goes ... to be honest, I want a new PC so won't try too hard
...
I have had a look at a mac, but my requirements are:
has to run perfectly on our network, at all times
budget is obviously an issue (circa £1K w/o screen)
I already have CS2.3, so need to check the license side of things, but thinking that I will install on both the PC's, as they will both be "mine."
I enjoy the familarility of the PC infrastructure, as of course any PC is covered under our maintenance agreement, not something that would be extended to a mac.
Will have to see how it goes ... to be honest, I want a new PC so won't try too hard
...I have had a look at a mac, but my requirements are:
has to run perfectly on our network, at all times
budget is obviously an issue (circa £1K w/o screen)
I already have CS2.3, so need to check the license side of things, but thinking that I will install on both the PC's, as they will both be "mine."
I enjoy the familarility of the PC infrastructure, as of course any PC is covered under our maintenance agreement, not something that would be extended to a mac.
croxsons said:
ok, here's a question that would probably be a deal breaker.
I have CS2.3 on my PC, but is it possible to upgrade that to CS3 on a MAC?
The cost of re-buying CS3 from scratch for the Mac format kinda turns me off the idea
Yeah, can't see why you'd have any problem doing that. I have CS2.3 on my PC, but is it possible to upgrade that to CS3 on a MAC?
The cost of re-buying CS3 from scratch for the Mac format kinda turns me off the idea
croxsons said:
ok, here's a question that would probably be a deal breaker.
I have CS2.3 on my PC, but is it possible to upgrade that to CS3 on a MAC?
The cost of re-buying CS3 from scratch for the Mac format kinda turns me off the idea
That's a cross-grade... Adobe do a deal, not sure if it's competitive or not. You'll have to ask Adobe.I have CS2.3 on my PC, but is it possible to upgrade that to CS3 on a MAC?
The cost of re-buying CS3 from scratch for the Mac format kinda turns me off the idea
However you can buy a Mac and run Windows on it. Either full-time (i.e. the Mac is just another PC, running Windows, that happens to be astonishingly good power for money at the moment), or in virtualisation (i.e. OS X as your main OS, but use VMware or Parallels to run your existing CS2.3 licence on Windows in a, well, window). The only additional cost is a copy of Windows.
If you take the first route, then buying the Mac is no different to buying any other PC, except you have to bung your own copy of Windows on it (Apple won't sell you Windows, obviously). It hurts me to say so, but Apple Macs are now just fully Windows-compatible PCs.
If you take the second route, with OS X as your main OS and Windows in virtualisation for your key apps, then don't worry - OS X integrates fine with Windows networks. Only if you're using Outlook to the full can things get tricky - otherwise it'll integrate into Active Directory, print to your printers, share network shares and share out to other PCs, etc. It all 'just works' - and the stuff that doesn't 'just work' can be made to work with a bit of unix voodoo.
I only suggested it because of the Mac price/performance ratio at the moment. I'm trying to get away from one of the berks who suggests a Mac to anyone asking about a PC, especially when they say 'no Macs'...
If you don't like OS X, fair enough, run Windows on it. It's just a PC at the end of the day, though you'll make it cry if you use Boot Camp. 
ok, so I am looking at then a iMac, 20-inch, 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, with 2Gb RAM (4Gb is a huge price increase), with a few extras, works out at about £1K.
I will need to add the upgrade to that, which is about £190, so not too bad.
What are my options regarding PC Virtualisation? I know that I can obviously boot Windows using the Mac, but is there another option? Can I run both at the same time?
If I am up North, often I will use RealVNC to control a PC in Surrey, is there the same option? (You can tell that I am a mac newbie ...)
I will need to add the upgrade to that, which is about £190, so not too bad.
What are my options regarding PC Virtualisation? I know that I can obviously boot Windows using the Mac, but is there another option? Can I run both at the same time?
If I am up North, often I will use RealVNC to control a PC in Surrey, is there the same option? (You can tell that I am a mac newbie ...)
My guess is that something is wrong. Despite loading CS2 up *hugely*, I can't get it to run out of memory. Yes, it slows down and pages out to disk, but I can't get it to run out of memory. Maybe the partition where you have put Photoshop's workspace is too small?
Go to Crucial.com and run their memory analyser. RAM costs absolute peanuts now.
Go to Crucial.com and run their memory analyser. RAM costs absolute peanuts now.
LukeBird said:
cyberface said:
Other than that, not much point in going past 2 GB RAM on an old 32-bit Windows install on what is presumably a 32-bit CPU. To support more than 4 GB, you need a Mac or a PC workstation with Xeon or certain Opterons (IIRC, not sure about the AMD option). The current 'Core 2 Duo' type systems using the laptop Santa Rosa chipset support a maximum of 4 GB of RAM.
Photoshop can easily eat a lot more than that.
Not quite true, (at least in Windows) 64-bit Vista can support 128Gb of RAM if you're so inclined.Photoshop can easily eat a lot more than that.
Most PC motherboards (at least the sort of ones I use - mid-spec enthusiast ones) will support 8/16/32Gb of RAM. i.e. 2/4/8Gb DIMMs. I believe my board will support 16Gb, but as I'm running XP Pro 32-bit I can't use anymore than 4Gb.
But it might be different in the spangly world of macs (I'm too knew to understand the intricacies of the OS), even if I do understand the architecture
One a slightly different note, didn't realise the Santa Rosa based laptops, were restricted to 4Gb of RAM...
Dunno about Vista but even if your logicboard can support loads of RAM, an old 32-bit non-Server Windows OS won't get anything out of the RAM...
Willing to be proved wrong on this though!
cyberface said:
Oi oi LukeBird old bean, I *did* say 32-bit Windows.... I know 64-bit Windows will support more RAM, I've recently had to argue with the server team at my current client regarding a third party fixed income attribution app - needs lots of RAM, but currently running Windows 2003 Server standard edition - max 4 GB ram. Windows 2003 Enterprise edition (even though it's not technically a 64-bit OS) can run more RAM because it uses some fancy address extentions. Windows 2003 64-bit standard will do the job as well, but it's not supported under Citrix so was out of the question.
Dunno about Vista but even if your logicboard can support loads of RAM, an old 32-bit non-Server Windows OS won't get anything out of the RAM...
Willing to be proved wrong on this though!
Sorry, just re-read your post (*tilts cap...* Dunno about Vista but even if your logicboard can support loads of RAM, an old 32-bit non-Server Windows OS won't get anything out of the RAM...
Willing to be proved wrong on this though!
)(Un)fortunately I don't have anything to do with our servers so no idea what they're running, so couldn't possibly comment!
There is a way of adding to the address extension in XP to allow programs to utilise more RAM, although personally I think as a desktop user 2Gb per process is probably enough!
I'll have to have a deeper look into Vista. I should be getting hold of a copy of Ultimate 64-bit soon, so I'll have to buy some 4Gb DIMMs and see what happens!
cyberface said:
croxsons said:
ok, here's a question that would probably be a deal breaker.
I have CS2.3 on my PC, but is it possible to upgrade that to CS3 on a MAC?
The cost of re-buying CS3 from scratch for the Mac format kinda turns me off the idea
That's a cross-grade... Adobe do a deal, not sure if it's competitive or not. You'll have to ask Adobe.I have CS2.3 on my PC, but is it possible to upgrade that to CS3 on a MAC?
The cost of re-buying CS3 from scratch for the Mac format kinda turns me off the idea
However you can buy a Mac and run Windows on it. Either full-time (i.e. the Mac is just another PC, running Windows, that happens to be astonishingly good power for money at the moment), or in virtualisation (i.e. OS X as your main OS, but use VMware or Parallels to run your existing CS2.3 licence on Windows in a, well, window). The only additional cost is a copy of Windows.
If you take the first route, then buying the Mac is no different to buying any other PC, except you have to bung your own copy of Windows on it (Apple won't sell you Windows, obviously). It hurts me to say so, but Apple Macs are now just fully Windows-compatible PCs.
If you take the second route, with OS X as your main OS and Windows in virtualisation for your key apps, then don't worry - OS X integrates fine with Windows networks. Only if you're using Outlook to the full can things get tricky - otherwise it'll integrate into Active Directory, print to your printers, share network shares and share out to other PCs, etc. It all 'just works' - and the stuff that doesn't 'just work' can be made to work with a bit of unix voodoo.
I only suggested it because of the Mac price/performance ratio at the moment. I'm trying to get away from one of the berks who suggests a Mac to anyone asking about a PC, especially when they say 'no Macs'...
If you don't like OS X, fair enough, run Windows on it. It's just a PC at the end of the day, though you'll make it cry if you use Boot Camp. croxsons said:
had a look at MemCheck, but am now confused ... only found some very simple websites with no html formatting ... am I going wrong?
Is there an ISO file (or similar) that I can download and burn onto a CD?
This be what you're looking for -Is there an ISO file (or similar) that I can download and burn onto a CD?
http://www.memtest86.com/
click "free download" you can either run it in windows or create a bootable CD.
I've done both
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff