Little confused

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Primetime
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2016/12/07 16:32:45 (permalink)

Little confused

My question is guys, I have a really old computer, it still runs with no problems, with Platinum installed...
I am very poor,  at this time can't afford much...
I have a Asus M4A785-M motherboard
AMD 11x4 620 2.60 gig processor
With 4 gigs of DDR 2 ram...
I know some of you guys are getting a good chuckle right about now, but this
machine has served me very well over the yrs...
Should I add more ram, or should I just bite the bullet and get a total upgrade...
I think I already know the answer, but I would really like to get some feedback from you computer guys...
Please help the needy!! lol..
#1

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    fireberd
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/07 16:52:19 (permalink)
    What OS do you have now?  XP? Vista? Win 7?
    If you have a 64 bit OS and Sonar is running OK and you can do what you need to do, I would suggest upgrading the RAM to 8 GB.  However, if you have a 32 bit OS upgrading past 4GB will do you no good as a 32 bit OS can't address even the full 4GB. 
     
    Bottom line a new system would be great, if your recording hardware has Win 10 drivers, but if everything is still working OK, I would leave it as.  Eventually you will want to upgrade so start salting away $$ for the day you do need the new system.

    "GCSG Productions"
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    #2
    Jesse G
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/07 18:03:58 (permalink)
    The M4A785-M  holds a maximum ram of 16 Gb.  I say buy the max ram for now and save the money for a new rig.  The ram will help you with the memory to run Sonar Platinum properly.
     
    Get 4 x DIMM, Max. 16 GB, DDR2 1200(O.C.)/1066*/800/667 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
     
    If you are using Windows 7 or Windows 8 it will be OK.
     
     
    Sonar Platinum Minimum requirements for Installation. (Not for operating successfully)
    OS: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10 (32- or 64-bit)Processor: 2.6GHz Intel or AMD multi-core processor (at least Intel i5 or AMD A10 APU recommended)Memory: 4GB.Hard Drive: 5GB for minimal install (20GB recommended)Monitor Resolution: 1280x800 (1920 x 1080 recommended) 
     
     
     

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    #3
    Primetime
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/07 18:25:09 (permalink)
    I am running windows 10 64 bit guys, I'm thinking maybe ad more ram, and try to squeeze another yr out of it...
    Thanks for the suggestions....
    #4
    Jim Roseberry
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/08 07:10:32 (permalink)
    I agree with the advice to max out the RAM at 16GB.
    It won't net any additional processing power, but that would allow you to run virtual-instruments more comfortably.
    I'd halt there... and save up for a full upgrade.
     

    Best Regards,

    Jim Roseberry
    jim@studiocat.com
    www.studiocat.com
    #5
    AT
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/08 10:54:17 (permalink)
    More ram will help.  So will freezing any tracks with effects.  That is how we did it in the Neolithic days 10-15 years ago when adding a simple reverb would crash a mix.

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    thickglass
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/20 13:53:36 (permalink)
    You could try to overclock CPU, at least it's free and you can expand paging file size :) 
    #7
    azslow3
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/20 15:35:01 (permalink)
    As you can see in my signature, I am "conservative". My 9 years old primary development (at work) notebook has died 3 weeks ago... My boss has promised me to throw it from my window (4th floor) in case I do not replace it till the end of this year, so that has happened
    But at home I am the boss for myself.
     
    The question is what you do not like in your current setup? If Synthes you need do not fit into RAW, you are forced to get more. But in case you see the ram is not an issue at the moment but everything is "slow", check the hard disk speed. Unlike DDR2 (which is relatively expensive pro Gb compare to the modern), SSD disk you can reuse in your next system.

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    #8
    Cactus Music
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/21 14:48:09 (permalink)
    +1 to adding a SSD drive to perk things up. 
    I have a couple of old Laptops with similar specs, And because at a certain point buying RAM for old machines becomes to expensive I leave them at 8 GB. But adding an SSD drive really sped things up. One is even running XP. 
    I do use the one W7 64 bit machine mostly for audio recording and RAM has not been an issue.
    Another W7 Laptop with 8 GB RAM I use at work I do 100% midi and have at least 4 soft synth going..no problems there either. 
    You can find 240 GB SSD drives for well under $100 now. 

    Johnny V  
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    #9
    FLZapped
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/22 06:41:33 (permalink)
    Certainly more ram will help. First quarter of next year, AMD is supposed to release new processors and introduce the AM4 socket. Initial reports look promising.
    #10
    abacab
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/23 17:02:06 (permalink)
    I have a laptop (non DAW) with 4GB RAM that fills up fast on Windows 10.  Win 10 seems to be RAM hungry, so I would vote on at least 8 GB RAM for a Win 10 system.
     
    Then, if you can swing for a SSD drive, you might not mind running that old thing for a while longer.  Assuming that you have sufficient RAM, the SSD is the single biggest performance upgrade you can add to a system
     
    The SSD would not be wasted when you get a new system, you can just move it over to your new PC.  Probably get a deal on a system with only HDD, then do your own swap!

    DAW: CbB; Sonar Platinum, and others ... 
    #11
    Vastman
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    Re: Little confused 2016/12/24 17:09:06 (permalink)
    Hi, Primetime!  If you are getting along well with your current rig and money is very tight, I wouldn't worry too much about a new rig.  Definitely get 16gigs first (it's just a tad more expensive and will be usefull a LOT longer) Then save for an SSD... this will radically improve your rig.
     
    The ram won't be usefull in the future but the SSD will be moveable... but these moves might be all you need for a long time.

    Dana
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    #12
    Primetime
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    Re: Little confused 2017/01/22 18:47:48 (permalink)
    Thanks guys, I maxed out my ram and it made quite a difference...I made a deal with the wife, she'll let me upgrade to a new machine with the income tax return...Yipppppeeeee!!!!
    #13
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