Optimal memory for Mac Power Book Pro???

I will be purchasing a new MBPro and have the option of moving from 4G to 8G of RAM. Is this upgrade worthwhile in regards to Logos 4 Mac?

Between graduate work and sermon prep, I am using Logos at least 25 hours a week. My library is the Platinum edition.

Your advice is appreciated.

George

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Jason Ledbetter

General geek-guy response: more is better. Get 8 - Apple's pricing isn't even terrible for it anymore....

High level: memory is much faster than your hard drive.

MacOS is somewhat aggressive with something called "swapping". i.e., taking stuff that is in memory for actively running programs and putting it on disk while the program isn't being actively used.

The effect here is that if a program swaps to disk, when one tries to use that program again (i.e., bringing it to foreground) MacOS has to read the swapped "memory" from disk to bring it back into real memory.

I'm a fairly heavy computer user with a number of intensive applications running at once. On my last macbookpro with 4gig of memory, MacOS regularly "swapped" even when it didn't really need to.

The user effect was a slowness when switching applications that would go away once the application was back in memory....

On my new system with 8 gig of memory, the same set of applications (including Logos) almost never swaps and I almost never have to beat my mac into submission aagain...

hope this helps some...

[EDIT: somewhere in there it should say "... and with more memory MacOS is slightly less aggressive with swapping things it shouldn't normally need to swap"]

-jbl

Paul N

will the additional memory cost you about $400? Thats a tough one. What else do you plan to be doing with Logos running or is this MacPro your "Logos" machine? [;)]

Stuart Robertson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172119#Comment_172119

I recently upgraded from 4GB to 8GB (bought the OWC computers 2x4GB modules for around $229) and installed the new RAM myself on my Macbook Pro (17" i7 2010). The difference is dramatic. If you use your Macbook a lot, especially for other memory intensive tasks (I use mine for programming, etc) and/or run a lot of applications simultaneously then you'll benefit a lot. At 4GB I found OS X was often swapping under the (fairly modest, imho) load I placed on the machine.

George W Raduano

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172154#Comment_172154

Thanks for the wisdom. You have confirmed my decision to bite the bullet and get the extra memory. Hopefully some of the spinning balls will stop!

George

Steve Hultquist

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172180#Comment_172180

I agree. Furthermore, I will also say that having an SSD makes a gigantic difference on my MBP. With a 3-year lease, it's not even that much more money... But, if you're not leasing, it will be...

Jerry Walker

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172186#Comment_172186

I agree. Furthermore, I will also say that having an SSD makes a gigantic difference on my MBP. With a 3-year lease, it's not even that much more money... But, if you're not leasing, it will be...

How do you lease a SSD? Im very interested in that information.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172192#Comment_172192

Newegg has 2 x 4GB DDR3 laptop memory for $ 179.99 (free shipping).

After installing 8 GB RAM, found enabling 64 bit kernel in Snow Leopard improved overall responsiveness - did verify applications and printer work OK with 64 bit kernel. Personally used nvram example from:

http://macperformanceguide.com/SnowLeopard-64bit.html

[I] Memory upgrade can be done later - Activity Monitor can Show Memory Usage on dock:

After restarting Mac, Page Outs is 0. If Page Outs significant (or green free memory small slice), upgrading memory good idea:

Keep Smiling [:)]

Maks

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172200#Comment_172200

Logos is not a 64-bit program, is it?

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/172214#Comment_172214

Logos 4 Mac uses 32 bit addressing.

Keep Smiling [:)]