RAM Questions...

Hi,

Firstly, would getting extra RAM help this problem?

My 2.5 year old thinkpad T61p crashes every time I overload my CAD program (Inventor) after a few hours of working with big assemblies, but it also happens if I open up 3 drawing files at once (even if it’s the first thing I do after booting up) Is this software not managing memory properly or the lack of enough memory?

So, would getting 8GB help my case? I was looking to a few months ago, but it was going to cost 380$ So i decided not to cos my system feels like its aged a bit... And was looking to save it for a replacement sometime in 2011. and besides I'm not sure how long my GPU will stay alive as this is part of nvidias famously defective G84, 86 batch. But 8GB costs only 200$ now on Newegg! So I was just considering some options… and had a few questions about them.

IF extra RAM would help, what RAM??


Is brand very important? I'm looking at some basic ones on newegg

Mushkin (PC2 - 5300, CAS Latency 5)
Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Laptop Memory Model 996685

Crucial (PC2 - 5300, CAS Latency 5)
Newegg.com - Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Laptop Memory Model CT2KIT51264AC667

Corsair ('value select' 800Mhz - PC2 6400, CAS Latency 6)
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Laptop Memory Model VS8GSDSKIT800D2

What does a slightly higher voltage on this Mushkin mean? I though DDR2 was 1.8v, so is the 1.5v listed on under its specs a typo??

What do the latency values mean? I would prefer to get a brand like corsair for peace of mind but would a CAS latency of 6 mean it would be slower than the others? Or does the PC26400 standard give it an advantage?


Thanks!

 

You would be better off putting the money toward your new machine and pulling the upgrade ahead a few months. Any new system you get is going to use DDR3 memory so you would not be able to buy new RAM for the system you have then move it later on. You could try buying a 2 GB DDR2 kit to see if that fixes your crashing problem, which would tide you over until you ultimately buy the new machine.

 

It depends on what CAD program you are running, but I believe 8 GB of RAM will help you out. Whether you want to drop that much into an older system that is up to you. I don't think Lenovo was affected by the G84/G86 recall if you visit the settlement website.

My general rule of thumb is if you don't plan on keep on your laptop for long don't spend more than 50-100 bucks on upgrading it. But if you plan on keeping it for longer spend the 200.

But could put that 200 towards a new machine but that's entirely up to you.

 

Thanks for the reply guys...

@ Saturnotaku - Yea I was thinking the same thing too... was just a bit shocked to see the prices almost halved after a few months!! The only reason I'm considering is I'm going to be working on some important projects between now and then and it could easily be worth 200$ for me...

Only concern is if its software related and the problem happens even after the upgrade, it would be a complete waste of money, but if the lack of RAM is causing the crashes, 200 bucks is really worth the price for me...

@ Tsunade_Hime - I'm running Inventor... are the lenovos not affected for sure? I just checked out the settlement page. Thats a real relief!!! I gotta say... haha... so I guess the 200 bucks is worth the money now for me as I would have to buy one only when the rest of the hardware gets too old!

So, any advice on what RAM to get now?? and what exactly is CAS Latencys importance in the real world?

 

If you're not running a 64bit OS right now, that extra RAM won't help. You'll need to get Win7 64 as well as the extra RAM to use any more than 3.5GB or so.

Don't worry about timings. Just get compatible DDR2 RAM and you'll be fine.

 

I would advise you to wait and get yourself a Sandy Bridge laptop with sufficient RAM to work in CAD based programs.

Look at the laptop in my signature.
I'm using it for 3d Studio Max. It's decent, but Max as such is not without it's bugs.
RAM is not a problem for me even when working with meshes that have about 1.78 million polygons.

The cpu is the one I find a bit lacking right now because I could definitely use a Quad core cpu (or 6 core).

I will personally wait until 2011 or 2012 until I get a new system.

As for your needs... it's possible that your program is crashing due to bugs or incompatible scenes.
My NX-01 mesh I created all the way back in Max 4 for example had issues in 2009 version due to the lighting system I created.
It crashed on a regular basis stating I had no more RAM.
Once I deleted those lights and redid them in 2009 version, everything was fine.

Something similar might be happening with your program.
You can check your RAM usage right now with the program you're using. Or ask around online for why this might be happening (there's probably a forum dedicated to your software).

 

Thanks for the replies guys...

Sorry I forgot to mention everything else about my system, I'm running Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit. Hardware is Core2Duo T9300 (2.5 Ghz), nVidia Quadro FX570m, WUXGA display, 4GB DDR2 PC2 5300 RAM, 500GB 7200 RPM primary HDD + 200 GB 7200 RPM HDD on Ultrabay... Its pretty solid for a 2.5 year old machine, but my works been getting more demanding as well, which is why i'm guess it seems to be struggling just a bit...

But anyway thanks a lot for your help guys... I think i'm gonna hold off on the RAM for now. But if anyone could still point out what CAS latency and the voltages mean, I'd be grateful! I'm really curious...

I think I'm now leaning towards not spending any extra on my current system too... I'm just going to

 

Only $200? Work related? And you're thinking about it? (Shocked!)

Just order it already. Don't worry about the RAM's specs - just buy two 4GB modules that match what you already have inside your machine already (use CPU-z) - the possible 1 or 2 % difference (on inane benchmarks) you will see between different spec'd RAM modules is not worth worrying about.

With Win7x64 you really are in need of more RAM for your projects (apparently).


Also check:

Is your pagefile enabled? Is it corrupted, maybe? Do you have enough free space on your drive. Do you delete temp files (occasionally)? Is the drive defragmented (recently)? More importantly is the free space defragmented? Are your drivers up to date? Your BIOS? Your app?

To fix a possibly corrupt pagefile:
Set the min/max values to 16MB (won't let you go lower), reboot the computer, now, turn off the pagefile completely, reboot once more. This clears the 'old' pagefile. When the computer boots up again, set the pagefile as it was.

To clear temp files:
ccleaner!

To properly/fully defrag your system:
Try a trial of PerfectDisk 11 Professional and do an online and offline defrag a couple of times. Make sure you disable System restore to fully defrag your system files properly (then you can enable SR afterwards again, but I don't recommend it).

With PD, not only will your system files be fully defragged, but so will the free space (which may be causing your crashes if not enough contiguous free space is available for the program to allocate when you load the projects).

(Running PD once a month, right after MS Tuesday (Windows Update Day) for example, will keep your system running optimally).


Hope some of the above helps.

 

Thanks for your instruction! It's very detailed.

 

RAM is one of the simplest, easiest, cheapest upgrades to any machine. Provided you can us it (64 bit/program, etc.), I see no reason you shouldn't maximize that potential.