help! ram vs processor vs cache vs os

all right...all my attempts at figuring this out have been squashed. i tried asking dell reps, they don't really like to answer questions directly haha. i tried asking my brother (an it cto), and he's too preoccupied with being a baller to answer my questions.

so...basically, i'm buying a dell latitude. i want a latitude because i can't afford a precision and i need a port replicator (which puts the home laptops out of the running).

i'm trying to figure out what i need the most...and hopefully this is the right forum.

i'm a clothing designer, which means i use various adobe programs on a regular basis and simultaneously. i'm on an inspiron e1705 centrino duo with 2gb of ram. i've had it for a long time and it's time for an upgrade. i'd like to get a latitude e6400 with a port replicator and a flat-screen monitor.

my problem is that i can't really get anyone to explain what i need for what i do.

it all boils down to ram. i would like to have 4gb of ram. i've been under the impression that i need a 64-bit o/s to do this. i've seen some places that said 32-bit systems can only utilize up to 3gb of ram, and dell's site says they can only utilize up to 2gb of ram. yet they sell a lot of 32-bit o/s systems with 4gb of ram, which confuses me yet again.

that said...when it comes to speed, what matters most?

1) ram
2) processor
3) cache

and in relation to that, what bit o/s should i have? my brother says the cache matters most so i should look for a 2.53 dual core with a 6m cache. he doesn't do anything i do, so i don't even know if that's correct.

i'd really like to figure out what o/s i need to have to actually get 4gb of ram usage out of my 4gb of ram, and if processor speed and cache actually matter.

if anyone could provide some clear insight, i'd really appreciate it. i'm basically confused by all of the different answers i've gotten.

grrrr thanks!

 

Quantity of RAM is dependant on the OS. A 64 bit os will allow you to work from 4GB upwards. A 32 bit OS will die at 4GB and will allow you to use less. I am one of them.

The bigger the cache the bigger the performance. However, this performance varies between 2-6 %.

 

what do you mean it "dies at 4gb"? a 32-bit can actually go up to 4gb in usage? (as you can see in my og post, i was under the impression that it was 2 or 3.)

 

Sorry for the confusion. On paper, a 32bit OS accepts up to 4GB of memory. In real fact, it will use less. The memory used will depend on the overall system. Mine uses 3.5GB out of 4GB.

In your case, if you want to use 4GB fully, you need a 64 bit os. Your purchase option will need to support a 64 bit OS. By this I mean, drivers, etc. Moreover, your apps need to be compatible. You don't want to end up with 4GB of RAM an x64 os and not being able to use the laptop for your work.

I am trying to migrate now to Business x64 because I want to make use fully of my 4GB. Unfortunately, Asus has no drivers available .

 

i'm wondering if it's better to get one with xp pro w/vista biz upgrade and then just upgrade to a 64-bit vista later on. i hate vista. and i imagine if i'm running 4gb on a 32-bit xp o/s with a 6m cache and a 2.53 duo core, i should be okay. i don't do any animation or anything like that.

can xp use that much ram (3+)? dell's site says it can only use 2.

 

All x86 systems will use the same amount of RAM. The difference between x86 XP and Vista is better memory management on the latter. That is why I bought this 4 GB kit because I want to upgrade to x64. I had a 3GB kit before and in benchmarks, the new 4GB kit has 5 % improvement in bandwidth, not more.

Coming back to your question...yes, the 4GB on x86 and a 6MB cache will be more than ample for your needs. However, as I previously stated, windows will use between 2 and 3.5 depending on ressource allocation. This varies from system to system. I have a friend with a different lappy, an AMILO and with 4 GB he is using more. I got 3.5 in Vista x86 he has 3.2 in the same OS.


I think I must point out something. You might get a BSOD when trying to install XP with that 4 GB of RAM. People have reported that both Vista and XP without any SP will not install with that huge amount of memory. You'll need to install with 2GB and after you set everything up, add the remaining two. If however you have a slipped XP SP3 disc or Vista SP1 DVD you will have no issues.

Dell simply wants to be on the safe side. That is why they state 2GB usage.

 

Have you tried going to the manufacturers of the devices on your system and downloading the drivers from there. I've done this.

 

I will do that too. I contacted Asus to see if they have something.

/offtopic.

 

Ok - I'll repeat what Wishmaker said...

RAM:
A 32 Bit OS can use up to 4GB of RAM where - approximately 3GB are used by the actual OS and 1GB can be adressed by the Video cards.
Thus - a 32Bit OS really uses about 3GB of RAM - as far as I'm aware, it doesn't matter whether its XP or Vista.
If Dell says it'll only support 2GB, then either they are wrong (OS will support 3GB for OS) or their hardware doesn't allow more than 2GB.

A 64 Bit OS will be able to use anything from 4GB upwards - I think its up to 128GB for Vista Business 64 Bit.
______

Now:
RAM is the cheapest "upgrade" - i.e. more RAM equals better performance anywhere.
Regarding processors - using wPrime - a T9300 took 31s a T8300 took 32s I believe for the same task.
The shared L2 Cache of the T9300 or higher processors is nice but not essential.

2.5GHz is enough to run some heavy tasks in Adobe photoshop - you should be alright, I'd even say its alreadyoverkill for many "office type" applications - its really games that need more.

Maybe you could post your specs in here so we can get an idea what you are looking at? Maybe you want to consider other brands too...

Maybe you could post in the "what to buy" section - I think you may get some good responses.

Edit:
Vaio Recovery discs instal Vista without SP1 fine on 4GB of RAM - so would the XP downgrade disc in theory (they don't tell you to remove RAM)

 

thanks for all of the detailed replies. sounds like if i'm going with a latitude on 4g i should just be sure to get vista as it handles the 4gb better in 32-bit?

and yes...i'm a heavy user of photoshop and illustrator, so those are my main concerns. i generally have a bunch of apps open at the same time (outlook, excel, photoshop, illustrator, trillian, firefox like 10 tabs, flashfxp are the most used). i do NOT game at all and i don't do animation at all. no video either except for watching dvd's on rare occasions.

as for the "what to buy," i did that a month or so ago but didn't really get anywhere. then again, i was more unsure than i am now.

here's one i was looking at last night in the outlet. it has xp downgrade on it, which is what sparked all of my questions today in the first place.

--------------------------------------

Latitude E6400

• Latitude E6400 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 (2.53GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
• Genuine Windows XP Pro with Vista Business License
________________________________________


Operating System
Genuine Windows XP Pro with Vista Business License
________________________________________
Memory
4 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz Dual Ranked (2 DIMMs)
________________________________________
Hard Disk Drive
160 GB SATA Hard Drive, 9.5MM, (5400RPM)
________________________________________
Video
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 160M With PC-Card
________________________________________
Web Camera
Integrated Webcam with digital microphone
________________________________________
Network Interface Card
Dell 1510 Wireless-N Card
________________________________________
Hardware Upgrade
9 Cell Battery, Primary
90W AC Adapter
No Fingerprint Reader
________________________________________
Software Upgrade
NO Intel vPro Secure Advanced Hardware Enabled Systems Management
________________________________________
Media Bay
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
________________________________________
Certified Refurbished
Certified Refurbished
________________________________________
Laptop Screen
14.1 inch WXGA+ LED Laptop Screen
________________________________________
Base
Latitude E6400 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 (2.53GHz, 6M L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
________________________________________
Bluetooth Wireless
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
________________________________________System Color
Brushed Metal Black

 

Depending upon what you do, which is not very clear, considering that you say you only run multiple Adobe applications - which are memory hogs, you should go for at least 4GB memory w/64-bit OS.

Need for a faster CPU and GPU also depends upon what sort of Adobe apps you're running. Taking into consideration the requirements of each application, you can customize your system accordingly.

EDIT: If 4GB, go for a 64-bit OS. Though you'll see about ~3.5GB in a 32-bit OS, the latest versions of Adobe applications are said to run faster in a 64-bit OS.

And upgrading the HDD yourself, will be a wise decision as well IMO. E.g. a faster HDD will help you load large images much quicker in Photoshop, and will also boost the loading times of all your applications. This will improve the overall performance of your OS.

 

I'm also wondering if Dell is the best company... I'm a Sony fan though - so obviously I'd recommend Sony ....

I think it would be a good idea to retry the "what to buy" question - also because you said you're more sure what you want.

 

yeah well i could never afford an e6400 straight-up, which is why i was looking in the outlet.

which probably means i can't afford a sony i'd want either, outside of an outlet.

 

wow i just looked at my system specs of what i've been using for 3+ years. i can't even believe it handles all this . well, "handles" is relative i guess...

3+ year old inspiron e1705 with 10gig of free hard drive space, 1 gig of ram (i thought i had two!), centrino duo 1.66 t2300.

and yeah i agree about a 7200rpm drive. i just found another one in the outlet that has a 250 7200 for the same price as the one i posted earlier, and this one has windows vista biz.