Buffer under run

[EvilDoc]

hey i got a mac mini ( 1.4 ) with standard 256megs of ram and combo drive but i often get a buffer underun error when ever i try to burn a cd over 2x.. and i always close the any programs iam in before i start. iam using toast to burn cds and it happens everytime with out fail if i set the burn speed higher then 2x. is this a ram problem ( or lack of it )?

thanks

 

[Dreadnought]

I would say yes! 256 is not a lot, put a gig in there and you will be surprised how fast the mini really is. Everything will go smoother and faster.

 

[HiRez]

hey i got a mac mini ( 1.4 ) with standard 256megs of ram and combo drive but i often get a buffer underun error when ever i try to burn a cd over 2x.. and i always close the any programs iam in before i start. iam using toast to burn cds and it happens everytime with out fail if i set the burn speed higher then 2x. is this a ram problem ( or lack of it )?

I believe a buffer underrun error probably means your Mac can't get enough data off of your hard drive fast enough. In other words, the CD burn process is requesting data from the buffer (RAM) that's not there yet because it's emptying it too fast for the hard drive to keep it full (although that seems a bit odd to me at only 2x). So, more RAM could help, as it might enable a larger buffer which would be less likely to be emptied quickly. In Toast, look in the Recorder > Recorder Settings... menu and click on the Advanced pane. Make sure the Buffer Underrun Prevention checkbox is checked. Also make sure you quit all other apps before you burn (better yet, try rebooting), and close all your Dashboard widgets, those can really use a lot of resources.

 

[EvilDoc]

Thats next of the list i need ram 1gig should be a big performance increase. i installed tiger but went back to panther it was kinda sluggish so iam looking forward to more ram.