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I simply supplied my experience as never meeting a person of that age group who was a professional photo/video editor, you know the kind of person requiring large amounts of ram.

Why do you need to be a professional photo/video editor to need RAM?

I'm not, and I need all the RAM I can get. My machine is currently using 9GB (excluding inactive).
 
I got 8GB RAM on my rMBP, and I got 0 page outs and 0 bytes in Swap file. Glad I saved the $200. I don't foresee my usage getting any more extreme then this anyway.

Unless you got a couple of gigs in swap file used, I wouldn't think that more RAM will help you any.

I can easily chew up 8GB of RAM. All I need to do is have AutoCAD with a Site drawing open, Photoshop, and Windows 7 in Parallels. That is a very typical scenario for me. I didn't even include Email, Google Earth, or Chrome which I could need to use at any given moment.

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Why do you need to be a professional photo/video editor to need RAM?

I'm not, and I need all the RAM I can get. My machine is currently using 9GB (excluding inactive).

I agree mine is using 11GB right now.

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It's not a question of whether adding RAM will hurt. It's whether or not it will help. Regardless of how inexpensive RAM may be, if you're not maxing out the RAM you have, adding more is wasting money, as it won't improve performance.

To me maxing out the RAM is not a waste of money. In two years when you need more RAM and its 5x the amount it is today then thats a waste of money. What I tell people who buy new computers is to go get as much RAM as they can afford and stick it in, because in two years when they decide they need it, it will cost a fortune. RAM is the cheapest when its the most popular.

BTW I remember 17 years ago I bought 8mb for $250 today I can get 16GB for less.
 
To me maxing out the RAM is not a waste of money. In two years when you need more RAM and its 5x the amount it is today then thats a waste of money.
That's flawed reasoning, as RAM prices historically decline over time, not increase. If you wait two years before buying RAM, it will undoubtedly be less expensive than buying it now.
 
Why do you need to be a professional photo/video editor to need RAM?

I'm not, and I need all the RAM I can get. My machine is currently using 9GB (excluding inactive).

what exactly are you doing that you need all the ram you can get?
 
That's flawed reasoning, as RAM prices historically decline over time, not increase. If you wait two years before buying RAM, it will undoubtedly be less expensive than buying it now.
With a few vendors in the red due to depressed DRAM spot prices, I doubt RAM prices will stay low forever.

Hard drive prices crashed a few years ago, prices recovered a bit, then broke the ceiling when Thailand was flooded.

We're about to see SSD prices go up as well.
 
That's flawed reasoning, as RAM prices historically decline over time, not increase. If you wait two years before buying RAM, it will undoubtedly be less expensive than buying it now.

RAM is at its cheapest when its in its prime. Its not going to get much cheaper than it is now. In my experience it will not be cheaper in two years. Actually you will be lucky if they even still manufacture the RAM in two years. Not sure how that makes my reasoning "flawed"..
 
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Just get what you need, but 8gb (2x4gb) sticks now go for 55$ and thats cheap, so its best to get that and be done with it. Just saying, that you don't need to max out everything that you wouldnt be able to really use. Its like driving an SUV and you really dont carry anything nor have some people riding it all the time.
 
Correct RAM is at its cheapest when its in its prime. Its not going to get much cheaper than it is now. Not sure how that makes my reasoning "flawed"..
I said nothing about RAM being in its "prime". Prices of RAM, like most technology, decreases over time.
 
what exactly are you doing that you need all the ram you can get?

Browser, Photoshop, Aperture, Final Cut Pro

But it's not the apps you are running, it's what you are doing with them.

The latest non-professional Nikon DSLR delivers 36 megapixel images.

My non-professional video camera delivers 1080p video.

That's RAM man...
 
Screen Shot 2012-07-27 at 3.14.51 PM.png

I think I need more memory. :D
 
Browser, Photoshop, Aperture, Final Cut Pro

But it's not the apps you are running, it's what you are doing with them.

The latest non-professional Nikon DSLR delivers 36 megapixel images.

My non-professional video camera delivers 1080p video.

That's RAM man...

your initial post made it sound like you didn't use any of these types of apps at all. obviously in your case, ram would be helpful.
 
My point is you don't have to be a professional to need RAM, that was all.

Cheers

i guess to me it was just misleading.

your usage clearly mimics what a 'professional' would actually encounter in their workflow. i can't see the amount of 'non-professionals' who actually even have photoshop and FCP let alone editing 36MP raw photos and 1080p footage.
 
i guess to me it was just misleading.

your usage clearly mimics what a 'professional' would actually encounter in their workflow. i can't see the amount of 'non-professionals' who actually even have photoshop and FCP let alone editing 36MP raw photos and 1080p footage.

Yea, he's interested in nitpicking for the sake of argument, rather than making general statements for the sake of helping.

Trying to turn this into a ram debate rather than helping the OP. His logic is, if I can find one person (himself) who doesn't fit into those statements I can prove them wrong! Oh well.

I get it, there probably are a small percentage of computer users who use a lot of ram that aren't 'professional'. Whoopie.
 
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