Help me spend my money...

[altecXP]

So I do a lot of Database work on my MacBook Pro(see sig) and I am in a toss up.

Do I:

A) Change my 240GB SSD to a storage drive, make my 500GB(it really just holds my Downloads folder, iTunes and StarCraft) an external and then get a 120GB SATA3 from OWC

B) Buy the 1600MHz RAM that's proven to work in the new SNB MBP's?

Which would help with working with large databases more?

 

[vincenz]

I would guess SSD since you're always retrieving huge chunks of data, but what do I know.

 

[altecXP]

I would guess SSD since you're always retrieving huge chunks of data, but what do I know.

Well I know that DB's use a lot of disk activity, but I don't know what will really show a bigger gain. I never really paid attention to how much DB's rely on memory.

 

[Hellhammer]

Faster memory rarely helps since in most cases there is some other bottlenecks. Faster SSD might help

 

[bamf]

How large is your database working set? Memory helps a ton with databases, but if your working set is small it may already be residing in memory.

If the set is really large, then the faster I/O that a faster SSD provides may help. Not sure if the Sandforce based drives will help a ton on databases though, that's something you may want to research independently.

 

[altecXP]

How large is your database working set? Memory helps a ton with databases, but if your working set is small it may already be residing in memory.

If the set is really large, then the faster I/O that a faster SSD provides may help. Not sure if the Sandforce based drives will help a ton on databases though, that's something you may want to research independently.

I'm currently working with 10GB, but it will be growing soon as the project grows.

 

[bamf]

I'm currently working with 10GB, but it will be growing soon as the project grows.

So you would need to go to 16GB of RAM to make a difference then, so I'd say look at the faster SSD. At least that way when you swap you'll be doing it to a faster disk.

 

[ViciousShadow21]

+1 for the SSD

 

[dommeister]

SSD would be a better call for you.