VMware performance boost with more RAM? (46)

[ndstrenge]

I run a late '08 15" UMBP. 2.53, 4 gigs of RAM.

Would upgrading to 6 gigs of RAM increase the performance of my machine when running VMware with Vista? I can't get any answers in any of the other threads.

I know about Bootcamp, that's not my question. I have another pc.

I use Windows for Lectora Publisher, which is an authoring software for online learning modules. It's basically interactive PowerPoint. It's not a super heavy software, but the content can get heavy with video, sound, animations, etc.

My Activity Monitor says I'm using nearly 4gigs when I open VMware and a few of my Mac apps, but don't actually load those apps with content: (Keynote, audacity, acorn, draw it, quicktime)

Would upgrading even help since I'll lose dual channel? I know nothing about how RAM benefits machines aside from higher numbers = good.

 

[maflynn]

6gig will only be useful to VMware as long as you give it more ram. The reason you are maxing out now with VMware is probably because you already allocated a large portion of your ram to it.

I don't think overall vmware performance will increase with the extra ram, nor will the host OS benefit greatly as well. Your other apps however, that you may run along with VMware may be better off with the extra ram - provided you don't give it all to vmware.

I have 4gig on my MBP, I give 1.5 to vmware and I can easily run my other apps w/o too many page outs. Since I'm running Ubuntu, its memory requirements are much lower then winblows so I feel that 1.5 is more then enough for it

 

[ndstrenge]

That makes sense.