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sixbadboy · Jul 19, 2009, 07:01 PM

Hi! I just got a 13' MacBook Pro with 4GB memory. How the system will
be enhanced if I replace with 8GB memory (presumably 2X4GB) compared
to original 4GB memory? I need to do some large data set analysis.

Thanks for any input!

AKcrab · Jul 19, 2009, 07:14 PM

Open Activity Monitor and start your data analysis. Pay attention to System Memory and CPU to find out if the analysis is using up all available RAM or if it's just pegging the CPU.

CharlesS · Jul 19, 2009, 07:31 PM

Having 8 GB of RAM will make your Mac run faster, but it will be really expensive, as the price for those 4 GB modules is insane.

mduell · Jul 19, 2009, 07:53 PM

Working with large data sets, the impact could be huge. The performance difference between swapping and not swapping (or at least being able to cache) can be an order of magnitude or more.

$300-450 per module is steep, but at even low hourly rates you could save a lot with more memory.

AKcrab · Jul 19, 2009, 07:58 PM

IF he's swapping..

mduell · Jul 19, 2009, 10:06 PM

Assuming large data set, if he's not swapping then caching will help although less dramatically so.