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niacin · Jul 11, 2002, 07:31 AM

i'm currently running a pismo 400 with 192 mb ram.
os 9 performance is satisfactory, but under os x, the computer is slow as hell... even opening finder windows is a pain because of the time lag

i'm thinking of putting in a new slab of either 256 or 512mb ram, but wonder if this will help boost the performance of the mac significantly especially under os x, or is my computer slow just because the processor is slow?

would appreciate any form of input. thanks!!

Timo · Jul 11, 2002, 09:15 AM

I put a 512mb in my Pismo (500), and it made a big difference.

I use a dual gig at work, maxed out. When I go home to the pismo, it chuggs along nicely.

YMMV.

[ 07-11-2002, 09:15 AM: Message edited by: Timo ]

Moderator · Jul 11, 2002, 11:29 AM

I feel your pain....192 just won't cut it in X...512MB, whether its 2 256's or whatever..should make a noticeable difference...although its still won't blaze. You also ought to think about the G4 upgrade.

seanyepez · Jul 11, 2002, 05:55 PM

512 megabytes of memory makes a 400-megahertz Pismo usable under OS X. I highly recommend you go for a 256-megabyte module to bring your computer's memory levels to a more reasonable 384 megabytes.

JediMac · Jul 11, 2002, 09:21 PM

What is the MAX upgrade? I have a Pismo 400 rev2

ddiokno · Jul 11, 2002, 09:50 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by JediMac:
What is the MAX upgrade? I have a Pismo 400 rev2<hr /></blockquote>Hi Jedimac,
Currently, 1GB (two 512MB PC100 SoDimms --- PC133 will work as well, but you'll see no benefit, as the controller will utilize it as if it were PC100). Here is a good <a href="http://www.transintl.com/technotes/installram_pismo.htm" target="_blank">tutorial/overview</a> for upgrading the ram yourself.
good luck,
dave

edit -- dumb typos --

[ 07-11-2002, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: ddiokno ]

niacin · Jul 11, 2002, 11:06 PM

thanks guys

seanyepez, you say that 512mbs is good, yet you ask me to upgrade only 256mb, why? btw, if 512mb can bring the pismo up to a 'usable' level, than i'm game for it! my only concern previously is that the bottleneck was with the processor and not the ram, and whether 512 mb would be an overkill - in which case i would just got for the 256 upgrade.

can't afford the G4 upgrade for now

((((

my next computer purchase has to be a PC because i need to run Autocad and 3ds.. so no choice.. but i still love this book and won't let it go! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

ebolla · Jul 12, 2002, 09:54 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />my next computer purchase has to be a PC because i need to run Autocad and 3ds.. so no choice.. but i still love this book and won't let it go! <hr /></blockquote>YUK-
check out FormZ or Archicad if you want good drafting or 3D modeling for the Mac. I run Autocad on Virtual PC on my pismo without too much trouble.
Autocad 3D is even pretty slow on a PC so it isnt much of a sacrifice. The crossplatform software is much more powerful and FASTER- check them out and you might get to keep your Mac.

niacin · Jul 12, 2002, 10:29 AM

hey ebolla,

i currently do use formZ extensively on my mac, it's done me wonders - but the rendering and animation functions just don't cut it when compared to 3ds.
as for cadding - i haven't tried archicad - but most of the rest of the architecture world uses autocad - i have no choice but to adhere as much, or as little in this case, as i can. running vpc is a possibility - but it just doesn't match up to running things native. as for autocad being slow on a pc? not when you are running it on an athlon 1.xGhz compared to G3/400.

not to start a platform war here, and i'm a big mac fan myself, hell i took a big risk when i decided to switch platforms 2 years ago, but there are some things that i think the pc still does better. to each his own, i'd like to have the best of both worlds <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

btw, ebolla, since you use formZ also. last semester i tried rendering this super big and complicated file on formZ 3.8 for Mac on the school's public G4/733s, 256mb ram. They couldn't render those things at all, just sat there. i left them there for almost 3 days.
Managed to render the same file though on a pc - think it was a PIII with 512mb ram - did the job in 14 hours.
I've noticed that FormZ just doesn't run as fast on a mac. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

Moderator · Jul 12, 2002, 05:09 PM

I think he suggested 256 for cost purposes....512 sticks cost a lot more per MB of RAM. At 384 (total) you'll still notice a solid difference, and save some cash to boot.

tooki · Jul 12, 2002, 07:15 PM

If you're running OS X full-time, I'd take it to at least 640MB (the 128MB module you already have, and replace the 64MB one with a 512MB), unless you can afford to go right for 1GB, which is what I really recommend for OS X.

tooki