Ableton Forum

I am considering this system, but am wondering whether I'll find myself wanting more RAM in future. I would appreciate your thoughts.. thanks!

http://rainrecording.co.uk/products/nimbus/

Intel Core i7 2500K 3.3GHz (Unlocked to 4.4GHz)
4GB DDR3 1333MHz

futuremoves wrote:I am considering this system, but am wondering whether I'll find myself wanting more RAM in future. I would appreciate your thoughts.. thanks!

http://rainrecording.co.uk/products/nimbus/

Intel Core i7 2500K 3.3GHz (Unlocked to 4.4GHz)
4GB DDR3 1333MHz

I was thinking of the Project Plus model.

I don't think Live can see more than 4 GB.
I'm not 100% sure on this though. May wanna check

Sunsetter wrote:I don't think Live can see more than 4 GB.
I'm not 100% sure on this though. May wanna check

Thanks Sunsetter. This thread seems to indicate that Live cannot use more than 4GB. How ever, I THINK that if you are running other applications or plugins at the same time then they could use any additional RAM.

http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=133130

it depends on your projects.
If your tracks are like loading the kick, snare and hihats then tweaking some noise on a synth and spicing it with some "oh yeah" vocals then you won't ever need more than 512 megabytes ram.
Lots of ram typically required for huge sample libraries. Live cant't see more than 4 gb but it eventually will - maybe even before 9.
however if you are a hardcore multitasker like running premiere, photoshop, live, logic etc at the same time then go for at least 16 gb.

On my 6GB win7/64 machine, live manages to use up to 3.6GB. If you only have 4GB total, then Im guessing you are unlikely to get much over 3GB available for live - depends what else is installed/running etc.

6GB seems to me the mimm useful memory to enable current Live 8 to get the most out of a 64bit windows system.

Live 9 OTOH should be 64 bit, so getting 8GB will be useful eventually and will probably let live have bit extra right now, as plenty of memory for other essential stuff (OS, drivers, services etc).

If you aint going to be running a 64 bit OS, then available memory to live could be as low as 2GB.

Khazul wrote:On my 6GB win7/64 machine, live manages to use up to 3.6GB. If you only have 4GB total, then Im guessing you are unlikely to get much over 3GB available for live - depends what else is installed/running etc.

6GB seems to me the mimm useful memory to enable current Live 8 to get the most out of a 64bit windows system.

Live 9 OTOH should be 64 bit, so getting 8GB will be useful eventually and will probably let live have bit extra right now, as plenty of memory for other essential stuff (OS, drivers, services etc).

If you aint going to be running a 64 bit OS, then available memory to live could be as low as 2GB.

I also found this to be true. I've got a 4GB machine and use between 3 and 3.2GB of ram.

8GB of RAM (2x4GB) is around 30 € right now. There's no reason to buy anything less than that. In fact if 4 sticks don't bother you, might as well get 16GB. (2x8GB would be better, but 8GB sticks are still pretty expensive right now.)

just_in wrote:8GB of RAM (2x4GB) is around 30 € right now. There's no reason to buy anything less than that. In fact if 4 sticks don't bother you, might as well get 16GB. (2x8GB would be better, but 8GB sticks are still pretty expensive right now.)

Exactly! I have 8 GB on my Win 64 lappy right now, sitting at idle I've got 6 GB free. iow- Win 64 consumes 2GB just on overhead.

as i was buying an new computer this spring... i called the ableton support team to ask the same question...
they told me that live does not support more then 4GB up to now...

lets see what live9 has to say to this

Fellas!!

When you buy a new computer you don't spec it out for what is good enough for right now or based on 1 application.

Plus more RAM isn't exactly a bank account rapist.

just_in wrote:8GB of RAM (2x4GB) is around 30 € right now. There's no reason to buy anything less than that. In fact if 4 sticks don't bother you, might as well get 16GB. (2x8GB would be better, but 8GB sticks are still pretty expensive right now.)

If your laptop can even support that much. Some have a limit to the amount of RAM they can add depending on the motherboard. My original computer could only support up to 1 GB per slot.

Thanks all. I think I'll chuck in a few extra GB then!

AceLuby wrote: If your laptop can even support that much. Some have a limit to the amount of RAM they can add depending on the motherboard. My original computer could only support up to 1 GB per slot.

Was that laptop from the Cretacious period? Any modern laptop supports 8GB max.

that has a lot to do with your workflow too, how much audio versus midi you use, ie, when you bounce things, freeze tracks etc.
I recommend you try to get into a workflow that you can work really light, while still being able to recover parts and sounds
this involves good organization, with midi parts, sounds names, saving the instruments you come up with etc.
if you don't develop this, you'll always need more and more RAM, computer etc

http://youtu.be/YKyR_enFuis