[X4U] 4GB instead of 2GB: diminishing returns?

[Stroller]

On 23 Nov 2007, at 13:55, Robert Ameeti wrote:
> At 8:21 AM -0500, 11/23/07, Jesse Leo wrote:
>
>> Generally with OSX I go for as much RAM as possible. But for  
>> general use would 4GB be a waste in a new Macbook?
>
> Yes.

I'm inclined to differ. I think it was in response to yourself that I  
posted a few months ago - when upgrading to 2gig of memory - about  
how I seem to find my MacBook more RAM-hungry than my Powerbook was.

With 2gigs I'm still finding the MacBook slow when doing things like  
switching to a different mailbox in Mail and opening a few Safari  
windows.

My MacBook is my second machine, and only gets "light" (by my  
standards) general use - running Mail (admittedly with plenty of  
large mailboxes in IMAP) and a few tabs in Safari (not LOTS of tabs).  
I'll open a PDF or two in Preview & then close that application.

I can't say for sure that RAM is the problem with my MacBook -  
admittedly I haven't defragged it in a while, and if I didn't have  
work to do this afternoon I could keep Activity Monitor open and  
watch the pie-chart to see - but it definitely feels slower at these  
tasks than it should be, and when I'm waiting on it then it does feel  
like it's leaning on the hard-drive. An 18-month old machine is "old"  
by the fast-moving pace of technology, but 10 years ago on Windows 95  
I was clicking on links in emails that opened a web-browser, so I  
feel I'm entitled to expect my MacBook to do the same quite snappily.

4gig does indeed _seem_ like a heck of a lot for general use, and if  
it weren't for my current experience I would surely be agreeing with  
you. But others have pointed out that the price of RAM is falling  
rapidly, and as always operating systems, programs and general user  
demands will always expand to fill the available performance of  
hardware.

My course when buying my new laptop was to take the standard  
configuration of RAM, held off as long as I could and then maxed-out  
the memory with a 3rd-part upgrade. I'd recommend this course to  
anyone. Holding off 6 months, if possible, will (hopefully) give the  
latest types of RAM a chance to fall in price, but in any case I'd  
rather buy memory once than find out that I hadn't got enough and  
that I'm going to have to throw away the sticks I'd spent good money  
on before I'm able to upgrade again.

Stroller.