Is a Quadro worth the moolah?

[Jan Sherlink]

Just spent some time reading the Microsoft-site and…
XP32 only supports 4GB Ram, even Vista32 does!

https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx

so anything more than 4GB will need XP64 or Vista64.

cya,

Jan

[Darby Edelen]

[Jan Sherlink] ”
Just spent some time reading the Microsoft-site and…
XP32 only supports 4GB Ram, even Vista32 does!

https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx

so anything more than 4GB will need XP64 or Vista64.”

After researching this further it appears as though Windows XP Professional is limited to 4GB of Physical Memory in addition to each process being limited to 2GB of address space. So yes, that’s lame =)

Darby Edelen
Designer
Left Coast Digital
Santa Cruz, CA

[Brendan Coots]

Darby is dead on, as usual. I agree 100%

Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com

[Jimmy Brunger]

I’ll chime in with what I’ve researched over the last year or so (still waiting impatiently to get go ahead on my new system! but here it is…)

XP32 can only see 4GB RAM max, despite what kind of processor you have in there. Iin reality you will only see 3-3.5GB after OS/PCI Express has taken it’s share.

Each app can only address 2GB max, unless /3GB switch is on..which depending on your configs can be unstable. AE CS3 and Nucleo Pro can however use the extra 1-1.5GB via AE’s extra render instances, so 4GB RAM in a 32bit system does make sense.

Quadro just for AE makes no sense, unless like Tim you’re using it for extra monitors or the SDI out direct from the GFX card. But for accelerating AE any further, forget it. Premiere might use it a bit more, but Quadro is still overkill for that. Apps that would use the Quadro effectively are high-end grading apps like Idiras, Speedgrade, Color, Scratch & FilmMaster. Certain 3D apps would also benefit, as would Toxik, Fusion, Nuke, etc I think.

To get the most out of AE get the most cores possible on XP64 or OS X and make sure you have AT LEAST 1GB per core. Get fast RAM and big fast drives and keep your system drive, projects & media all on separate drives.

*Production Studio Premium CS2 / *Combustion 3 / Mocha v1
————————————-
Win XP Pro SP2 / Intel P4 3GHz / 2GB RAM / GeForce FX5200 / DeckLink Pro / Roland DS-5 monitors / Sony BVM-20G1E / DVS SDI Clipstation / Wacom Intuos 3 A4 / 110GB boot/80GB media/600GB RAID-0

[Jan Sherlink]

I couldn’t have said it better ! amen 😉

cya,

Jan

[Daniel Huisman]

I was considering XP64 but have been scared off by the supposed lack of drivers and nightmares of software not working.

I suppose I’ll have to make do on 4gb of RAM and wait for Vista64 to be stable and well-supported. Sigh….

Does anyone here actually use XP64bit?

[Zo Alexis]

For about three months I’ve been using 64 on an 8 core with 20GB of ram connected to a Proavio 8 15k drive raid array/ SAS with no problems.

I use a lot of weird little programs and have yet to have an xp64 problem which surprised me. My friends had been using it (mainly 3ds max guys) and convinced me to try it.

So far, so good.

Now, for home, I’m looking at an 8 core 3.2 Mac Pro, 16GB ram, with a calDigit raid… still researching that.

[Scott Keck]

Wow, some of you guys/gals are made out of $$ ! LOL.

32-Bit Windows can NOT use over 4 gb. I’d be surprised if you get 32Bit XP to boot stable with 4 gb installed, regardless of the “switch”. If anyone is running XP 32 bit stable at 4 gb of Ram, please post your setup/BIOS/tweaking routine, I can’t get my machine to boot with 4 gb installed.

For an XP 64 machine, you’ll need a $300 MOBO that can support 8GB of RAM, or you’ll have to wander into the server architecture field. And, you’ll need the new 2GB Ram sticks, which are pricey. With the Q6600 quad-core Intel, a current steal at $279, and Nucleo Pro, you’ll have 4 cores at 2GB per core. I parted out a Q6600 8GB XP 64 machine, on NewEgg, at about $1,400 with modest drive space. Add about another $400 for a 750GB Raid 0 array. Very reasonable assuming you build it yourself. *Note: this is without a vid card, as I have an 8800 card I plan to use. So, maybe $2200 all up.

I will say that I spoke on the phone with Adobe Tech Support, and 2 different people did say Adobe does NOT recommend XP-64. However, much of the posting in this forum seems to indicate it’s not a big deal.

Improviz in SF

[Daniel Huisman]

Hmmm… I might switch my order to XP64 then as I was getting 4gb (2gb sticks) with room left for another 4gb later on assuming that 32bit would work ok with 4gb. (Even if it didn’t use it all.)

[Scott Keck]

And since this is a hardware discussion, I’ll recommend if you buy Macs, buy minimal hard drive and RAM, then buy additional capacity from some place like NewEgg or mWave. I quote NewEgg because prices, service/shipping are very good. 1 TB Hitachi 32MB cache internal drive is under $300 there. What will your Apple reseller charge you? Likewise, memory has almost never been cheaper, so buy your Mac with the bare minimum and then plug in the new sticks yourself and save a bundle. Kingston 2x2GB (4gb total) is about $289 right now. Mac folks have often been perceived as unwilling to “get under the hood” like us poor PC people, which is part of the reason you pay a premium for parts with a Mac. It’s pretty easy to make upgrades like these yourself.

Improviz in SF