Steve <st...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> But you definitely get the best bang for the buck if you add ram to a
> system that doesn't have enough or the right type than adding a fast
> SCSI raid array to a system that just has a regular disk drive.
It also depends on the flavor of SCSI, as SATA-II is comparable to SAS
and Ultra-320. As such, "SCSI" is no longer a magic word per se, for
a RAID 0 on a SATA bus buries a single spindle SCSI.
> It also depends a lot on what the program is doing. =A0For instance,
> if you're using photoshop just as a photo viewer (open file, look at
> file, open the next) then boosting your disk access speed will make
> a noticable difference.
Precisely a workflow that 'Rita' alluded to. It would be nice to see
some hardware specifics and performance numbers ... with tests
repeated as RAM is pulled off ... but just like the System
>=A0But if you're using it for complex filters on high MP
> count images, then disk access speed won't make much
> difference if you have enough ram so it doesn't have to swap.
Precisely a workflow that I referred to. Granted, one does take a HD
I/O hit in that one has to read in the data file initially (and when
done, write it out), but for all the time in between, CPU and RAM can
quickly become far more significant because one is sitting at the
keyboard waiting for a filter to complete, etc.
> For photo editing in particular, if you have enough ram that your
> program isn't using swap space, then the only thing you might notice
> by adding a super fast disk raid array is that programs and files will
> load a little faster. =A0Actually doing the editing (applying filters,
> corrections, etc.) isn't going to go any faster. =A0But if you don't
> have enough ram and your photo editor is using swap space, the best
> upgrade you can make is add more ram. =A0Adding a high I/O bandwidth
> disk array to such a system will make a difference. =A0But a much higher
> cost and lower performance than adding ram. =A0And add it in a smart way
> so that your system can take best advantage of it. =A0I.e., highest
> speed your system will allow, and in matched pairs if your system
> sup****ts dual channel.
In other words, "Objective Best Value"
-hh
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