[OS X TeX] OT: Memory

[Bruno Voisin]

Le 12 nov. 06 à 14:22, Marcus Michalsky a écrit :

> sorry for Offtopic, but
> is there anyone out there, using a Mac Mini 1,42 GHz ? I have one  
> with 512 MB of memory.
> My question is, should i buy a 1 GB module for 100-120 $ and change  
> them (would the performance be much better ?).

In my (limited) experience 512MB is enough for running OS X, and one  
or even two not-too-demanding applications, but for any more serious  
computer task you should consider 1 GB a minimum.

> I plan to buy a new MAC in Summer next year when Leopard is out.
>
> I am very unsure about all. The heat problem makes me unsure. The  
> new Mac Mini is 5 times faster with SpecInt and SpecFP if you  
> believe Apple on the website. But the new Notebooks get 90 degrees  
> (Celsius) in a test... So i could also buy a PC with Core Duo with  
> a tower with better air circulation, but then i haven't a good OS :-(
>
> A MacPro is too expensive for me. The lowest iMAC doesnt have Dual  
> Superdrive etc ?

Having recently got a MacPro after 3 years with a PowerBook G4, I can  
but praise the new computer setup. Mathematica calculations run 3 to  
10 times faster, so that, for example, exactly the same code that  
runs in 90 seconds on the MacPro (Intel) runs in 750 seconds on the  
PowerBook (PPC). When you're preparing a presentation and are running  
Mathematica to get updated versions of some of the graphs in the  
presentation, 1.5 minutes is OK, but 12.5 minutes is a long wait indeed!

It's not absolutely certain what exactly makes the difference,  
between a 1GHz PowerBook G4 with 1 GB RAM and a 2.66 GHz MacPro with  
2 GB RAM: CPU, frequency, RAM. But for sure with a new Mac next year  
you will feel a difference, whether a MacPro or not!

Bruno Voisin


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