What should I pick more RAM, quad core upgrade or SSD drive?


Recommended Posts

I can only pick one and not sure which one I should pick. I will be upgrading and using my computer for photo editing and some video editing but nothing too heavy. Also I am a programming student. The RAM is the cheapest of all three of them and the SSD drive the most expensive but it will provide the most speed. Not sure what to do at this point. Hopes someone here can help me out with this. Thank you.

JC

What are the current specs of your machine, those would help when advising you what to upgrade?

  • Like 1

Since you need your computer for video editing, a SSD doesn't sound like a good option considering the cost per MB, of course, you can always have the SSD as your main drive for Windows and some applications and a secondary drive for your work; RAM is always welcome, especially if you have 4GB or less. The CPU, it would be good to know your current specs and see if it's worthy the upgrade, and decide what kind of CPU you can use because you might need to upgrade your motherboard and/or RAM in order to be able to use the latest CPU models

  • Like 1

RAM will be the limiting factor in editing any HD video and large picture editing, I'd go for 16 GB (Assuming that you are running a 64bit OS). SSD's are nice for general use but not massively important in your case. Quad core would of course boost video/photoshop times, possibly programming too (not sure how demanding your projects are). RAM would be my choice, 2nd CPU, third SSD.

I have a HP Paviliion model p6350z computer. I have a Athlon X2 dual core 64 bit processor running at 2.9 ghz. I have 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM. I am currently running Windows 7 64 bit OS. I have a 500 GB 7200 RPM hard drive. I have a ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics chip. I think my graphics chip is the weakest component in my computer specs.

The programs I usually mostly are in no particular order:

1. Different web browsers, IE, Firefox, SRWare Iron (Google Chrome but privacy features taken out), Opera

2. Adobe Photoshop

3. Adobe Premiere

4. Microsoft Office suite

5. I have YNAB a Adobe Air based program.

6. Also various programming software too many to mention.

I hope that helps.

if you can, I'd go with the SSD, you'll really notice the difference with it

and since RAM is cheap I'd go ahead and up that as well to 16gb, that'll help with video encoding

The limiting factor in video editing is generally processor speed. The faster your processor and the more cores it has, the quicker your video will encode. HDD or RAM are not the bottleneck there. That being said, and SSD would dramatically boost the overall application and windows loading times.

It depends where you priorty lies I guess. If you want your videos to encode faster, then go for CPU, then RAM, then SSD. If you want an overall systemwide load time reduction, then go SSD first, CPU second, RAM third. 8GB of ram is plenty for most things, so not a priority to upgrade that. 16gb is just a "nice to have" at the moment.

I have a HP Paviliion model p6350z computer. I have a Athlon X2 dual core 64 bit processor running at 2.9 ghz. I have 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM. I am currently running Windows 7 64 bit OS. I have a 500 GB 7200 RPM hard drive. I have a ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics chip. I think my graphics chip is the weakest component in my computer specs.

The programs I usually mostly are in no particular order:

1. Different web browsers, IE, Firefox, SRWare Iron (Google Chrome but privacy features taken out), Opera

2. Adobe Photoshop

3. Adobe Premiere

4. Microsoft Office suite

5. I have YNAB a Adobe Air based program.

6. Also various programming software too many to mention.

I hope that helps.

SSD or the CPU. Although I suspect the CPU might just edge it looking at the quite CPU intensive applications you use.

At 8GB RAM, you're pretty much fine. I wouldn't bother with an SSD as an upgrade in this particular case. That being said, I would prioritize as CPU, RAM, SSD.

For an AMD Athlon II X4 3.0GHz quad-core, you're looking at around $100 on Newegg. Slightly more than you might pay to double your RAM. Maybe you'd be better off explaining what you have for a budget, rather than choosing 1 particular component to upgrade. You never know, you might end up with both RAM and a CPU upgrade as the prices differ slightly depending on the component.

Is it possible you can build another PC from scratch instead ? Reason I ask is because getting a better processor like at least a Intel i5 with Hyperthreading will make a huge difference.

The good thing you really don't need a graphics card unless your a gamer then I would suggest a dedciated graphics card. 16 GB of ram will help a lot too. Photoshop loves ram. SSD could help a lot if you put your scartch disk for photoshop on it. Though it would be even better to use 8 GB of the 16 GB of ram as a ram drive for this.

If you must upgrade this computer then your processor would be best first then ram and finally a SSD.

Is it possible you can build another PC from scratch instead ? Reason I ask is because getting a better processor like at least a Intel i5 with Hyperthreading will make a huge difference.

Where is this i5 with HT? I thought only the i7 chips have HT.

OP- I would get the quad core Phenom II. Going from dual to quad is a nice jump as well as L3 cache that you don't have on the Athlon plus the benefits of higher clock speed. In most games and when you're multitasking you'll notice a difference but with photo and video editing you'll see a great jump in performance. However, an SSD would bring the most *noticeable* speed increase overall as everything loads very quickly. So if budget allows, get the quad core CPU and a 60 gig SSD and use the HDD you have now as a storage drive. It'll be like you have a brand new computer for about $250-$300 USD.

You have enough RAM, so I wouldn't worry about that. And upgrading the CPU won't help too much.

An SSD will give you a huge huge difference in performance, but make sure you get a good brand (Intel, OCZ, Corsair, etc). Don't just go with the cheapest one you can find.

I'd actually look into a new GPU, as your editing will benefit from that a LOT if you use smart applications, which you do.

Other than that: CPU, RAM, SSD (in that order)

If you have small, light video projects, RAM is placed third I'd say.

Glassed Silver:mac

Hello,

If you are going to have this computer for a while, I would suggest getting it with the best CPU possible, since that is the most difficult part to upgrade. Then, over time, you can add more easily-installable upgrades to it, like RAM and an SSD.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Hello,

If you are going to have this computer for a while, I would suggest getting it with the best CPU possible, since that is the most difficult part to upgrade. Then, over time, you can add more easily-installable upgrades to it, like RAM and an SSD.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

As I understood it he has the machine already, so the upgradeability for now is set the same way as it is one or two years in...

But generally speaking this is sound practice! :)

Glassed Silver:mac

RAM will be the limiting factor in editing any HD video and large picture editing, I'd go for 16 GB (Assuming that you are running a 64bit OS). SSD's are nice for general use but not massively important in your case. Quad core would of course boost video/photoshop times, possibly programming too (not sure how demanding your projects are). RAM would be my choice, 2nd CPU, third SSD.

I have 16GB of r.a.m. and my system does not feel any different that if I have 4GB ( I have a x64 ops + quadcore CPU).

  • 6 months later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Now 8GB of ram looks even worse in the Neo. I'm so happy I purchased 128GB of DDR 4 when I did.... paid $174. Upgraded my parents laptop to 32GB around the same time for $48. Luckily I have a TON of spare laptops. So i'm good on laptops for a while. I also have a lot of desktops too that I could use if i had to. Lets just hope nothing happens to my main 4 monitor couch workstation.
    • I will keep my current devices for several years... no planning in upgrading until these devices stop working. Too pricey.
    • Apple raises MacBook and iPad prices as memory costs surge by Karthik Mudaliar Apple has raised the U.S. prices of several MacBook and iPad models, including the MacBook Neo, which it launched for $599 less than four months ago. The company’s cheapest laptop now starts at $699, while some MacBook Pro configurations have increased by $300. The changes affect the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Apple has not changed the hardware or storage included with these models, so customers are simply paying more for the same configurations. Here is how the new US pricing compares with the previous starting prices: Product Previous price New price Increase MacBook Neo $599 $699 $100 13-inch MacBook Air, 512GB $1,099 $1,299 $200 14-inch MacBook Pro, 1TB $1,699 $1,999 $300 16-inch MacBook Pro $2,699 $2,999 $300 11-inch iPad Air, 128GB $599 $749 $150 13-inch iPad Air, 128GB $799 $949 $150 11-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $999 $1,199 $200 13-inch iPad Pro, 256GB $1,299 $1,499 $200 The updated prices are already appearing on Apple’s U.S. online store. The MacBook Neo increase will probably attract the most attention. Apple introduced the laptop in March for $599, pitching it as a more affordable Mac for students and buyers considering Windows laptops or Chromebooks. It uses an A18 Pro processor and originally undercut Dell’s new $699 XPS 13 by $100. Following the increase, the two laptops now have the same starting price. The M5 MacBook Air has also lost the price Apple promoted when it launched in March. The 13-inch model arrived with 512GB of storage for $1,099, while Apple’s store now lists the MacBook Air range as starting at $1,299. The 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip and 1TB of storage has gone from $1,699 to $1,999. Apple has made similar changes to its iPads. The recently released M4 iPad Air, which launched at the same $599 starting price as its predecessor, now starts at $749 for the 11-inch version. The 13-inch version has risen from $799 to $949. The iPad Pro increases are larger in dollar terms. Apple’s 11-inch M5 iPad Pro now starts at $1,199, up from $999, while the 13-inch version has moved from $1,299 to $1,499. Both base models still include 256GB of storage. Apple blamed the increases on the rapidly rising cost of DRAM and NAND flash, which provide system memory and device storage. The company told Reuters that it had tried to shield customers from the increases but could no longer absorb them. “We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly,” Apple said. Tim Cook had already warned that price increases were coming. Cook said Apple’s existing component inventory had softened the immediate impact, but that higher memory costs would increasingly affect the company after the June quarter. Much of the pressure comes from the construction of AI data centers. Memory manufacturers are directing more production toward high-margin server products, leaving PC, tablet, and smartphone makers competing for the remaining supply. Apple has not said whether the new prices are temporary or whether further increases are planned. For now, the changes show that even Apple’s purchasing power has not been enough to keep the AI-driven memory shortage away from consumer devices.
    • Ventoy 1.1.16 is out.
    • This is a none story - these low volume Chinese models will always get new experimental features first because Apple and Samsung can't produce them in huge volume to meet demand.
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      kinowa earned a badge
      First Post
    • Rookie
      krychek57 went up a rank
      Rookie
    • Grand Master
      Jaybonaut went up a rank
      Grand Master
    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      455
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      169
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      134
    4. 4
      Xenon
      77
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!