I have 5GB in my new dual 2.5, and I'm able to load about 2.6GB of samples (not VSL - don't have the HD in there yet) before Logic goes boom.

Have I done anything to deserve less than the 3GB other people are reporting? []

Which version of Logic Nick? I'm still on 6.4 and get over 3 gigs using VSL. Admittedly I never really use that many tracks that much, so I would have to do another test. I would have thought that if your'e on Logic 7.1 now it's available, you would have got about another 1/2 a gig approximately. The clock speed wouldn;t make that much difference i.e. 2.0 v 2.5 would it?

7.01, and it's actually 2.71GB. Also, Logic doesn't go BOOM, it just hangs.

I wonder whether I have a bad memory chip, and I'm not sure how to check.

Unfortunately mate, this is all too commonly reported at the moment. It could be a faulty memory chip, but I doubt it. There are still many reported bugs as you probably well know with Tiger and Logic 7.1.

Well, Apple Hardware Test's long test version says everything's okay. I'm going to believe it for now.

Next step: changing the RAM order - moving the two original 512MB chips outside the four 1GB ones so they're in slots 5&6 instead of 1&2.

The step after that: installing Panther and Logic only on a virgin drive.

3.15GB is actually very good, of course. I just don't want to find out that there's something wrong down the road when all the warranties have worn off.

No, it runs on Panther.

Andrea at Redmatica says i have no problem. I've written to ask him for some clarification (why AM is only showing 3.15 total, when the app space is supposed to be 4GB), but it looks like I can stop worrying.

Will somebody kindly tell me where the "monitor" is? I can't seem to find it.

I can find "System Performance" window, but that doesn't tell me much.

Thanks very much.
JD

IME, the only real, consistent memory limit for logic at the moment is 3.5 GB of Virtual Memory space - once you hit that, logic crashes. unfortunately, there is no way to 'predict' what that will mean in terms of Real Memory. you can make an 'educated guess', though.

when you first open logic, take a look at the difference between real memory and virtual memory for Logic as reported in Activity Monitor and you'll see your max real memory figure (3.5 minus the difference between VM and RM figures as reported in AM).

keep in mind that more Virtual Memory is requested by some plugs, so you always want to leave some headroom. if you're into playing it close, keep AM open and keep an eye on logic's VM allocation.

depending on routings/plugs - you should be able to get around 3 GB. maybe not, but 2.5 seems a little low to me. again - it depends on the requirements of the song and the instruments you want to load.

hope this helps

nick

i don't know if there is any way to 'close the gap' between VM figure and RM figure upon launch. i can't remember one off the top of my head, but i do remember in testing a long time ago (i believe it was the evan evan's workaround thread - or at least around that time) that i did have 'less' of a gap between VM and RM. but i can't remember if that was something i did or just a function of logic 6.x being less hungry.

also - do you have a program called menumeters? versiontracker has it and it can show you if your system is hitting 'swap' space by creating swap files - perhaps that is part of why you were experiencing such slowness when you got close to 3.5 VM limit?

i wish i could tell you something that is more substantitive, but i'm really not sure how to control memory assignment with logic.

if i get a chance, i'll try to figure out what i might have done to 'reduce' the initial VM memory demand.

the worst part about playing it close to the edge (around 3 GB RM used) is that it is difficult to 'calculate' how much memory a given VSL instrument will use - and that leads to most of my crashes (i think i've got enough room left to load an instrument and i watch Activity Monitor in fear as the VM number goes higher and higher and higher and then... bam.)

thus i agree that a 'safe' figure is somewhere south of 3 GB. or, if you hit 3GB - don't try to load any more instruments - and keep an eye on plugins. some (altiverb sticks in my mind as one, but don't hold me to it) claim 'new' VM space for logic whenever they are inserted. again - sadly i don't have the time to look into it tonight.

i really just wanted to say that, in my experience, 3.5 GB of Virtual Memory space is the 'ceiling' for logic.

hope this helps.