VMS 12 and system RAM

KenInIdaho wrote on 9/25/2012, 5:25 PM
Just upgraded to VMS12 and I like it a lot. But my system is equipped with 2GB of RAM, which is probably responsible for the 12- and 13-hour rendering times I sometimes endure for a high-quality 30-minute movie tailored for Windows Media. I'd like to do more work in the program, but the long rendering times are obviously a drawback. My question, then, is hypothetical. Regardless of the processor, would a system with more RAM render proportionally faster? Say I upgraded to 16GB. Could I expect a dramatic improvement in render times?

TIA.

Ken

Comments

vkmast wrote on 9/25/2012, 5:43 PM
Ken,
you need Movie Studio Platinum v.12 64-bit (and Vista/ Win7 64-bit) to be able to use all the available RAM installed on your computer that isn't being used by other resources. The 32-bit version has the 2GB memory limitation.
Some tips re render times from Sony here
https://www.custcenter.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4835/kw/4835
KenInIdaho wrote on 9/25/2012, 8:17 PM
Ah, I understand. My system is running WIndows 7, but I think I have the 32-bit version of VMS. I have a friend who builds high-end systems, and I'm thinking of asking him to put together a system designed specifically for media development. When I make that move, I'll remember your advice. Thanks!
Chienworks wrote on 9/25/2012, 10:25 PM
Render time is pretty much inversely proportional to your CPU speed. Not much else hardware-wise makes any noticeable difference. Of course, the new system you have built will probably have a much faster CPU than what you're using now.
KenInIdaho wrote on 9/25/2012, 10:35 PM
Processor speed makes sense, but I've also used Windows for nearly the whole time it has existed and one consistent thing I've noticed about it all that time is that it (and applications programming running under it) tends to work faster and more efficiently when there is more RAM. I don't mean to date myself here with talk of the origin of Windows, but it seems likely that more modern versions of Windows and Windows applications run best on a system with a combination of a fast processor and lots of RAM.

Duly noted. Thanks. I'll add that to my wish-list when I talk to my system-building friend.
Larry Clifford wrote on 9/29/2012, 2:56 PM
If you are getting a new PC, look at the system requirements for which video cards are supported. I personally prefer nVidia.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/moviestudiope
skeeter123 wrote on 9/30/2012, 7:40 PM
Curious...my laptop has 8G of RAM. SMS Platinum Suite 12 (64bit), on a 64bit i5 system never even gets close to using 2GB (as reported by Windows resource monitor). I use 1080p (59.94 fps) AVCHD source from a Sony RX100.

Did I miss a setting? I increased the RAM for Dynamic RAM Preview to 1GB. That does make for longer RAM previews.

Cheers, all!