Will upgrading RAM improve live VSTi performance?

[lionscub68]

Simple question:
Specifics:
MacBook Pro 17" Late 2009 2.8GHz with 4GB RAM (2x2GB) installed (standard).

Running various Hosts, AUs (VSTi's), & DAWs, but my usual config is using Logic Pro 9.x and Mainstage (latest updates) in 32-bit mode. OSX 10.6.5.

I get CPU spikes often.
Please don't down the road of: Mainstage sucks, or, Omnipshere (or any other VSTi) can't be used live, or, what else are you running? etc etc etc.

The point of this post is:
Will I notice a worthwhile improvement in performance, live or not live, if I drop $100-$200 to upgrade the RAM to its max 8GB (2x4GB)?

I know it will most likely do little to remedy the CPU spiking.
I checked to see if there was until page swapping (read/write to HD as virtual RAM) but there isn't any going on in my system.

Let me know if upgrading your RAM improved your situation (Mac, PC, desktop, laptop, whatever your rig.)

Thanks and Happy (appropriate holiday goes here)!

[Dominus]

Only slightly. Theoretically, you'll have 4GB of RAM to use with Mainstage then. If you were using a 64 bit host, you'd have access to all 8GB of RAM.

[lionscub68]

Only slightly. Theoretically, you'll have 4GB of RAM to use with Mainstage then. If you were using a 64 bit host, you'd have access to all 8GB of RAM.

So technically speaking, If I used Mainstage in 64-bit mode, I would give myself a slight performance boost right now? FYI: Using a Tascam US-144 USB 2.0 interface. I'm not running in 64-bit mode since Tascam hasn't developed 64-bit *functional* driver for this unit for OSX 10.6.x! (I said, *functional*.)

[shanecgriffo]

ahem..! this is the mobile app thread!

[lionscub68]

ahem... I see Hardware in the title. Problem me. Go ahead and move my thread then.

[Dominus]

Only slightly. Theoretically, you'll have 4GB of RAM to use with Mainstage then. If you were using a 64 bit host, you'd have access to all 8GB of RAM.

So technically speaking, If I used Mainstage in 64-bit mode, I would give myself a slight performance boost right now? FYI: Using a Tascam US-144 USB 2.0 interface. I'm not running in 64-bit mode since Tascam hasn't developed 64-bit *functional* driver for this unit for OSX 10.6.x! (I said, *functional*.)

32 bit = 4GB limit. Switching to x64 mode *might* make a difference, it might not. It just depends on the RAM handling.

With a 64 bit OS and a 32 bit app, the app can use up to 4GB of RAM. With a 64 bit OS and only having 4GB of RAM, the OS will use as much as it uses, with the rest being available for apps. (So, if the OS used up 1GB, you'd have 3GB for all apps. If you upgraded to 8GB, the OS would take up the 1GB, and you'd have 7GB available. The 32 bit app could use up to 4GB of the available RAM then.)

[timbesamusca]

Maybe try increasing your latency on the soundcard's control panel a bit.