[PLUG] Is 1 GB enough memory?

[Eric Wilhelm]

# from Richard C. Steffens
# on Tuesday 16 March 2010 18:07:

>...get an old copy of Win98 to run as a virtual machine ...

About 512MB per VM is a good minimum for 98 or 2k.

>So, a test machine with occasional scanning, but no serious production
> work.

How big, at what resolution, and will you be editing what you're 
scanning?  An 8.5x11 scan at 1200 dpi 24-bit color would be 385MB, 
where 200dpi greyscale would only be 10MB.

>Another reason it is slow is that it has only 256 MB of RAM. The mother 
>board has two memory slots with one DDR PC3200 stick in it. I can get a 
>1 GB stick for $36. Will that be good enough? I realize that more is 
>usually better, but $36 is better than $72 for now.

Wouldn't adding one stick total about 1.25GB?

>Processor: AMD Sempron 2400+, 1.6 GHz

One core at 1.6GHz and no hardware virtualization?  Maybe better to 
spend the second $36 on a CPU if the board will take it.

>Hard drive: 111 GB (can't see the make and model unless I take it out.

Probably nearly worn out from all the swapping it has had to do at 
256MB!  See also `cat /sys/bus/ide/devices/0.0/model` or 
`ls /dev/disk/by-id`.

--Eric
-- 
"It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object to realize that you are 
in a hurry."
--Ralph's Observation
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