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This seems like a silly question with an obvious answer, but I just wanted to make sure.
How significant would more RAM in a computer speed up compilation time if any? Let's say going from 512mb of RAM to 1.5Gb of RAM.
I would imagine much of the load in compilation is dealt with in all the CPU's computations, but I figured better ram would help.
More RAM makes more of a significant difference in computers with less RAM to begin with, like say upgrading from 64mb -> 512mb. Except for memory-intensive tasks (not compiling!), and multi-tasking, upgrading from 512mb to 1.5gb RAM isn't going to help that much. That's just my opinion though.
Yes, I guess that makes sense. I'm just not sure if compiling extremely large projects could put some real weight on the memory. Anyone that works on a pretty large programming team that compiles huge projects regularly should have a good idea of whether RAM help in those cases.
The biggest difference I've noticed so far is how fast programs close. I used to close games like Oblivion of Need for Speed Most Wanted and it would take my PC about a minute to settle down before I could open anything else. Now things close instantly and everything still runs smooth. I'm greatly pleased with that.
More RAM is always better, so long as your OS can make use of it.
It will
- reduce the amount of swap file activity,
- increase the amount of file system caching
So, if you've got a few include files in your project weighing in at over 100MB each, it will go faster. ;)
If you've got a GB of memory, and all you run is minesweeper, windows will find a reason to use the swap file.