Do you really need a RAM upgrade? Not past 2x2GB according to results for MacBook Pro performance with 2,4,6 and 8 GB of RAM

One of the first things a tech blog will say you can do to speed up your computer is to increase your RAM. I wanted to see the performance difference in a test called geekbench. http://browse.geekbench.ca/ I use geekbench to compare the performance of computers to each other.

I actually found that, for the tests in geekbench and with quantities of ram from 4,6, and 8 GB (not 2 because I was not able to test 2 x 1 GB sticks), the amount of ram does not matter. The only thing that matters at these levels of ram is whether you have one or two sticks installed, with two sticks always being better than one. (So two 2 x 2 GB sticks is better than 1 x 4 GB stick). One stick of 2 or 4 GB produced scores below 3512. Two sticks of 2 and 4 GB always scored above 3553.

In these tests, the 2 x 2 GB (4 GB) was equivalent to (actually slightly faster than) 1 x 2 GB + 1 x 4 GB (6 GB) and 2 x 4 GB (8 GB).

These tests show no reason to upgrade your RAM past 2 sticks of 2 GB ram for your computer. In fact, it is possible that the hibernate file equivalent to the size of your installed RAM that your computer stores on your hard drive when you tell it to sleep (+ automatically hibernate in the unibody models and perhaps even older) could be larger than it needs to be if you upgrade your ram. Basically, the less RAM you have, the smaller the hibernate file is on your hard drive giving you a few GB more hard drive space. Not a huge deal, but an interesting possible fact.

I tested a MacBook Pro version 5,3 with a 2.53 Core 2 Duo
1 x 2 GB (2 GB)= 3505 | 3506 (one stick of ram)
2 x 2 GB (4 GB) = 3561 | 3573 (two sticks of ram)
1 x 4 GB (4 GB in bottom slot)= 3512 (one stick of ram)
1 x 4 GB (4 GB in top slot) = 3508 (one stick of ram)
1 x 4 GB (bottom) + 1 x 2 GB (top) (6 GB) = 3567 (two sticks of ram)
1 x 4 GB (top) + 1 x 2 GB (bottom) (6 GB) = 3553 (two sticks of ram)
2 x 4 GB (8 GB) = 3555 (two sticks of ram)

The results will look like this.

-------------------------------------------------------------
2 x 4 GB ram

Integer Processor integer performance 2927
Floating Point Processor floating point performance 5205
Memory Memory performance 2629
Stream Memory bandwidth performance 1833

AVG 3555
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 x 2 GB ram

Integer Processor integer performance 2918
Floating Point Processor floating point performance 5238
Memory Memory performance 2537
Stream Memory bandwidth performance 1473

AVG 3509
--------------------------------------------------------------

I should have saved the results to look at the memory scores from a 1 x 4 GB RAM, but I imagine they would resemble the 1 x 2 GB one because the overall scores were the same.

Resale value of cell phones on the website gazelle.c

Weird wikileaks prosecution threat phone call

I just got a strange automated phone call on my cell phone that said that the ISP linked to my phone number reported that I had viewed wikileak documents and could be prosecuted up to $250,000. Then it asked me to leave a message in my defence and my individual case would be evaluated by what comments I left. Then I heard a beep and I hung up.
Weird... and at 10:30 ish pm.
The call came in from an unknown number that my phone didn't record me receiving on my call history.

Boy Scout food and cut

The snack of the Boy Scout.
The cut from ring around the trash can game during a meeting.
We raked and bagged leaves in the woods where the renaissance fair takes place at rotary park.

GT Edge Aero road bike

Here are some pictures of my GT Edge Aero as well as a top ten list as to why you should ride a bike from the Alpine Shop.

Work

I found a fast way to stuff envelopes, watch tv shows online, and eat settles.

Electric demand charge

Electricity companies monitor a business's peak electrical draw each month from 10 am to 10 pm ish every 7 minutes. Then the power company will charge the business for supplying enough power to run full time at the peak usage. Machines use up a lot of electricity when starting up-end rush. Frequency drives and locked motor ramps allow machines to start up more slowly so they don't draw too much power at once. They stagger starts of equipment so thepeak usage is lower thus making the electric demand charge fee is lower. If a company used 15 kilowatt hours peak when starting up one day, then 7 kwh the rest of the day, the electric demand charge would be the difference (or percent of the difference) of supplying 15 kwh the entire month during peak hours. So it doesn't matter if the company is using 5 kwh or 15 kwh the entire month.

Higher voltage, lower amperage. There is a high end rush with low voltage chillers. So high voltage machines cost less to operate and use less electricity and draw less peak amperage. Actually half as expensive to run, 240 vs 120. However, there is more risk of death with higher voltage.