Photoshop and Memory

In any Mac, Photoshop uses the two main data storage hardware components- RAM and hard disk

drives- to access temporary and permanent data. The data stored in RAM is accessed very quickly because
there are no moving parts- and it can read and write data at the same time in no particular order. It is the fast-
est part of a computer’s memory system. In contrast, data on the hard drive is accessed more slowly; it is lim-
ited by moving parts which have to travel to different physical locations to find or store the data.

Fortunately, Photoshop tries to do as much work as possible using the installed RAM in the computer-
rather than the hard drive. It thrives on RAM and putting more in your machine can make a big positive differ-
ence with performance.

Both Photoshop and the Mac OSX operating system use space on the hard drive to access permanent
data- in the form of application and image files, and temporary data- in the form of the Photoshop scratch disk
file and sometimes Mac OSX’s “virtual memory” swapfiles. The speed of hard drives has a substantial impact
on Photoshop performance.

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Page Swapping

Image files can vary greatly in size. As they increase in size they require more hard drive space for

storage, and they occupy more RAM when opened. The installed RAM available to both Photoshop and the
Mac OSX operating system can be used up quickly when working with large image files. When all available
RAM is already in use but more is required- Photoshop must actively use the scratch disk as a substitute for
RAM.

Mac OSX always reserves a certain amount of RAM for itself- regardless of other running applications.
But when the amount of RAM Photoshop and Mac OSX are trying to use is more than the total amount of RAM
on the computer, Mac OSX also has to use the hard drive as a substitute for RAM, and it begins to actively
read and write data to it’s “virtual memory” swapfile in order to complete whatever operation is in progress.
This is known as “page-swapping”, and has a negative impact on performance. Under ideal conditions, page-
swapping is infrequent or does not occur. However- sometimes its occurrence is unavoidable- especially when
working with really large images. The best way to minimize the possibility of page-swapping is to install a lot of
RAM. The best way to minimize it’s negative effect when it does occur- use a fast hard drive for the Startup
disk.

In the illustration above, active page-swapping is represented by the second number (to the right of the
slash mark) next to Page ins/outs: In this case- 2474. When no page swapping has occurred between restarts
of the computer, this number is normally 0. Here, all the installed RAM is being used, and more was clearly re-
quired.

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The Reality of RAM

In theory, Photoshop 7 and Photoshop CS can use up to 2GB of RAM before resorting to active scratch

disk usage. In actual practice, 100% "Available RAM" in Photoshop 7 and CS memory preferences varies be-
tween about 1600MB and 1800MB in systems with 2GB or more of RAM. This is because Photoshop 7 or CS
"sees" only the first 2 GB of installed RAM, and- assuming this is the total amount installed in the machine, re-
serves a minimal amount of memory for the Mac OSX operating system.

Both Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop CS3 have larger RAM limits and additional sophisticated features
When used with Mac OS 10.3 or newer and 4GB of installed RAM, CS2 can use more RAM directly for image
data- up to 3072MB. An additional amount of RAM- approximately 600MB- is reserved especially for plug-ins,
filters, actions, and other operations that need large amounts of contiguous memory- bringing the total used
directly by Photoshop to roughly 3.7GB. Both CS2 and CS3 "see" only the first 4GB of installed RAM, and as-
suming this is the total amount in the machine, reserve a minimal amount of memory for the Mac OSX operat-
ing system.


For best performance, provide Photoshop and the Mac OSX operating System with as much RAM as possible.
Adding additional RAM to your machine is an excellent investment; it improves overall system performance
across a wide range of applications by reducing swapfile activity, and it allows Photoshop to keep more image
data in RAM for faster processing and less scratch disk use. Large amounts of installed RAM improve Pho-
toshop performance dramatically.

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Mainboard

The most important thing to remember about the motherboard is that it is a printed circuit board which provides all the connections, pathways and "lines" connecting the different components of the computer to each other - specifically, the Central Processing Unit or CPU, which is where (as its name implies) all the "processing" is going on to everything else.

The CPU or "chip" (the most popular of which is Intel's pentium series) is an assembly of transistors and other devices (Pentium IV has over 4 million transistors) which perform or processes myriad programmed tasks.

The CPU rests in a "socket" on the motherboard which is connected to the other components through the board's printed circuits. The most important connections are to the chipsets - especially the northbridge chipset which is connected to the main computer memory (hard disk and RAM), while the southbridge set is connected to the peripherals - video and audio cards, IDE controllers, etc.

Aside from these, the most important element of the motherboard is the BIOS chip - which performs key functions like checking power supply, the hard disk drive, operating system, etc. before the computer actually starts "booting up". Turning on the computer automatically starts the BIOS chip up to perform its diagnostic functions, after which it powers up the CPU which - in its turn - starts powering up the other peripherals (hard disk, operating system, video and audio, etc.).

This is why the motherboard is the key component of the computer. It is, in effect, the "housing" for the CPU - the place where the latter resides and from which commands, instructions, and power course through before being sent out to other components.

Source : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/FAQ/4320

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RAM (Random Access Memory )

RAM is memory is where the computer stores all the repetitive tasks that it needs to do to keep going. It might sound very simple but you shouldn’t underestimate its importance. Every task your computer performs goes through the RAM and the more you have the more things it can do more quickly.

You computer uses the RAM to organise every task and manage all the data that the processor throws at it. If you don’t have enough RAM then the computer will use hard disk memory to perform its memory tasks. The problem with this is that current disks are slow and the more you use them the higher your risk of damage to the drive. It’s also a much slower way of organising all your data because a hard disk isn’t designed to process memory in the same way as RAM.

Without getting too technical RAM is a series of memory cells that hold a charge of electricity. With the charge each cell represents a 1 and without a 0. The faster the charge can be passed through the faster data can be used. Of course, the larger the cell the more data can be passed through as well. It is possible to get faster RAM and some systems work better with identical sizes of RAM chip installed.

You can upgrade the RAM on all systems so if you’ve got a desktop or laptop computer there’s no problem with you getting more. The most important thing is to check that you’ve got free slots that you can install memory in to. There are loads of websites that can help you determine what kind of RAM you need but if all else fails contact the manufacturer who’ll be able to let you know what chips you need.

The Need for Speed

The more RAM you have the faster your computer will go. It really is a simple as that. There are other limitations of course but basically it’s best to invest in as much RAM as possible. If your computer is a bit old and feeling slow then a RAM upgrade is the simplest way to increase the responsiveness. Most computers are very simple to upgrade but you’ll need to make sure that you get the right stuff.

Not all RAM is the same and even RAM chips that share similar physical characteristics can be incompatible. Make sure you buy as much RAM as you can afford and it can be a much cheaper way of making your computer go much faster. Rather than having to invest in a brand new computer you can breath life into an old machine just by upgrading the RAM.

Source : http://www.technologybasics.co.uk/ComputerCategory.html

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Hard Disk Drive

A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard drive," or "hard disk drive," that stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces. Today's computers typically come with a hard disk that contains several billion bytes of storages.

A hard disk is really a set of stacked "disks," each of which, like phonograph records, has data recorded electromagnetically in concentric circles or "tracks" on the disk. A "head" (something like a phonograph arm but in a relatively fixed position) records (writes) or reads the information on the tracks. Two heads, one on each side of a disk, read or write the data as the disk spins. Each read or write operation requires that data be located, which is an operation called a "seek." (Data already in a disk change, however, will be located more quickly.)

A hard disk/drive unit comes with a set rotation speed varying from 4500 to 7200 rpm. Disk access time is measured in milliseconds. Although the physical location can be identified with cylinder, track, and sector locations, these are actually mapped to a logical block address that works with the larger address range on today's hard disks.

Source : http://whatis.techtarget.com

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The Way Computer Works

A computer is a device which performs high-speed calculations. It first started with people trying to do quick-and-easy calculations. First came the abacus(most people think it's not a computer). Then came all the giant computers which worked with vacuum tubes (valves). These valves workes as transistors (switches with either turn on and off). On for 1 and off for 0. A computer uses binary language, which stores numbers and strings (words), and other data with only 2 digits (0 and 1)

Now transistors are used, which are much smaller, so quicker computers can be made. Early computers were so slow that some of them was 1/10,000th the speed of a modern day cell-phone.

A computer can only work if it has software (the programs and the system). It is also known as an O/S (Operating System like Apple Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and Linux). If it has software, then it can control all the hardware to do something (like a calculator or a game). When you turn on a computer, data is loaded from the hard drive into the RAM. Then you would login and start running programs. Most programs are interactive (meaning you would input something), so you would need an input device such as a keyboard, mouse or even a scanner. When you click a mouse button or press on a key, the input would go through the wire and into the computer procceser, (the CPU or Central Processing Unit). It would process the input and send a signal to the monitor, so your input would be shown.

Many other things are used in a computer such as -Speakers

- RAM (Random-Access Memory)

-ROM (Read Only memory)

-CD-ROM drive

- ALU (arithmetic logic unit)

- etc

Source : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_a_computer_work

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