Just a little FYI about Windows XP if you have more than 2 GB of RAM. 

Months ago I went from 2 to 4 GB of RAM on my PC and I noticed it didn't help VDL2 or any other software I use.  I asked some IT nerds about it and here's what I learned: Windows XP can only use 4 GB total RAM, and only 2 GB max for a single application.  If you have an AMD Athlon 64, X2, or FX CPU, or an Intel Pentium 4 EM64T, Pentium D or Core 2 Duo ([u]not[/u] Core Duo) then you can use up to 128 GB of RAM by switching to Windows XP 64-bit edition or the upcoming Windows Vista 64.  There are driver issues because you can't use the 32 bit ones, and not all companies have released 64 bit drivers for their soundcards or audio devices.  However, the drivers for XP-64 and Vista-64 are mostly interchangeable.

I thought I'd share this little info-nugget while I sit here installing programs on my new Core 2 Duo home-built box. 

And unless you have a critical program that requires a PC like I do, get a Mac :)

Thank you for that information. I was saving my pennies so I could upgrade from my two to four -- exactly as you posted.

Now, I'll just sink that money into new stereo monitors!

[quote] If you have ... then you can use up to 128 GB of RAM by switching to Windows XP 64-bit edition or the upcoming Windows Vista 64.[/quote]

I don't know Windows, but I think this would only work if you are using applications created for 64-bit. If you use a 32-bit application it would still have the 2GB ceiling. (I think)

[quote author=Corey Peterson link=topic=1489.msg6918#msg6918 date=1167778940]
[quote] If you have ... then you can use up to 128 GB of RAM by switching to Windows XP 64-bit edition or the upcoming Windows Vista 64.[/quote]

I don't know Windows, but I think this would only work if you are using applications created for 64-bit. If you use a 32-bit application it would still have the 2GB ceiling. (I think)
[/quote]

The 2GB ceiling is created by windows, the opperating system itself is what determines how much ram is allocated to each app. That being said, i dont think it is totally pointless to buy more than 2gb of ram (because thats how much can be used on an individual app) if you'd generally be running two bigger apps at once (sibelius/finale along with VDL). but maybe i'm wrong...

There's a way to assign 3 GB to a single app in Windows XP but it requires altering the boot.ini file which could be catastrophic if done incorrectly. 

When using VDL2 and the Symphony Orchestra Gold samples together in Kontakt 2, it's really easy to fill up RAM.  I still think computers are years away from being able to ";do whatever you want"; without having to optimize some settings when working with a large score and samples.  The future of computers is multiple processors with a 64-bit OS, not faster GHz, so software companies need to program for multi-threaded apps.  Right now many programs are still designed for a single cpu machine.