System, Memory Requirements

Release 9 Hints

Release 9 Professional, Legal, and Medical

We assume that one has a system capable of effectively using its features:

1GHz, 512MB RAM absolute minimum -- the software will not load with fewer system resources. At this level, commands may operate OK but dictation response will be very slow (several seconds after speaking).
2GHz, 1GB RAM minimum for useful operations. For many applications and persons, such a system will seem slow during dictation.
2.5GHz+, 1GB+ RAM suggested. If you will be dictating heavily, the faster the system, the faster words will appear. 1GB RAM is recommended for persons using NaturallySpeaking professionally more than 30 minutes per day with Windows-XP. 2GB RAM is recommended if using Windows Vista
Dual-core and Dual-processor systems improve the responsiveness of NaturallySpeaking 9. All available dual-core systems by AMD or Intel have processors fast enough for effective DNS use.

Focus first on upgrading your system or acquiring a new system if it does not meet these minimums.

More Information

To use NaturallySpeaking Release 9, 512MB is minimum. It won't install with less. Period. The End. Don't even think about using less RAM.

You need at least 1GB. Don't complain about performance or accuracy if you have less RAM than 1GB. If you expect to upgrade to Windows Vista operating system, 2GB is suggested.

If you normally use several programs or memory-intensive programs, more RAM may be useful.

At some point, adding RAM will not help. That depends on your exact use of programs. Usually it is cheaper to add RAM than to pay someone to determine whether you need more or not.

RDRAM, DDR

RDRAM, DDR, etc. make a small difference compared to the amount of RAM. Consult the general trade press for information on the best type of RAM for your situation. Or just ignore it. NaturallySpeaking uses memory MUCH more than most other applications, so that memory plays a more important role in its performance than for most other programs. Don't be fooled by benchmarks with other application. If dealing with a local white box/clone builder, they will typically use one motherboard and one type of RAM for most of their systems. You will probably be better off going with their recommendation. If you don't like it, find a different system builder.

Beware of Cheap Memory

Watch out for cheap memory or for overclocking memory modules. Many a NaturallySpeaking problem has been solved by replacing memory. These problems are random and can be difficult to diagnose. But the problems are real, and even many of the conventional memory testing programs don't test memory as much as NaturallySpeaking. Just because "all my other programs work," do not assume that the memory on your system is in perfect working order.

Where to Buy Memory

Suggested supplier for additional RAM: Crucial.com

Earlier Releases

Earlier releases of DNS required less RAM and used less CPU resources. On Release 8, 512MB was suggested (256MB minimum), 1GHz CPU was suggested (500MHz minimum).

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of Dragon NaturallySpeaking

Release 9 Hints