Need more RAM?

[sc_1004]

When do you know you need more RAM? I've got 1GB running Vista and task mgr tells me I use between 60 and 90% or RAM when running my programs. 90% seems to be pushing it, but most of the time it's between 70-80%.

Do I NEED more RAM? And if I upgraded to 2.5GB, what benefits would I NOTICE?

[jeff53404]

There are many articles regarding RAM and the conditions under which you might want more (game intensive use, graphic processing, encoding movies, ripping CDs, etc.)

Do a basic search but here is one entry level article.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/addmemory.mspx

The Noah’s Ark is from Techie Comics (I couldn’t resist).

[qwakrz]

Vista and 1GB of ram is sluggish. 2GB and things start to get alot better.

If you can afford to goto 3GB then do so but 2GB will be good enough for general use.

[DiiZzY]

Yes, you would notice a difference
//Danne

[sc_1004]

Well, I split the diff and went to 2.5GB by adding 2GB (Kingston for $35). System and program start up seem faster. Games, no noticeable diff. I haven’t tried this yet, but will this extra mem make a noticeable diff when I rip and burn discs?

And another question: I put the 2GB in the top slot which is not the primary one. Does that make any diff? Is all 2.5GB read and written to equally quickly or does Vista discriminate between some addresses? I ask because I notice tskmgr says that most of the mem is “cache” while only a very little is “free”. What is the diff here?

[coolcolors]

[QUOTE=sc_1004;2150578]Well, I split the diff and went to 2.5GB by adding 2GB (Kingston for $35). System and program start up seem faster. Games, no noticeable diff. I haven’t tried this yet, but will this extra mem make a noticeable diff when I rip and burn discs?

And another question: I put the 2GB in the top slot which is not the primary one. Does that make any diff? Is all 2.5GB read and written to equally quickly or does Vista discriminate between some addresses? I ask because I notice tskmgr says that most of the mem is “cache” while only a very little is “free”. What is the diff here?[/QUOTE]

It shouldn’t matter how you stack the ram but yes both of same should be in the same slot like 2x2. As for the games that is for the GPU to push out CPU Ram helps to load but the GPU Ram is what makes the game the game.

[sc_1004]

[QUOTE=coolcolors;2150712]It shouldn’t matter how you stack the ram but yes both of same should be in the same slot like 2x2. As for the games that is for the GPU to push out CPU Ram helps to load but the GPU Ram is what makes the game the game.[/QUOTE]

What’s wrong with putting cards of different sizes in the two slots? My system recognizes the full 2.5GB and so far it seems to be OK. What are the drawbacks of 2GBx512MB?

[debro]

Ram these days is operates as Dual channel (can use a single ram address to fetch twice the data) - So you need to get a pair of matched Ram Dimms.

Aka for 2.5GB you should have 2x1GB + 2x256MB.
If you have mismatched dimm sizes, then you will be operating in Single Channel mode, which will mean every fetch only retrieves half the data.

You lose about 15% System performance going from Dual Channel back to Single Channel mode.

[DiiZzY]

Doesn’t matter unless you’re still on an old Intel Penitum 4, the rest (Core Duo/Core 2 Duo/Athlon 64 etc) is about 0-3% roughly…
//Danne

[sc_1004]

[QUOTE=debro;2150893]Ram these days is operates as Dual channel (can use a single ram address to fetch twice the data) - So you need to get a pair of matched Ram Dimms.

Aka for 2.5GB you should have 2x1GB + 2x256MB.
If you have mismatched dimm sizes, then you will be operating in Single Channel mode, which will mean every fetch only retrieves half the data.

You lose about 15% System performance going from Dual Channel back to Single Channel mode.[/QUOTE]

That’s interesting, but what about machines that come with 3GB? Do they do 1.5x1.5? Or do they do 2x1? And if the machines are designed that way (vista 32 limit), then how much diff can asymmetric mem banks really make?

[sc_1004]

The funny thing is that the manuf says the max RAM is 2GB, but so far my machine has no probs recognizing the 2.5. I haven’t used all 2.5GB yet so I don’t know if it can really reach that high, but tskmgr says I’ve got 2.5GB.

[RJL65]

[QUOTE=sc_1004;2151270]That’s interesting, but what about machines that come with 3GB? Do they do 1.5x1.5? Or do they do 2x1? And if the machines are designed that way (vista 32 limit), then how much diff can asymmetric mem banks really make?[/QUOTE]

Actually, most machines which come with 3GB use four DIMM modules - 2x1GB plus 2x512MB. (Some Intel-based machines with 3GB use 1x2GB and 1x1GB, which would make the Intel memory controller run in a Flex dual-channel mode in which the first 2GB would run in dual-channel and the remainder in single-channel.)

And using current 64-bit desktop memory technology, the manufacture of 1.5GB memory modules is unfeasible: Such memory modules would require 96-bit parts, which very few memory IC chip manufacturers are willing to manufacture because 96-bit memory is completely incompatible with existing memory controllers which are designed for 64-bit memory parts.

[peck1234]

Vista running an aero interface uses about 1.19gb of ram just to run…

If you need some more performance right click my computer, go to advanced system settings, and then then performance settings and adjust all for best performance…

Its gonna make vista look like windows 95, but itll be a lot faster… lol!

My dell 530n shipped stock with 6 gigs 650mhz ram! I loving it!

[debro]

[QUOTE=peck1234;2152572]Vista running an aero interface uses about 1.19gb of ram just to run…

If you need some more performance right click my computer, go to advanced system settings, and then then performance settings and adjust all for best performance…

Its gonna make vista look like windows 95, but itll be a lot faster… lol!

My dell 530n shipped stock with 6 gigs 650mhz ram! I loving it![/QUOTE]
Did dell give you the 64b OS version? If not, your computer is flying with 3.2GB’s of ram - and the remaining 2.8GB is totally useless

In Oz, they’re still shipping the 32b OS versions only …

[peck1234]

64 bit all the way…

: )