Quick Ram Question.

kjman87

Daemon Poster
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Ok so ZipZoomFly and Newegg both have corsair XMS2 2x1GB mem kits for $25-$33 after MIR

Ram Link
MOBO Link
Right now my computer has 2GB of PC2-4200 memory but my MOBO supports up to PC2-6400...

I am also running XP MCE. First off if I just got 2GB would I notice a difference if I just completely replaced the ram?
Second what is the max amount of ram that xp recognizes? Is it even worth getting 4GB?
 
With what I can see of your specs in your sig and that you're running XP, then the answer is no, I don't think it would be worth getting 4GB, even less getting 2GB of faster RAM as this would have almost no impact on real time performance. The people you benefit most from upgrading to 4GB are Vista users like me.
 
now another question...I can upgrade to vista. my roommate has many LEGAL copies of vista as he works in IT and I am also thinking of Duel booting to Ubuntu...

major benefits there?
 
now another question...I can upgrade to vista. my roommate has many LEGAL copies of vista as he works in IT and I am also thinking of Duel booting to Ubuntu...

major benefits there?

Vista you would probably see an increase up to 3gb, possibly even in xp too. However your processor will most likely not be able to effectively use all 4 gigs on xp or vista, unless your a very extreme power user.

No game today really requires more than 2gb's to play. Even Crysis. Limitations will come in the form of your processor or gpu or the speed of your hdd. If you do hardcore video-editing or 3d modeling then consider the 4gb's. Otherwise it is overkill.

And its not worth replacing your ram with 2gb's of ram with a faster pc speed. The performance increase will be minimal compared to how much you paid for the ram.

I believe xp 32 bit will recognize up to around 3.25 gigs of ram. However just because it does not formally recognize it does not mean your computer can't utilize it. But there are very few times when your computer needs more than 3gbs of ram.
 
If you do upgrade to Vista (perhaps you could dual boot Vista and XP?), then you would see a difference in going from 2 to 4(I did). I'm running Vista 64 bit and I ALT-TABed the other day in Crysis and was using 2.5GBs. If you don't upgrade to Vista then stay with you 2GB as XP uses less resources than Microsoft's latest OS.
 
Vista you would probably see an increase up to 3gb, possibly even in xp too. However your processor will most likely not be able to effectively use all 4 gigs on xp or vista, unless your a very extreme power user.

No game today really requires more than 2gb's to play. Even Crysis. Limitations will come in the form of your processor or gpu or the speed of your hdd. If you do hardcore video-editing or 3d modeling then consider the 4gb's. Otherwise it is overkill.

And its not worth replacing your ram with 2gb's of ram with a faster pc speed. The performance increase will be minimal compared to how much you paid for the ram.

I believe xp 32 bit will recognize up to around 3.25 gigs of ram. However just because it does not formally recognize it does not mean your computer can't utilize it. But there are very few times when your computer needs more than 3gbs of ram.

As far as im aware and i may be wrong, but xp does not utilize memory very well over 2gb, as people have said if you want more memory to use and make best use of it then maybe vista is for you. Its about the only good reason in my opinion to upgrade to vista lol:rolleyes:
 
As far as im aware and i may be wrong, but xp does not utilize memory very well over 2gb, as people have said if you want more memory to use and make best use of it then maybe vista is for you. Its about the only good reason in my opinion to upgrade to vista lol:rolleyes:
Both Vista and XP come in 32 bit and 64 bit variations. 32 bit is currently the most widely used as 64 bit OS's are relatively new. A 32 bit OS can recognize and address 3.25GB max of RAM. A 64 bit OS can utilize all you 4GB and a lot more if you have it. The downside with this is that there are still a lot of external devices etc that do not have a driver for 64 bit XP/Vista, although I have Vista HP 64 bit and have not come across any issues so far.
 
so if I upgraded to vista and bought 4GB of that ram my computer would see a nice benefit...remember that ram is only going to be $50 after rebates for 4GB...
 
Yes, you would see a nice benefit from going to 4GB in Vista, mostly in multi-tasking and demanding applications.
 
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