Topic: Thinking of jumping to 2 GB of RAM DDR2 -- UPDATE: I made the jump to 2 GB RAM

[MysterD]

CompUSA has some RAM that is $29.99, after mail-in rebates -- 512 MB PC 5300 DDR2 RAM (by Centon).

Got 2 open slots, so if I was to upgrade, I would throw in 2 more 512MB of RAM.

I have already 1024 MB of 4200 DDR2 RAM (by Crucial).

I know some RAM is backward compatible w/ slower speed RAMs.

So, where and how do I find out if that Centon PC5300 is backward compatible w/ the Crucial PC4200 RAM I currently am using???

EDIT:
I have 4200, not 4300 RAM.
Corection made.

[scottws]

Well generally you can use any kind of RAM as long as your motherboard supports it.  However, all RAM performs only as fast as the slowest chips.  This Centon company... I've never heard of them.  If you have Crucial already in there, I wouldn't suggest going to this Centon company now.

[Jedi]

Get the same RAM man, don't anything faster or slow as Scott said above, another thing some boards don't play well with some RAM - so that's another reason to go with the same stuff you got now.

[MysterD]

Well generally you can use any kind of RAM as long as your motherboard supports it.  However, all RAM performs only as fast as the slowest chips.  This Centon company... I've never heard of them.  If you have Crucial already in there, I wouldn't suggest going to this Centon company now.

My much older PC has Centon PC133 RAM -- never had issues w/ it.

Get the same RAM man, don't anything faster or slow as Scott said above, another thing some boards don't play well with some RAM - so that's another reason to go with the same stuff you got now.

Good to note. Thanks.

I'll hold off, for now.....until I see the right RAM and right price.

[MysterD]

I jumped up to 2 GB worth of RAM.

Bought more of the same Crucial DDR2 RAM from Amazon.com -- and used my extra $30 off, for getting an Amazon.com credit card.

I added 2 pieces of 512 MB DDR2 4200 RAM. Mad awesome!

Wuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.....My PC is flying now, w/ things booting up faster and loading quicker and whatnot.

Time to try some games w/ this!!!

Especially RAM whores like NWN2 and Oblivion.

[scottws]

I'd love more RAM.  I have 768MB, which was quite a bit when I built my machine.  But now my PC uses the paging file quite a bit.  I'm not sure why... I guess more programs are memory-resident to check for updates and all the Windows updates through the years consume more and more memory as well.

I actually was looking to upgrade to at least 1 GB, but I was unable to find a matching 256 MB stick.  Some stores had them for sale, but when I would order them they would say they are out-of-stock.  I could buy a paired 1 GB set, but I already have 768 MB, I don't want that.  I just want 256 MB.

[Cobra951]

Windows will use as much memory as it can for cache.  It's a mature process by now, and best left to do its thing.  (The philosophy is: free memory is wasted memory.)  For example, code can be executed directly out of v-cache.  There's no need for Windows to "load" (i.e., copy) the cached code into conventional application-program space and then run it.  As a result, and I'm sure you've noticed this, once you've done something once, it and everything related will work much faster subsequently, as long as it's at the forefront of what you're doing.  Once you go do something else long enough, the original stuff you were doing may end up swapped out to the paging file.  But if you have 2 GB, well, if absolutely everything you're doing fits in RAM, including Windows hunger for cache, things should blaze full time.

I have 768 MB in my Dell too.  I have 2 problems, and together, they are terminal: (1) it's RDRAM (read expensive), and (2) my slots are fully populated (256MB pair, 128MB pair, dual-channel).  Not only would I have to buy RDRAM, but I'd have to throw out some of what I have and replace it.  Ironically, I have this 512MB stick of regular memory my brother couldn't use in his PC.  If I add it to the 512 MB already in my cheap eMachines box, I'd end up with more RAM in it than in my aging game box.

[scottws]

I have two open slots.  I have a 512 MB and a 256 MB.

[iPPi]

Hurray.  2 GB ftw.

Got 2GB on my dekstop and my laptop.

[Xessive]

Congrats MyD I think you'll be enjoying Oblivion and NWN2 a lot more now

[Pugnate]

As of yet 2GB Ram provides little to no advantage in games on XP. Gamespot did a benchmark and there was less than a 1% advantage on Oblivion, NWN2 etc.

That's why I refrained from upgrading to 2GB till I got my new comp. By then I thought what the hell, might as well.

Where 2GB would help is in future games and maybe if you go to Vista, but DDR2 667 is a good speed and so you did well for that price.

Here check out these Vista benchmarks, except just look at the 1GB and 2GB comparisons for the games on XP:

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6164940/p-3.html

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, 1600x1200, 2GB memory  = 111 FPS
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, 1600x1200, 1GB memory  = 113 FPS

Oblivion, 1024x768, 2GB memory Windows XP = 62 FPS
Oblivion, 1024x768, 1GB memory Windows XP = 61 FPS

Company of Heroes, 1024x768, 2GB memory Windows XP = 182 FPS
Company of Heroes, 1024x768, 2GB memory Windows XP = 181 FPS

Neverwinter Nights 2, 1024x768, 2GB memory Windows XP = 47 FPS
Neverwinter Nights 2, 1024x768, 1GB memory Windows XP = 47 FPS

There you go. So yea it is a myth. 1 GB memory is more than sufficient for any gamer on XP, yet so many of us have wasted money on the extra mem. We are dumb.

[scottws]

It might be a waste for a gamer, but it isn't a waste entirely.  I run a ton of services on my computer, so I could really use the extra RAM.

I'd really like to split some of my services out to a separate server, but right now I just don't have the computer that could handle it.

[MysterD]

Congrats MyD I think you'll be enjoying Oblivion and NWN2 a lot more now

I sure hope so.