max memory on new build

[wessa1]

hi
looking to build a new gaming rig and just looking around at whats on offer.
reading up on the graphics card etc etc,noticed that ddr3 compatable boards have facility to install upto 24 gb ram,yet most people seem to restrict it to around 6gb.
is there a reason (other than price)not really an issue for me, as to why this is the norm,ie does that much ram slow down or obliterate any potential overclock.
say i wanted 12 gb+ what would be the downfall if any.got one of them house
party edition win 7 64 bit o/s and really want to install it.
thanks
wessa

 

[cmndr_andi]

There are a few reasons.

Mainly it is that the applications and games that most people here use most of the time do not use anything more than 4GB-6GB, so extra RAM isn't really required. Considering the price of RAM these days, people tend to not over-specify RAM that often. If you will be running applications that do benefit from more RAM, then it may well be worth investing in more RAM, so long as you take the following points into consideration:

Windows 7 Home premium 64 bit version can only address a maximum physical memory of 16GB. If you want to address more, you need to go for the more expensive versions of Windows 7 (Pro, Ultimate, Enterprise) which can address up to 192GB.

One of the other main reasons is overclocking. Most motherboards have 4-6 RAM slots. However, filling all of these puts extra strain on the memory controller. This is no problem when everything is run at stock settings, but when overclocking this extra strain makes overclocking much more difficult.

 

[wessa1]

thanks

thanks for that buddy,very helpful.

wessa1