Ram Question.

[DavidQ]

Aloha,

Currently I'm running 1GB of Corsair DDR2 PC6400 (2X512). However my motherboard has 4 slots, obviously as 2 are currently occupied and I would like to add more memory to my system for vista next year. I guess my question is would i be better off just getting another 1GB of dual channel ram the same as I currently have or would it be better buying a 1GB stick, Am I honestly going to need more than 2GB of ram? I'm running a 4200+ AM2 @ Stock sttings, an ATI X1950 Pro and using an MSI K9N Neo-F motherboard. Any advice would be welcomed as now I have the money i'd like to be able to upgrade, I guess if it's possible i would like to overclock my system safely too. I'd probably need a new CPU cooler though, I'm just using the one that came with my processor.


Thanks for reading,

David

 

[1dmf]

well from what i've read if you want to run vista to get the most out of it 4GB would be better, 2GB would suffice though.

as for oc'ing, obviously the better cooling you use the more likely you will successfully OC, though it can also be Mobo dependent.

I'm sure your Corsair is up to the job, as this is pretty good ram, though I have also read even 2GB is better to have 2 x 1GB sticks rather than 4 x 512kb.

It all depends on your budget, I'm certainly no expert nor have much AMD experience, so others will need to further advise.

they may suggest just getting 2 x 512 to keep your ram paired and spending money upgrading your CPU.

check out the OC'ing forum and see what people think your 4200 will OC, it might help you make your decision.

not sure if i've helped but there you go

 

[DavidQ]

Thanks for the advice, my motherboard has two channels so I presume I can run the 4X512's at dual channel. As far as the processor is concerned I've been doing a little research and with a Zalman CNPS9500 I should be able to reach 2.7GHz with the stock voltage and appropriate cooling. According to this article http://www.legitreviews.com/article/373/3/ , I'm guessing my real mind boggler was if there was going to be any app that's going to warrant 2gb of memory. I'm into video editing with the Adobe suite of products, After Effects, Premiere Pro and Photoshop ofcourse. At the moment I'm able to multitask quite well but I'm still a little skeptical as to wether I will actually need more than 2GB of ram.

 

[1dmf]

yes you still run in dual chanel with 4 x 512 -> my current P4 is runnign 1GB 4 x 512 Kingston DDR400.

as for 2gb -> this will be ok for the near future, if you think about it in reality 512 is currently rcommended for WinXP on box standard machines, but 1GB is preferred, so 2GB will run Vista no problem, and for my next build I was originally going to get 4gb and was told unless I was going to run Vista there was no point!

so i'm sticking to 2GB for the forseable future myself.

I'm not going Vista for a t least a year after it releases, i'm happy with XP and have heard a lot of issues with availability of drivers for Vista, like anything new, jumping straight in is never a good thing to do.

Just think of XP and SP2 !!!

 

[DavidQ]

Oh yeah, I'm not jumping ship straight away. Not untill my hand is being forced. But I'm just thinking for the future