Memory Upgrade Worth It?

[stan412]

Hey guys,

I have a PC that I built 4 years ago (old, I know), but I'm not looking to make a major upgrade yet.
Right now I have a AMD Athlon 64 3500+ with 2 GB of RAM (DDR1)--with Windows XP Pro.

I was wondering if it's worth it to upgrade it to 4 GB (I have an Asus A8V-Deluxe; 4 GB, Dual-Channel).
My thinking is that, if I were to ever upgrade to Windows Vista, that 4 GB of RAM would be able to handle it, despite being DDR1--and not DDR2.
I don't really do gaming on this system anymore, and hopefully it'll be a useful Vista system down the road--for maybe at least for 2 more years?

I am not that tech-savvy to know how drastic a difference there is between DDR1 and DDR2.
4 GB, even if it's DDR1, should be strong enough to be a serviceable system for a Vista, right?

I also don't know how much the memory would affect the system in terms of startup and load times, compared to CPU or VGA (GeForce 6800 GT).
Since XP recognizes only 3.23 GB of memory or so, does that mean that even if I have 4 physical sticks of memory installed, only 3.23 GB of it would be functioning? Or only 3.23 shows, but the full 4 GB is recognized?

 

[vagetaqtd]

If the prices are right, go for 4gb and use x64 OS so you can take full advantage of the 4gb.

 

[o1die]

Save your money for your next major upgrade. Put it where you can't get to it. Spending money on your old system that you don't game with is a waste. DDr 3 will be the norm in about 1 year, so save what you can between now and then. Problem is that if the motherboard goes out, you're stuck with more ddr, and the 939 boards are getting scarce. I would upgrade when you have at least $600. Until then, keep saving.