2GB enough?

[falcodakrzz]

Basically im selling my old value ram and getting 2x1gb kit of PC8500 OCZ reaper ram. However I was wondering if 2gb will give me bad performance when minimizing etc. Ive got 32bit vista, so 3gb is my ceiling....I can get another 1Gb stick of reaper but its very expensive (30 pound for 1 stick, 40 for two). So would the performance be noticable from 2 to 3?

Thanks

 

[Scotteq]

It depends - If you multitask or play very demanding games then yes. But for most people, even running Vista, 2GB is enough.

 

[aevm]

Why don't you get 2 GB for now and try it. If Task Manager shows you that you're using most of the 2 GB, buy 2 more.

If I understand you correctly, it's 30 pounds for 1 GB and 40 pounds for 2 GB? In that case I'd spend the 40 and get 2 more GB for a total of 4 GB. Depending on your config, you could see as much as 3.5 GB. You also want an even number of sticks for dual-channel.

 

[aevm]

Read this:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/07/08/is-more-memory-better/5

 

[modtech]

3+ GB is more than enough.

 

[geofelt]

If you have a core 2 cpu, don't spend more for ram faster than 667. Those cpu's are not sensitive to ram speeds.

Get 4gb in a 2x2gb configuration. Even with a 32 bit OS, you will see 3.3gb or so, which is a heck of a lot more than just 2gb. Here is an article by Corsair showing the difference:
http://www.corsairmemory.com/_appnotes/AN804_Gaming_Performance_Analysis.pdf

 

[modtech]

Well if you're planning on overclocking a 45nm dual core then you'd need ram that can take the increased strain and 667 simply can't deliver that at higher FSBs.

 

[falcodakrzz]

Alright thanks a lot guys, ill try 2gb and see how it goes.