Only 3GB, I made the right choice?

[keplero]

Hello there,
I've recently purchased a Core i7 processor and Asus P6T mobo. Since I'm running Windows XP I've choosen to buy three modules of 1GB, because the mobo supports triple channel and the system doesn't see more memory. Do you think I made the right choice? This amount of RAM is sufficient also for Windows Vista?

Second, if in the future I would need to upgrade the memory, what type (number and capacity) of modules you suggest me to buy?

Thanks

 

[Dougx1317]

For XP, 3GB is more than enough. For vista, 3GB will work fine, but you'll need to upgrade pretty soon. Depending on what you're doing, 3GB will work for vista, but newer software is more memory demanding. If you got 6GB you should really get a 64-bit OS. If your mobo has 6 slots then you're good, but if you're filling all your slots with 3GB then it's not very good.

 

[willm8488]

3GB is enough. I use 3GB and a 3hz phenom on vista and it works flawless.

 

[Scotteq]

3 Gig is enough for either.

 

[keplero]

Thank you for the replies, I'm experiencing some problems running my CAD/3D software on Vista, so for the moment I'm using XP (that runs much more faster than Vista, I should say). In the future maybe I'll buy another 2GB RAM bank, it should do the trick.

 

[antiacid]

well in terms of upgrade capabilities, you next move is to buy 3 sticks of 2gigs. Getting anything else would be playing with fire. I'd say you should hold on to your ram for another year and then re-evaluate at that point.

 

[Scotteq]

well in terms of upgrade capabilities, you next move is to buy 3 sticks of 2gigs. Getting anything else would be playing with fire. I'd say you should hold on to your ram for another year and then re-evaluate at that point.

Utilizing this will require a 64 bit operating system because a 32 bit one lacks the necessary address space. If the OP is sticking with XP 32 then what he has is roughly the max, as he already pointed out. So there's no sense in wasting money on any more.

Since the intended use is 3D/CAD, then IMHO upgrades would/should go hand in hand with the program he's using. Meaning when (Autodesk, or whatever) runs properly on (Vista 64, Win 7 x64), then he would/should upgrade around that.

 

[doomsdaydave11]

yeah with a fast i7, 3GB should be more then enough. In XP, i noticed barely any difference going from 2GB of DDR2-533 to 4GB of DDR2-800. In Vista, 3GB should be more then enough too... though I would recommend getting another 3GB or 6GB down the road a while when you have a 64-bit OS and triple channel DDR3 is cheaper.

 

[V3NOM]

^+1. going from 256 to 1GB of ram back in the day was amazing. from 1GB to 2 was almost unnoticeable, and from 2 to 4 i couldn't tell the difference at all.

 

[keplero]

Thank you for your replies. For now, I'm satisfied with my actual configuration (I've just finished to bake a Blender's fluid sim in a very little amount of time) maybe in the future if DDR3 will become inexpensive will be the case to buy 3 new modules of 2GB replacing my actual memory. You are right