How much ram is too much RAM?

I would not have bought the ram you did. 2x2GBs of DDR2-800 is really the best right now. 32bit windows will only be able to address just over 3GBs of it, but that doesn't matter much. 2 sticks of ram is best, 4 stick might result in slower timings.

I have a 1066 speed board though  

I have 4GB of G. Skill DDR2 800 @ 963 Mhz. It works great, although, I do have 64bit Windows Vista.

I think what he meant to say is that you'll notice absolutely no real world difference between 1066 and 800 aside from the large amount of money you wasted.

*sigh* I guess to answer your question (It's late. lol), if you have a 'name brand' computer or own a retail lisence of XP, you can give microsoft a ring and upgrade to x64-bit for about 15 dollars. Otherwise it'd just be a waste of time.

4 gigs is the real sweet spot for gaming/heavy applications. 2 gigs will get you by fine though. 2gb is ok, 4gb is recommended.

I've used 3gb of available ram in 32bit xp and i usually use over 3gb in vista 64. it depends on what u run as to whether u will use it.

if you need more tech info search the forums and you'll find lots of threads about timings v speed of ram and explanations why 2 sticks are better than 4 due to MB voltage.

Get the 800Mhz with lower timing!

I dont care what anyone says, the 1066 are just overclocked 800Mhz. Get the 800Mhz with lower timing and then overclock them a bit.

I've got two stick of gskill pc6400 (2x 2GB) 4-4-4-12 PI Black Editon with the heat sinks, overclocked to about 926Mhz and these things rock.

he could lower the timings himself.
@OP: put the memory divider to 1:1, so that FSB = mem. frequency.

oh and get the extra 2gb. you would notice it better if you had vista

interesting. none of you really answered the question "would i see a difference in speed with 32 bit windows with 2 more gigs of ram" and "what would the more ram really effect the speeds of? Video processing, playing games, booting games?" But....I can see what you're all shooting at.

Interesting, someone wants an answer to a question without telling us what he uses the computer for, what OS he has, or any other useful info.

How much ram is to much? If you have more then your OS can handle, or if it exceeds how much you use. For example, if you have XP and only surf the net, 2GBs if fine, 4GBs is to much. (heck, 1GB might be enough.) If you have Vista and like playing Sims2 or FSX, then you need 4GBs at least. As I said in my first response, 2x2GBs of DDR2-800MHz is "best" for most people. Its very cheap, more then maxes out 32bit windows, and shouldn't result in slower timings due to all memory banks being used. This answer changes of course depending on the details.

EDIT: Ok, he did tell us what os, but hopefully I made my point...

Gaming, windows xp 32 bit  

at this price, why not.



depends how much stuff you got going on the computer. probably.

ahh see thanks raviolissimo lol. MUCH appreciated.....but would I need to change anything on the mobo, or should i just pop the next 2 in like this one?

I'm going to get 2 more gigs soon I guess.

Thanks everyone  

If you go back and read my first post, you'll see I suggested/told you what I would do. Sell the two sticks you have already, and buy a 2x2GB DDR2-800MHz set. You still haven't told us what computer setup you have, so we can only guess what memory controller you are using. (I'm guessing an Intel P35.) Even if you have an AMD IMC, there isn't much difference between 800MHz and 1066. You should be able to get better timings however if you are only running 2 sticks.

HUH? IVE TOLD YOU GAMING AND 32 BIT WINDOWS THIS WHOLE TIME. and yes i have a Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L. Keep reading and dont just assume I havent told you.

And now I get attitude because you don't understand? Unless you change back, this will by my last post on this matter.

Yes, gaming, I understand. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GAMING! As a general rule, Sims and RTS games need lots of ram. There can be hundreds of different units on the battlefield and you need lots of ram to keep track of them all. For modern sims and RTS games (Sup Com and the like) I would get 4GBs. FPS and other games you can usually get away with just 2GBs. If you use XP you can use 2GBs for most shooters. You've said 32bit windows, but STILL(!!!!!!!) haven't told us which windows your using. Vista likes to cache things to memory, so unless you've fixed this "feature", you'll need more ram for the games. Or if you play some of the few FPSers that need 4GBs.

DETAILS are needed, unless you want me making ASSUmptions about how you use your machine. If I had said you need to have 4GBs of ram, and you use XP and only play shooters, your 2GBs that you have is fine. If however your a flight sim fanatic and use Vista (which comes in 32bit flavors, so just saying 32bit windows doesn't help much) then you really should be using 4GBs.

Again, if you go back to my first post, "best" is 2x2GBs of DDR2-800. DDR2 is cheap right now, so you might as well max it out. I just built my current system, and was looking at spending $30 for 2GBs of ram, or $45 for 4GBs. $15 isn't that much for doubling the ram. For the most part, DDR2-1066 isn't really faster then DDr2-800 for games either. Sell your current sticks and get 2x2GBs of DDR2-800. CL timings of 4 if you can afford it, 5 if you don't care. Shockingly enough, I think the I think the first response told you this.

i have told you 32 bit windows xp MANY times.