Will I see the difference after upgrading RAM?

[markusaurileus]

Hi,
I'm currently using 2x1GB DDR2-800 sticks on my motherboard, which only has two slots. After upgrading to Windows 7 from XP, my system has been using ~1gig of my ram while near idol/simply browsing the internet.

If I swap out a 1GB stick with a 2GB so that I have 3GB total, will I see a difference in performance? For example, lately, Bad Company 2 has been horrible with 2gb. Wil it be better when I have additional memory?

Thanks,
Markus

 

[tecmo34]

1... Windows 7 does use more memory than XP but not a much as Vista, so you are lucky there

2... You will see some improvement with going with 3GB of memory (may just be a slight improvement), but you are more bottlenecked by your CPU and GPU on that game. The GTS 250 isn't the most powerful of GPU's and it looks like you are running an order Athlon chip, as well. To see a "big improvement", you'll need to look at upgrading those two areas of your system.

 

[saint19]

Hi.

1- Win 7 32 bits only needs 1GB but is recommendable 2GB or more for 32 bits and 3GB or more for 64 bits.
2- Not a big difference since if u install 3GB the mobo can't run it in dual channel, so are 3GB running in single channel and isn't good performance.

 

[markusaurileus]

@tecmo34, i am looking at a cpu upgrade, but i want to take less expensive measures first. another thing is that i'm not trying to play games on max settings. i just want moderate-high gfx performance.

@saint19, if it's not running in dual channel, does that mean it's not fully using the whole 3gigs?

i'm using wint 7 pro 64bit btw. thx for the replies.

 

[saint19]

1- If u want go with the less expensive and better performance the best option is AMD and u can go with an Athlon II X3 440 or 445 that are very good and performs very well.
2- No, u can use the 3GB but not in dual channel configuration.

 

[markusaurileus]

and i can use an am3/+ on an am2+ board and not worry about having to update anything, board wise?

 

[saint19]

Yeah, but u need check 1st the CPU support list of the mobo. Usually AM2+ mobos support AM3 CPU but needs a BIOS update that isn't difficult.

 

[markusaurileus]

what if my ecs mobo doesn't have a bios update designed for supporting am3 CPUs. I checked recently, and I didn't find anything...

 

[MARSOC_Operator]

Not at all, Bad Company 2 is severely bottlenecked by your CPU and then GPU. Because it is a console port. Pure PC games benefit better from more RAM.

 

[tecmo34]

what if my ecs mobo doesn't have a bios update designed for supporting am3 CPUs. I checked recently, and I didn't find anything...

You might be lucky and it'll support the Phenom II X4 940, since it is an AM2+ socket CPU.

 

[saint19]

Not at all, Bad Company 2 is severely bottlenecked by your CPU and then GPU. Because it is a console port. Pure PC games benefit better from more RAM.

So u think that is better have 12GB RAM that a good GPU. Nice man :lol:

Bad Company 2 as all the 95% of the today games can't use more that 3 cores and 2GB or 2.5GB RAM and that is much RAM since all the heavy works are do it for the GPU and CPU.

Pure games are made for run in any rig without take care of the specifications.


@markusaurileus: What mobo do u have? Like tecmo34 says, the Phenom II X4 940 should be supported since is AM2+ but check if is listed in the CPU support list.

 

[markusaurileus]

I appreciate the replies, saint. I have an ECS GeForce7050M-M mobo. It supports CPUs up to 95W.

Although, I am not sure if its v1.0 or v2.0; The mobo's box says v2.0 and "Supports AMD Phenom processor" (AM2+ version), but CPUZ says 1.0 (AM2 version).

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=865&CategoryID=1&MenuID=20&LanID=0
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=835&CategoryID=1&MenuID=21&LanID=0

I can't find an official list of which CPUs it supports.

 

[saint19]

Check the mobo near to the hole screws and u can find the version of the mobo that u have but like I see both V1.0 and V2.0 don't support any AM3 CPU and the X4 940 isn't supported too.

 

[markusaurileus]

I would check on the mobo itself, but like you said, it doesn't support AM3 anyway. Are there any decent AM2+ CPUs that are worth upgrading to? Right now, I have an Athlon 64 x2 5000+ 2.6GHz.

 

[saint19]

The Kuma 7750 @ 2.7GHz is a solid CPU for that mobo.

 

[saint19]

^Read the full thread. Both V1 and V2 don't support any AM3 CPU.

 

[markusaurileus]

thanks, I'll check out the details on the Kuma. However, I might just want to consider saving up for a cheaper AM3 board that supports DDR2 memory. This way I can have more CPU options while re-using my current memory.

saint, you're an awesome moderator.

 

[markusaurileus]

Best answer selected by MarkusAurileus.

 

[markusaurileus]

sounds true enough. I myself would go for 3GB, but the thing about dual-channel performance really confuses me. Because of that, I'll wait and buy 2x2GB later on.

 

[saint19]

2GB can run in dual-channel, 3GB only can run in single channel in this case.