Memory requirements with XP

[bangkok_cowboy]

I am building a "dream box" on a budget
Asus Canterwood / 800 FSB CPU / 2 sticks 3200 RAM.

Will 1024 Meg demonstrate benefit over 512 Meg?

I realize wrong thread.. but is an extra $50 warrented for a Segate serial ATA 120 over a WD 120 HD

 

[Crashman]

The more memory the better. These are actual circumstances I've seen, caused by XP using as much memory as it can find!

1.) At my old school, XP on PIII 450 systems with 128MB SDRAM. Slower than snot, using around 64MB for the OS, reserving the other 64MB for programs, and using the HARD DRIVE virtual RAM constantly

2.) Running 256MB in my own machine, Windows XP managing to consume only 128MB of RAM, lots of virtual memory access, fairly slow performance

3.) Same machine with 512MB, XP using 140MB, machine seems happy!

4.) Same machine with 1024MB, XP using over 200MB, machine flys!

Now, I'm back to 512MB, and the only time I notice a HUGE difference is when I'm encoding movies, which uses up a lot of RAM.

<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>