Should I get 512MB or 1024MB of RAM?

[Cobra]

Hi,

I think the subject says it all. It'd be nice to have 1GB of RAM but I need to know if the speed increase it will give will be enough to justify the money spent.

I'm planning on making a very quick PC for myself in the summer, using an Athlon 2800 Barton and overclocking to 3200 speeds if I can. Hence, I will be using a Coolermaster Aero 7+ full copper HSF. It's going to be fun!

Thanks,

CobraDMX

[808smokey]

You can never have to much ram

[Piccoro]

Unless you are short on cash and need to meet a budget...get 1 GB.
It is sort of the peak of performance especially in WinXP/2k.
Going from 256mb to 512mb is a big increase and 512mb is considered almost a must. Doubling RAM from there has a big increase (not quite as much from 256-512) and still well worth it.

[redwudz]

I use 1G on a 2500 Barton and there was some speed increase from 512. I would go with (2) sticks of 512 memory. (4) can sometimes be a problem with some setups. I use (2) 512M 3200 DDR dual channel with a 400M FSB. Big improvement from my previous machine with a XP1800 with 1G DDR 2100.

[bottle-necked]

Setting here now I've got 1.048044G of ram and .784240G free. For surfing the internet you don't need 1G. There are programs that requires huge amounts of ram, like 800MB, but not the programs we use for video.

512MB is the 'sweet' spot. Less isn't really enough, more is not really necessary. It's up to you but I wouldn't want to have less than 1G myself.

However much ram you buy make sure you get high quality ram and the exact kind of ram your motherboard requires.

Good luck.

[SLICK RICK]

If you have the money, I say go for it!

SLICK RICK

[Piccoro]

You realise that by having 1gb of ram on a WinXP system does give you more performance over 512mb even if you are not using much of it.
Sure, surfing the internet wont matter but playing a game that only gets you to 400mb used or some other application will.
But how WinXP access/manages memory will give you more performance as you increase how much ram you have.

[energy80s]

To be honest, 256Mb will be fine for most video applications. At most go for 512 and spend the extra on a higher spec processor. Video encoding is all about number crunching (processor power) rather than memory function. Likewise fast 7200 rpm HDD's aren't required either as a basic 54 drive will quite happily keep up with even the fastest encoder.

[Cobra]

Thanks for the replies! I have decided that I will go for 1GB of RAM, as I do play games on my PC sometimes, and I like to have plenty of RAM anyway.

I will be buying ebuyer's own 512MB PC3200 sticks, as I haven't ever had a dud and they are actually branded sticks. Don't know why they're cheaper than other sticks.

I'll be coupling this with an Asus A7V8X Deluxe nForce2 motherboard. And, as I say, I'll be taking my 2800 up to 3200 speeds if possible. I currently have a Dell machine with a P4 1.5GHz on it and PC133 RAM. It's going to be a fair jump up!

Does anyone know how well Asus boards overclock?

Thanks again, guys!

CobraDMX

[bottle-necked]

If you're planning to overclock you need good memory. You won't be sorry.

The correct Corsair memory for that board is:

A7N8X DELUXE Ultra 400, nForce2

Extreme OC Corsair XMS 1 GByte TWINX1024-3200LL, Latency 2,3,2,6
part number TWINX1024-3200LL

That ASUS board looks pretty good.

Good luck.

[slimmx]

I want to add 256 ddr 2100 and I am looking on pricewatch and it starts at $20. Are there certain brands that I should be looking for?