.. how bout 512 to 2 gb lol... i just bought 2 x 1 gb crucial pc3200 ddr memory for like 100 bucks... good deal? and how will it affect my performance?
Your computer puts certain "operations" into your RAM "Random Access Memory" from your game to be used at will then disposed of later, so yes based on the game 2 GB of RAM would have large advantages.
Now 512 MB to 2 GB, the performance gain is phenomenal.
If I were to add another gig of RAM, would it have to be exactly the same as what's already in there? Or can it be anything, as long as it's the same type? I have a dual channel 1GB (512x2) in there right now. If I were to get another dual channel 1GB, would it all work?
I recently got a full system upgrade and let me tell you, 2gb makes a huge difference. Going from a P4 2.8ghz to a Core 2 duo 2.1Ghz and 1gb PC2700 to 2gb PC 6400 made a VERY noticeable difference in loading Battlefield 2. On the old PC, it would take up to 3 minutes for my computer to unload all the stuff BF2 loaded. (probably all 1gb ram + a few hundred MB of pagefile). Now when I exit Battlefield 2, my computer doesn't have to wait to unload everything, cuz it has spare RAM to run windows and stuff while the rest is being unloaded. 2Gb is definitely worth it
It's a necessity for gaming. Simple as that. Pretty much every single game released in the past 12 months benefits from 2GB of RAM. Though most games will still run with 1GB, you will experience a lot of stutters due to the HDD thrashing taking place when the game has to swap files because it's out of physical memory.
And you can get 2GB of PC26400 DDR2 RAM for less than $150. No reason not to, really.
If I were to add another gig of RAM, would it have to be exactly the same as what's already in there? Or can it be anything, as long as it's the same type? I have a dual channel 1GB (512x2) in there right now. If I were to get another dual channel 1GB, would it all work?Sandro909
It's best to add identical DIMMs with Identical timings (specially CAS latency) to ensure maximum stability.
If you are adding, add two more 512s instead of one 1gb. One stick will kill the dual channel support. The motherboard should clock both sets to the same speeds and latency (lowest common settings)so if you can't get matching sticks its not a deal breaker. Most quality memory has no problem slowing down just don't overclock your stock memory. Also keep matching sticks in the matching banks. Should be color coded 2 of the 4 banks are one color the other two are another. If its not coded it is usually slot one and three work together and 2 and 4 work together.
ok i need some help too. Right now i have 3 x 512mb, 2 of those are 533 mhz and 1 of them is 800 mhz. I ordered another 512 stick of 800 mhz so i can go dual channel. If i put the matching speeds in the matching colored slots, will it still slow down my two sticks of 800 mhz in dual channel?
also, how much performance gain will i get from that other half gig + the dual channel support.
Going from 1.7ghZ to dual core 4800+ 2.4Ghz, and 512mb Ram to 2gb Ram yesterday, I noticed a HUGE difference in any game I play. Ram will definataly help. And it's cheap
Yes your two 800 MHZ chips will slow down to match the 533s You can go into your bios and clock up the 533s if its not a HP Dell ect. then run em till they fry. The extra memory will help performance anyway without cooking two good 533 sticks and unless you have a high end MOBO it probably only supports up to 667 anyway. If its a MSI board remember 1 and 3, 2 and 4 sometimes there color coding is not right it should tell you on post if its running in dual channel mode. They match colors on 1 and 2 then 3 and 4. Some of there boards dual channel like that some don't.
Yes your two 800 MHZ chips will slow down to match the 533s You can go into your bios and clock up the 533s if its not a HP Dell ect. then run em till they fry. The extra memory will help performance anyway without cooking two good 533 sticks and unless you have a high end MOBO it probably only supports up to 667 anyway. If its a MSI board remember 1 and 3, 2 and 4 sometimes there color coding is not right it should tell you on post if its running in dual channel mode. They match colors on 1 and 2 then 3 and 4. Some of there boards dual channel like that some don't.pcdebol
What does RAM do exactly? I know it can speed up choppy gameplay, but what exactly is it doing to help this?Sandro909
RAM is volative memory, meaning that it only contains information when power is flowing to it. Its intended to allow for storage of data that needs to be frequently accessed. While its not as fast as the CPU its certainly faster than hard drive caching for instance..pretty much if you have too little RAM things will take longer to execute on your machine but if you have 2GB instead of 1GB and typically only use 750MB you won't notice an improvement going from 1GB to 2GB.
If I were to add another gig of RAM, would it have to be exactly the same as what's already in there? Or can it be anything, as long as it's the same type? I have a dual channel 1GB (512x2) in there right now. If I were to get another dual channel 1GB, would it all work?Sandro909
Well in your case its more problematic as DDR is the old standard. DDR2 is not backwards compatible and in fact has the notch placed differently so you don't mix them up. I'm going to say as well that mixing different companies RAM isn't good practice. Short of actually upgrading your motherboard its probably not that great an idea, though if you are going to do it do it soon while you can still get DDR at less than exorbitant prices.
ok i need some help too. Right now i have 3 x 512mb, 2 of those are 533 mhz and 1 of them is 800 mhz. I ordered another 512 stick of 800 mhz so i can go dual channel. If i put the matching speeds in the matching colored slots, will it still slow down my two sticks of 800 mhz in dual channel?
also, how much performance gain will i get from that other half gig + the dual channel support.
JSDempsey
It will certainly slow it down, you can't have RAM running at different speeds or timings..period, it won't happen. Although I would say the difference is probably negligible for you. Did you order indentical memory? Its still a requirement for many motherboards that the RAM DIMMs be identical in order to use dual-channel.
ok i need some help too. Right now i have 3 x 512mb, 2 of those are 533 mhz and 1 of them is 800 mhz. I ordered another 512 stick of 800 mhz so i can go dual channel. If i put the matching speeds in the matching colored slots, will it still slow down my two sticks of 800 mhz in dual channel?
also, how much performance gain will i get from that other half gig + the dual channel support.
Runningflame570
It will certainly slow it down, you can't have RAM running at different speeds or timings..period, it won't happen. Although I would say the difference is probably negligible for you. Did you order indentical memory? Its still a requirement for many motherboards that the RAM DIMMs be identical in order to use dual-channel.
Yeah its the same. they will all be 512mb sticks of DDR2 memory.
It's depends on what's is holding your computer back, or what's bottlenecking your computer.
Take changing a car engine for example. More horsepower, your car supposed to run faster all that crap. But if you all do is driving under 50miles/hour or worse, your suspension, your tire can't handle high speed then no, you wont feel any difference.
Will it make your computer better ? sure. will you be able to notice ? Who know? Most of the time Ram is the cheapest upgrade. But if your CPU, your GPU is slow like crap then you can dump 8Gb on board and the game is still crappy. It's about the whole system, not one component.
If I were to add another gig of RAM, would it have to be exactly the same as what's already in there? Or can it be anything, as long as it's the same type? I have a dual channel 1GB (512x2) in there right now. If I were to get another dual channel 1GB, would it all work?Sandro909
it probably will, but you have to make sure your motherboard can recognize 1 gig memory. if its relativly new it should be fine. also make sure what kind of ram, (ddr etc). the capacity shouldnt matter, as long as your motherboard recognizes it.
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