RAM: 2 x 2GB or 4 x 1GB?

Hey! I want to get 4GB of RAM and was wondering which is better performance-wise: two 2GB sticks or four 1GB sticks?

4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Tapout_076

It helps shorten load times and raises minimum FPS.

4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Tapout_076

I know this is gamespot, but he doesn't say this is for games.... 4GB of ram can certainly be neccessary... depending on what your doing. 4GB + 64-bit will likely give at least superficial performance benefits. 64-bit Vista will supposedly load more of itself into RAM... NOt sure if thats true, just something I read.

[QUOTE="Tapout_076"]4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..musclesforcier

It helps shorten load times and raises minimum FPS.

The main reason you want 2x2 instead of 1x4 is stability reasons. When it comes ot DDR2, the majority of mobo's out there have some serious problems with using all fours slots. This has gotten better over the past year, but it's still a pretty bad issue. DDR3 boards also seem to have issues with this, but not on the same level as the older DDR2 mobo's.

Things like BSOD's, refusing to POST, or eratic locks are quite common on many a 1x4 system. Things get even worse when you try to overclock with 1x4. I'm not saying that you cant use 1x4 sticks, I'm just suggesting that you try to avoid a fairly common problem that many people have and use 2x2 instead.

4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Tapout_076

Actually, 4GB is a good choice. Upcoming games like Far Cry 2 require 2GB for recommended specs, so having 4 will ensure that you'll be completely safe. I just upgraded from 2GB to 4GB, and I can clearly see the difference. Windows starts up in like 15 seconds (helps that I have a high-end Core 2 Duo).

But to answer the original question of having 2 x 2gb or 4 x 1gb, I would assume that either is fine, but having 2 x 2gb will save you some ram slots for the future.

Bioshock: average framrate

2GB 83.5, 4GB 83.7 difference 0.2%

Call of Duty 4:

2GB 70.3, 4GB 71.4 difference 1.5%

Company of Heroes:

2GB 53.8, 4GB 54.2 difference 0.7%

Crysis:

2GB 62.8, 4GB 67.8 difference 7.9%

Stalker:

2GB 170.7, 4GB 172.9 difference 1.3%

World in Conflict:

2GB 61, 4GB 61 difference 0.0%

Bioshock: average framrate

2GB 83.5, 4GB 83.7 difference 0.2%

Call of Duty 4:

2GB 70.3, 4GB 71.4 difference 1.5%

Company of Heroes:

2GB 53.8, 4GB 54.2 difference 0.7%

Crysis:

2GB 62.8, 4GB 67.8 difference 7.9%

Stalker:

2GB 170.7, 4GB 172.9 difference 1.3%

World in Conflict:

2GB 61, 4GB 61 difference 0.0%

Tapout_076

4GB of memory won't have a drastic effect on the overall framerate of a game, but it would make the game load much faster relative to 2GB of memory. Also, the minimum framerate would increase, which explains why some games see an increase in overall framerate

I had this problem, so I had to get 2x 2gig or ram. oh well

The main reason you want 2x2 instead of 1x4 is stability reasons. When it comes ot DDR2, the majority of mobo's out there have some serious problems with using all fours slots. This has gotten better over the past year, but it's still a pretty bad issue. DDR3 boards also seem to have issues with this, but not on the same level as the older DDR2 mobo's.

Things like BSOD's, refusing to POST, or eratic locks are quite common on many a 1x4 system. Things get even worse when you try to overclock with 1x4. I'm not saying that you cant use 1x4 sticks, I'm just suggesting that you try to avoid a fairly common problem that many people have and use 2x2 instead.

kodai

I read somewhere that AMD chips do better with all four DIMMs full...I can't remember where though, but if it's true it is something to consider if by chance your system is AMD based.Newsboy

AMD has memory controlled integrated in AMD CPU, while Intel CPU don't... So AMD CPU handle RAM better than Intel, but just DDR2...

That's why the next i7 (Intel nehalem CPU) has memory controlled integrated in Intel CPU to surpass this issue...

[QUOTE="Newsboy"]I read somewhere that AMD chips do better with all four DIMMs full...I can't remember where though, but if it's true it is something to consider if by chance your system is AMD based.Aldouz

AMD has memory controlled integrated in AMD CPU, while Intel CPU don't... So AMD CPU handle RAM better than Intel, but just DDR2...

That's why the next i7 (Intel nehalem CPU) has memory controlled integrated in Intel CPU to surpass this issue...

2x2GB, leaves room if you wanten to go crazy and get 8GB of ram in the future. However 3GB is all you really need now and 2GB is completely fine. zaku101

[QUOTE="Aldouz"]

[QUOTE="Newsboy"]I read somewhere that AMD chips do better with all four DIMMs full...I can't remember where though, but if it's true it is something to consider if by chance your system is AMD based.Lach0121

AMD has memory controlled integrated in AMD CPU, while Intel CPU don't... So AMD CPU handle RAM better than Intel, but just DDR2...

That's why the next i7 (Intel nehalem CPU) has memory controlled integrated in Intel CPU to surpass this issue...

Me too absolutely buy intel chipset Mobo, but not intel brand Mobo, never... I'll go with MSI, ASUS (great BIOS Update) or Gigabyte Mobo... and DDR3 for nehalem, maybe because i7 has triple channel memory we will see 3pair DDR3 selling as one pact soon...

[QUOTE="Lach0121"][QUOTE="Aldouz"]

[QUOTE="Newsboy"]I read somewhere that AMD chips do better with all four DIMMs full...I can't remember where though, but if it's true it is something to consider if by chance your system is AMD based.Aldouz

AMD has memory controlled integrated in AMD CPU, while Intel CPU don't... So AMD CPU handle RAM better than Intel, but just DDR2...

That's why the next i7 (Intel nehalem CPU) has memory controlled integrated in Intel CPU to surpass this issue...

Me too absolutely buy intel chipset Mobo, but not intel brand Mobo, never... I'll go with MSI, ASUS (great BIOS Update) or Gigabyte Mobo... and DDR3 for nehalem, maybe because i7 has triple channel memory we will see 3pair DDR3 selling as one pact soon...

Bioshock: average framrate

2GB 83.5, 4GB 83.7 difference 0.2%

Call of Duty 4:

2GB 70.3, 4GB 71.4 difference 1.5%

Company of Heroes:

2GB 53.8, 4GB 54.2 difference 0.7%

Crysis:

2GB 62.8, 4GB 67.8 difference 7.9%

Stalker:

2GB 170.7, 4GB 172.9 difference 1.3%

World in Conflict:

2GB 61, 4GB 61 difference 0.0%

Tapout_076

Like I said it helps min the most, which is more important then average. I would take 45 avg with 30 min over 60 avg with 15 min.

[QUOTE="Tapout_076"]4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Captain__Tripps

I know this is gamespot, but he doesn't say this is for games.... 4GB of ram can certainly be neccessary... depending on what your doing. 4GB + 64-bit will likely give at least superficial performance benefits. 64-bit Vista will supposedly load more of itself into RAM... NOt sure if thats true, just something I read.

Thats true. I just upgraded to 4GB and vista 64 .Games oading times are cut in half and vista loads faster and it's more responsive.

4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Tapout_076

Then be happy with your 2gb and let the rest of us enjoy faster loads times, laugh it up cowboy

Bioshock: average framrate

2GB 83.5, 4GB 83.7 difference 0.2%

Call of Duty 4:

2GB 70.3, 4GB 71.4 difference 1.5%

Company of Heroes:

2GB 53.8, 4GB 54.2 difference 0.7%

Crysis:

2GB 62.8, 4GB 67.8 difference 7.9%

Stalker:

2GB 170.7, 4GB 172.9 difference 1.3%

World in Conflict:

2GB 61, 4GB 61 difference 0.0%

Tapout_076

I had 4gb of memory, but one of my 2gb sticks broke so I had to send it in meaning I only had 2gb during that time. Most games were fine but Company of Heroes stuttered much more when I played it. Playing it brought my mem usage up to 95%. I say 4gb is sorta unnecessary but 2gb may sometimes be a little low. 3gb seems good. But at that point, it is only $25 more for another 1gb.

what on earth are you going to do with 4gb!!!!! anyway 2x2 is better but if you are going to upgrade in the future only 1 stick is recommendeddhruv7000

For modern PC's with dual-channel RAM, 1 stick is NEVER recommended, unless you want to run in single channel???.

And triple channel is righ around the corner, hehehehe.

4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Tapout_076

4Gb of Ram is not necessary. It makes me laugh when people say that you need 4Gb to run Vista 64-bit for gaming. The benchmarks clearly show that that you don't need more then 2Gb..Tapout_076