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256MB. Is More RAM a Must?

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diggingforgold

Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2001
Location
Augusta Twp, MI
I've got 256MB PC2700 RAM in my AthlonXP 2000+ system. I know 512MB is standard now, but how much of a difference would I see if I added another 256MB?

I've seen all the articles and posts about 2 sticks making a bad OC, but overall, would $XX.xx for another stick be worth it as far as performace?

<--Specs are in my avatar.
 
With certain games I know 256 is minimum in terms of performance. I play BF1942 on my bro's system which has 256MB SDRAM and it struggles along because he's low on system memory. He's running XP Pro and periodicly he'll have low system memory warnings pop up. I try to run it on my system but it's really slow for the first few minutes after which I only get minimal slow downs (it could be a lot smoother). But 2 sticks won't really affect your overclock so much. The best thing to do is test both sticks seperately to get a general idea of how each performs. You'll only be limited by your lowest stick. I think it would make a difference!! Check out OC-Master's thread regarding increasing system memory.

Hope That Helped!!:D
 
With windows xp, 512 does help. I went from 256 to 512 pc2700 and it's a lot smoother. No more slowdown due to disk swapping. Hope that helps
 
512MB seems to be a magical number. I think it was Win95 or Win98 that couldn't handle more than that.

Personally, i've always tried to use 1 stick of 512 as it seems to be the easiest way and also seems to be getting cheaper everyday.

It makes me cringe to think of what I paid for my 256MB PC100 back in the days when it was new compared to what you can get now.

But, if you are really into overclocking and getting THE most out of your system then maybe you would see a difference inbetween 1 and 2 sticks. Otherwise, if your like most of us who just overclock to get a faster machine I would say adding a second stick would do a lot of good for running your programs.
 
with RAM, having surplus is the important thing. As soon as you don't have enough your system slows to a crawl.

I'd love to see a system that could utilize PC133 as a "swap file". 256DDR is fine most of the time, while single rate PC133 is so much better than HDD and so much cheaper than DDR. They do sell it on PCI cards but they're expensive and I think slower than an onboard solution would be.
 
ok ive read ppl saying 512 is the norm now. isnt so in my books.
256 mb is planty for anyone but gamers and cad people and heavy users.
i have 512 and my usage never goes above 150mb unless im playing games or using photoshop.
btw i reboot once a day also.this helps keep everything fresh also.
 
I use Windows XP home and do some minor gaming (unreal tournament, ghost recon) and have only had 256MB DDR and noticed no slow downs or problems. I have also transferred video from my dv camcorder, edited it, and burned it onto cd's, with no problems. If you are not noticing problems, you are ok for the time being. How far into the future will you be ok? That's hard to say. You will probably want to invest in some maybe after the holidays.
 
i dont have more than 256mb in any of my machines, and i've never noticed a problem. sure my 3dmark score is lower, and perhaps i lost a few FPS in shooters, but it doesnt matter, i cant tell.

windows XP and 2k are tweakable to the point where they will run very smooth with even 128mb of RAM..
 
I would say go with 512mb especially if you are running win xp... It will keep the system from basically stopping if you run out of ram
 
Yea.... 512's like "standard" but if you run a lot of games or digital editing, consider going 1gb. :)
 
digital editing and various things like yes 1GB +...games I would say 512 is more than enough for now...

I am about to order 2 sticks of 256 (SD :() and sell these two sticks of 128 - bf1942 me do it :)

next system I build for me is definetly going to have 2x 512 though as I cant see it being too long before just 512 on its own starts showing its limits
 
ninthebin said:
digital editing and various things like yes 1GB +...games I would say 512 is more than enough for now...


Hmmm... Depends what games... UT2003- maybe survive on 512. Doom3/UT2 when they're released? maybe, but prob starting to show a real struggle...

Also, if you like running 2 or more high- usage, resource-hungry programs at once, like a game and a DVD you need 1Gb.
 
512 is "The Bomb", get the most out of your games and just boost your windows XP performance.

512 isnt the minimum tho, 256 will get you where u need to be with ease but, 512 is definetly a good choice.
 
256 is still standard in many low-to-medium range PC's today, but IMHO is a little small...
 
Shoot for 512mb dude. You might not notice much but you will notice something. Its just great to have alot of memory.
 
Yes, especially for a new system.

When building an old system or a "my first computer" project, you could prob. get away with 64,128 or 256 :D
 
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