Upgrade to 1GB RAM worth it?

[i810 Forever]

Right now I've got 2x256MB TwinMOS PC-3200, and it craps out at 212Mhz in my IC7 w/ P4 2.4B SL6RZ (a golden chip from AZN, should be watercooled this weekend).

Would I see any speed boost in upgrading from 2x256MB PC-3200 to 2x512MB PC-3500 (most likely a DCDDR OCZ PC-3500 EL kit, people have been hitting 250Mhz on the PC-3500EL sticks it seems)? All I really do is gaming on here (BF1942, Medal of Honor, Jedi Knight 2, IL2-Sturmovik, Eliteforce 1 & 2, etc., going to be home gaming & LAN partying all summer long too :) )

I know there was a nice speed boost when I upgraded from 256MB to 512MB RAM in Battlefield 1942 (loading times sped up a LOT)- so I'd assume loading times would be great with 1GB RAM.

Is it worth it? I have a friend that'll gladly take my TwinMOS off my hand for $100 and some other various unused parts for $70, so I'd only have to cough up $130 to upgrade to 1GB PC-3500EL (and working and having no car, insurance, dont have to pay for housing, etc., coughing up $130 isnt really a problem).

Upgrade to 1GB (2x512MB OCZ PC-3500 EL)- yay or nay?

[Nevandal]

I know the simple fact that you want a lot of ram for games.

For everquest you need 512+256 in order to run the game with the newer luclin graphics without using virtual memory.

I got a gig in my system (it just shpped today) and I can't wait for it to come in. I called in and special ordered the extra RAM for that purpose (the system is supposed to only come with 512).



AND, if your motherboard supports the higher bandwidth of 3500....it will be an even bigger speed increase....especially with videogames.

I say go for it.

[SemiCycle]

I believe 1GB of memory for a gaming rig is WAY overkill.

Also, I've noticed the more memory you have in your system, the lower your OC will be.

[diggingforgold]

I'm still living off a single stick of 256MB. Yes, memory will be my next upgrade.

I used to have 512MB, but had to donate a stick to my folding rig. There was a noticable improvement with twice as much ram.

[SemiCycle]

from 256 to 512, you can see a big improvement, but for a gaming rig, I think you will have diminishing returns.

[ktn]

Depends what games, if you stick with those games you listed then don't bother. Games like planetside tho use well over 512mb of ram. I'm sure d3/hl2 will also be up there. So, might as well do it imo.

[Mark Larson]

I have 1GB of Samsung PC3200 and i'm at 210Mhz 6-3-3-2.5, 2.77v.

[rottenspam]

I gig is hardly overkill anymore. Unreal tournament 2003 can easily gobble up 768+ megs of memory as well as battle field 1942, etc. There are pleanty of games that can and do benifit from more memory. I'm planning on upgrading to 1.0 gigs this week. Just deciding if I should go with registered memory or not.

As for over clocking the more sticks of memory you add the more you over clocking head room would be reduced. So if you want 1 gig, going with 2x512 sticks would be a lot smarter then 4x256 sticks, not that most mobo's out there support 4 sticks of unregistered ram. If you want serious amounts of ram like I see quite a few people running 1.0Gb+ I'd suggest looking into registered ram. Most mobo's require it to populate all the slots.

[RichieRuss2000]

I’ve just gone from 512MB to 1GB of TwinMOS PC3700... The biggest advantage of the extra memory is running with no swap for that instantaneous windows response...:)

[altec]

I think that 1Gig of ram is a little overkill. The only thing that you are going to see a big performance gain from that is exereme multitasking.

[Mark Larson]

Originally posted by altec
I think that 1Gig of ram is a little overkill. The only thing that you are going to see a big performance gain from that is exereme multitasking.
Trust me, that gain is much more noticeable than a few hundred Mhz (from 1.46Ghz to 2.2Ghz)

[Akumu X]

I've seen SOME sped up loading times...that's about it.
The memory prices are so damned low that even with just the sole benefit being "Battlefield 1942 loads quicker" I'd recommend it.

My second stick ran me $80...I thought they wouldn't go any lower...wrong. :p

[WyrmMaster]

well, i have a gig of ram, and i have personally seen my memory usage go OVER 700mb when running BF1942...

i say go for it, its worth it, and you wont have to upgrade your ram for a long time. (hopefully)

[KnowlesTech]

I beta tested PlanetSide with 512 DDR 2100, then a week later got another stick *for a different machine* and popped it in and played PlanetSide again. WOW, there was a big speed increase especially on initialization. I checked TM and PS was using over 400MB of my RAM. I use the static VM method using 1.5gb on each drive as VM, I use 512MB standard but I know from testing that because XP Pro can actually use what you tell it to that 1GB is no where near over kill if you Program in VB, Use 3 or more proggies to make a single web simultaneously, are a big graphics maker like Adobe, PSP8, or Corel. 1GB helps especially with Corel since you can dictate drive usage and make it rely on your RAM instead. If all you do is read forums and check your email, 1GB is an overkill. If you actually use your machine then it is essential. I do all of this and more daily :D hint:if you use Poser 5 or 3DSMax, etc. 1GB + makes it all the better... I can't believe it would hurt CAD users either. I am gonna get MAX 3GB so i can be ready for DOOM III :D
http://www.knowlestech.net/ocpics/COMPA3.GIF

[Daven]

Originally posted by SemiCycle
I believe 1GB of memory for a gaming rig is WAY overkill.

Also, I've noticed the more memory you have in your system, the lower your OC will be.

That's not necessarily true. As for improvements in games, when i went to a gig from 512, i didnt get any increase im my 3dmark, but some of the games will run ALLOT smoother with the extra memory because of the higer system resources it will take, but right now, not that many games really need it.

[Adonis]

When I moved from 512 to a full gig my system ran so much smoother it was unbelievable. I wouldn't consider going back to less.