Do I need more memory?

K

Kathy

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 3, 2004
Messages
205
Hi everyone, will i notice any real difference in adding another stick of 512mb of memory to my Intel D845GBV motherboard? I have a Pen4 2.66Ghz. And I use WinXP Pro. ( I have 512 now)

Also is Crucial 2100 the best choice for my system? The book says it takes either 200 or 266 DDR.

Thanks, Kathy.
 
It all depends on what you are using the computer for. If you just use it to do stuff like email, Word, and cruising the internet etc. then you really won't see any benefit from it at all. However, if you do a lot of gaming, or 3D Modeling, running of several resource hogging applications at once etc. then yeah you would probably see a bit of a benefit from that (especially in load times etc. in games, might be a lot and it might be a little). A lot of people tend to believe 512MB is still norm in regards to requirements for RAM but i tend to think that nowadays (in the gaming sense) that more is better and i would start looking at 1GB as being the new standard for performance in a serious gamers rig. However, if you aren't a big gamer then spending the extra cash probably isn't really very justified. As for crucial being the best for you machine, well that also depends. I've never used crucial but i have heard they are pretty good, well at least if you aren't overclocking and since i haven't dealt with it i can't really say if it is good for overclocking or not, but i haven't heard much in regards to their RAM and overclocking. PC2100 is probably what you want since that is what your book says the motherboard takes, however there are several brands out there that you can get that make PC2100 (266 DDR). I have always liked Corsair since i have had luck with even their Value select line of RAM, that and they are a very reliable brand of RAM. However, some boards cooperate with RAM differently, however i woluld still think you wouldn't have a problem. Like i said it all depends on what you use your computer for and little (or big for that matter) things like whether or not you overclock etc. If you don't overclock or play games or use RAM intensive applications etc., you could probably throw just about any decent brand of RAM (no cheap stuff) in there and be ok. It all really depends on how you use your system. It would probably help if you provided more information about your system and how you use, if possible.
 
Wow, thanks for all the great info! :)

I do play games, but not as much as most serious gamers do. I use my system mostly for work related stuff. I have programs like Photo-Shop, MS Word & Excel, MS Streets, Internet Exp, and a program for loading pictures from my camera almost always running at the same time, along with the normal stuff running in the back ground like Norton Anti-Virus and ZoneAlarm. And sometimes I have Windows Media Player going to. :)

I think thats about it, I notice my system start to slow down after about an hour or two. Thats why i thought maybe more memory was needed? Anyway, thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate it!

Kathy
 
Given the new info, yes, you really will get your money's worth with more memory. Running a lot of stuff at once will cause a lot of paging, unless you have enough memory to handle it (which is why it starts bogging down after you get all your stuff up and running). Photoshop on its own will make good use of extra memory.
 
And Crucial memory is excellent. I have a stick of 256MB PC2100 that'll do PC2700 with better timings than a lot of generic PC2700 (PNY, Centon). Granted, you probably aren't going to overclock, but Crucial is quality memory nonetheless.
 
OK, thank you! I don't overclock anyway so that will be fine. Appreciate the information!

Kathy
 
Cardboard Hammer said:
And Crucial memory is excellent. I have a stick of 256MB PC2100 that'll do PC2700 with better timings than a lot of generic PC2700 (PNY, Centon). Granted, you probably aren't going to overclock, but Crucial is quality memory nonetheless.
Click to expand...


In reality, any of the top memory brands will do just fine. look for lifetime replacement.

I only buy these brands.

kingston
crucial
mushkin
corsair

some others (overclockers) love OCZ and geil, and a few brands i'm not mentioning (cause i dont remember), but sticking to any of the aforementioned brands will keep you very satisfied when buying memory.
 
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