Headlines - Corsair: 4GiB of RAM better than 2GiB!

[HEXUS]

Breaking news from Corsair; there are significant performance benefits of 4GiB of memory for gaming PCs.

Read more.

[stevie lee]

ooh shocking!

can they test 8gb versus 4gb now please, seen as 8gb is only around £120.

what i'm thinking is which is better 2gb ddr3 @ £120 ish, or 8gb of ddr2 @ £120 ish. i would just like to know which, seen as my current pc has lasted almost 7 years. i would like my new one to do the same.

[Funkstar]

In other news, Core 2 Duo processors are faster than Core 2 processors

[this_is_gav]

ooh shocking!

can they test 8gb versus 4gb now please, seen as 8gb is only around £120.

what i'm thinking is which is better 2gb ddr3 @ £120 ish, or 8gb of ddr2 @ £120 ish. i would just like to know which, seen as my current pc has lasted almost 7 years. i would like my new one to do the same.

The advantage 8gb will bring to most is debatable. Any process in a 32-bit system can only address 2gb, so the move to 4gb would allow more breathing space for other tasks, leaving that full 2gb to games, should it want it. The test system they used supposedly had Vista x64 installed, so that advantage is somewhat different, as I doubt many of the tests used more than about 3gb in total. Where 8gb really shines is in 64-bit Vista, and to SuperFetch, 8gb is like gold dust. Most programs are so much quicker than XP when it gets to learn what programs you use.

I've got 8gb, but I only did so for SuperFetch, as there are barely any 64-bit programs out there, and I wasn't paying full price for it.

Of your 2 choices, easily the 8gb DDR2.

[DeSean]

2 of my memoory modules recently broke, leaving me with 2GB. The system was still fast, but the application loading times under Vista when I went back to 4GB are amazing.

[Yellowbeard]

We are doing some 8gb testing and plan to do more. Initially there are some improvements but initially not as much as from 2gb to 4gb. We'll publish the info when we have it. Watch for more great work from Gareth.

[TheVoice]

In other news, Core 2 Duo processors are faster than Core 2 processors

That doesn't make sense...

[Yellowbeard]

That doesn't make sense...

He's basically saying that 2 cores are better than a single just like 4gb is better than 2gb.

[Funkstar]

yeah, I was just being flippant, hope no-one took offence

I know it is useful to have actual figures against this kind of thing, especially for those that aren't as geeky as the rest of us.

[badass]

The advantage 8gb will bring to most is debatable. Any process in a 32-bit system can only address 2gb, so the move to 4gb would allow more breathing space for other tasks, leaving that full 2gb to games, should it want it. The test system they used supposedly had Vista x64 installed, so that advantage is somewhat different, as I doubt many of the tests used more than about 3gb in total. Where 8gb really shines is in 64-bit Vista, and to SuperFetch, 8gb is like gold dust. Most programs are so much quicker than XP when it gets to learn what programs you use.

I've got 8gb, but I only did so for SuperFetch, as there are barely any 64-bit programs out there, and I wasn't paying full price for it.

Of your 2 choices, easily the 8gb DDR2.

Have you switched off the swap file? With 8GB you should be able to without losing stability and when I did it with 4GB, it was noticably faster.

[this_is_gav]

There's no point. The swap file just doesn't dim everyday performance like it once did. Proof of that is how little ReadyBoost helps with lots of RAM.

[badass]

There's no point. The swap file just doesn't dim everyday performance like it once did. Proof of that is how little ReadyBoost helps with lots of RAM.

The theory's all well and good ,but in practice it doesn't work. Try it and you'll notice the difference.
http://forums.hexus.net/operating-sy...anagement.html
Read that thread for my rant at Windows rubbish use of the swap file.

[baius]

can they test 8gb versus 4gb now please, seen as 8gb is only around £120.

what i'm thinking is which is better 2gb ddr3 @ £120 ish, or 8gb of ddr2 @ £120 ish.

Certainly agree with your first statement. Useful to know about the whole "range". (Watch how someone says "what about 16gib?" now...)

I know it's been covered, but, probably, 4GiB (DDR2) will do for a while. Then again you want it to last 7 years.

Certainly get the 8-DDR2 rather than the 2-DDR3 - even if DDR3 was twice as fast as DDR2, (which I don't think it is,) you MIGHT choose 2GiB DDR3 over 4Gib DDR2, but not 8Gib.

We are doing some 8gb testing and plan to do more. ... We'll publish the info when we have it.

Thanking you in advance for publishing your findings ;-)

[badass]

Well, I've taken the plunge - just ordered 8GB (4x2GB) of XMS2 from Scan for a bargainous £116 ish. I can then disable the swap file without worrying about lack of memory crashing my computer (and I know about the bugchecking but who ever analyses their dump files)

[Yellowbeard]

"In a perfect world... spammers would get caught, go to jail, and share a cell with many men who have enlarged their penisses, taken Viagra and are looking for a new relationship."

They can also refinance their own home while eliminating credit card debt too!

[badass]

They can also refinance their own home while eliminating credit card debt too!

I've just noticed my sig has as bad spelling as most of my posts!