Worthwhile to get 2Gig of RAM? (from 1Gig)

[Ross Stone]

Hey All,

Just wondering if its worth while for me to an extra 1Gb of Ram in my computer? Would I notice much performance increase with my current setup. I normally don't notice slow down from having to little ram. Infact, since I have had the PC, I have never noticed any slowdown really. But always good if I can make it faster with little effort or cost.

My System Information
CPU: AMD X2 3800+
Mainboard: Asus A8N SLi Premium
Mem: 1GB Corsair Tx 3200
HDD: 160G Seagate SATA2
Video: 2 x XFX 256MB 6800GS
Sound: Creative SB Audigy-SE 7.1
Display: 2 x LG 19" TFT 8m

Uses: Eve Online, Oblivion, Database Creation, General Office Work, Always Winamp Open, and Google Desktop for Keeping Track fo Data on my NAS, etc. Multiple Internet Explorers and Opera Web Browser open too.

Task Manager never reports over 800Mb of Ram being used though, even with 2 Eve Clients running, WMP with a DVD playing, and a Browser, so would I notice a increased performance?

I am seeing alot of PC's now with 1.5 or 2Gb now, so i am just wondering its it worth while? Any opinions would be great.

Thanks
Ross

[vicar]

Why not, so long as you have free slot/s to stick it in. Bottopm line it won't hurt your system and would come in useful if & when multitasking

[kempez]

Well it depends if your trying t play games that want that much RAM. I've noticed the extra gives me a much smoother gaming experience in BF-2, F.E.A.R. and Oblivion amongst others

Plus it makes windows "recover" quicker from playing a big game such as BF-2

[Ross Stone]

Was typing this...

The upgrade would cost £72.85 Inc VAT from Scan so if its not gonna help alot, then its not worth while. I have the money for the upgrade, I would just not waste money if its not needed.

Infact, it might be better to wait until Vista comes out and then get an upgrade when I actually need the memory? And when its cheaper?

Then read what Kempez said...

Increasing the time it takes for windows to recover after closing games is an issue! Those few moments when it reloads the start bar and icons. I play FEAR and Oblivion and get this to some extent, so I am thinking it may be worth while to increase the memory to reduce this. Thanks, thats a intresting point.

Guess it does no harm, and means I won't have to worry about an upgrade in the future. And I have the cash at the moment. Hmm.

Thanks for your input.

[Lee H]

I've gone from 1 Gb to 2 Gb and seen better performance in CS, HL2, BF2, DoD2 and everything I do seems to feel more fluid.

[kempez]

I've gone from 1 Gb to 2 Gb and seen better performance in CS, HL2, BF2, DoD2 and everything I do seems to feel more fluid.

Yep same here. Windows uses that extra RAM to make it a far more pleasent experience

[Ross Stone]

I've gone from 1 Gb to 2 Gb and seen better performance in CS, HL2, BF2, DoD2 and everything I do seems to feel more fluid.

Ok, I am convinced...

[MantisCSS]

ive also gone from 1 GB to 2GB and everythign runs alot smoother. i would say its deffernatly worth it.

[Ross Stone]

Thanks everyone for the information, much appriciated.
Looking forward to an increase in smoothness from this.

[Hans Voralberg]

Report your result / feeling after the change Help people after you.

[Ross Stone]

I will do, (pretty sure I can remember)

Currently Scan have my computer, so when I get it back it will have the extra ram in, and I can see how it performs compared to the past few months.

Will report the result. With any luck the performance will be worth the £72.85 I just spent.

[TooNice]

The only thing that makes me relunctant to upgrade is that DDR is end of the line. All the next gen stuff are going to be DDR2.

[acidrainy]

I play WoW a lot. In that particular game, upgrading to 2meg has made a massive change.
For those who play it, IF/Orgramar does not lag for me and zoning only takes a matter of seconds. For those who don't, that last statement is one hell of an achievement.

[[GSV]Trig]

Do it.

[dangel]

Nods. Do it!

[Ross Stone]

Report your result / feeling after the change Help people after you.

Ok, so I now have 2Gb of Ram, and yes, I can say for gaming, everything seems far more fluid. Its hard to notice a difference straight off. Games are fluid, but they always were. But it does seem more plesent though, although maybe I am being bias? You don't notice the game running better, although it probably is, but you do notice the games not slowing down.

Closing Games, or Alt Tabing is much faster now though. Its quite suprising that the biggest change I noticed was when I close games and then windows appears instantly on screen. Windows seems to always be fluid and responcive no matter what I have open, etc. Its nice having the start button always be instant, etc.

So thanks, it was a good idea to upgrade, its cheap and my PC is even more pleasent to use. Not bad for £70 really.