RAM Upgrade!!!!!

[abs]

Hello all.  I have been experiencing some issues with my computer (speed wise), especially in fs9.  i had 256mb ram. i spent $100 and put in a 512mb stick on top of that. Now, fs runs like a charm, and my computer is like a bullet.  they arent lying whaen they say that increasing ram is the cheapest way to improve performance.

[ctjoyce]

What are you specs currently? Also rember that if you have a PC 2700 256mb stick, and a PC 3200 512mb stick you will have problems in the future. If your unsure about your ram speeds then get cpu-z and check that out.

On another note, welcome to the upgradeing world. If you thought that you would only be doing a simple RAM upgrade you are dead wrong myfriend. Soon enough your gonna be plunking down for a new graphics card and processer etc when you realise how easy and fun it is.

Cheers
Cameron

[MWISimmer]

You're not wrong there Cameron!
I recently upgraded from 512mb to 1gb Dual channel RAM... what a difference...only thing is i now have to upgrade my graphics card! Oh, and get some better cooling...
BTW if you put PC3200 with PC2700 doesn't the faster stick slow to the speed of the slowest?
Good luck with future upgrades abs!
Rob.
P.S. $100 for 1 stick? Blimey i paid

[ctjoyce]

Well the faster stick will attain the speed of the slower, you can also rouin your memory that way (I found out the hard way). Anyway pop in another of the same 512 sticks and youll truely see the power of a gig

[Rifleman]

I noticed a slight improvement in my system when I upgraded from 1 gig of 2700 (2 x 512 -  266mhz ddr) to 1 gig of 3200(1 x 1024 - 400mhz ddr)......now I see a further increase in performance since adding a second 1gig of 3200........

[congo]

....now I see a further increase in performance since adding a second 1gig of 3200........

You might notice it, but it defies science and logic.

Look in Task Manager while using your application and see over 1gb of ram lying idle in wait, doing absolutely nothing but using resources to register the extra ram.

[Tweek]

Saving up for another 512 atm. Problem is, I've got two 256s, and only 2 slots. May have to trade them in, sell them, or swap them with my dads

[4_Series_Scania]

now I see a further increase in performance since adding a second 1gig of 3200........

Play Battlefield 2 then do we? - Nothing, and I mean nothing (game wise),BF2 excluded, that I've seen on my two friends 2gb systems runs any better than it does on my 1gb system.

Don't kid yourself, 2GB imo, is overkill, BF2 requires 2GB to run at its optimum, however, its certainly fine with 1GB and an optimised system.

[abs]

Thanks for all your advice and comments. sorry for the delay in response. hurricane wilma knocked out (yes, 2-3 weeks after) my dsl for a while again.

[congo]

Additional RAM is not a magic cure.

A system which has a shortfall of RAM, will suffer performance loss immediately, the loss may appear profound in some applications.

A system with sufficient RAM, should be capable of running the complete system overhead plus any running applications in memory if required. This includes security software, sound, graphics and the myriad of background routines people commonly have installed on their systems.

More RAM than required is a complete waste and should be recognised as such, but a healthy overhead is also desirable.

I have on a few occasions seen my system overhead at about 900mb. This gives me a 10% overhead at max usage. I think I'm fine with 1gb of RAM, and I doubt an extension to 2gb would make any difference to me.

It depends on your requirements and your particular PC installation.

I seek always to free the system from overhead applications and reduce the amount of running programs to a minimum.   This is primarily because I wish to reserve CPU power for dedicated applications such as FS9.

Sure, you can leave more junk running and multitask with 2gb of RAM, but I think that 1gb is sufficient on current PC architecture as long as some planning and maintenance occurs on PC installations. More RAM entices Laziness on the part of the user to just run everything, to the detriment of performance when you really need it, the CPU is overloaded before you run out of RAM.

I don't have hard evidence of my above rant, it just seems like common sense.

Add to that  - cost, current system incompatibilities with 2gb of RAM installed, and the slight performance hit you take on a 2gb RAM system, and I believe one should carefully consider the choice, depending on their circumstances.