a question

[Brian]

okay, i'm planning to get a desktop computer in malaysia in a few months time and then bring it back over to the UK

i've been tracking ram prices over the past few months and the price drops have been huge

currently kingston's 1gb ddr2-667 ram module retails for rm140 at cycom

i've been thinking of getting 4gb straightaway, but seeing that 2gb memory modules have already been introduced in the market and that prices are dropping very rapidly, my question is:

should i go for 2*2gb or 4*1gb?

i reckon that prices will start going back up soon enough so i plan to ask a friend to get it asap.

the current plan for the pc is for it to last up to 2010++, and i'm kinda hoping that 4gb will last me in games till then, but knowing how quickly the computer industry moves, i doubt it.

as i see it, there's some pros and cons of getting 4*1gb and 2*2gb

4*1gb
pros : bloody cheap, bloody bloody cheap and it'll last you a longg while
cons: if you want to upgrade you gotta throw out a few sticks

2*2gb
pros : upgradeability in the future
cons: current price, although it may drop more in a few months time, but probably never going to reach the lows of the 4*1gb option, and if the prices rebound, going to have to pay a pretty penny for the option

there's been a third option that has been lingering in my mind, the 2*1gb then add another 4gb later option, but nah, i rather stick with 4 or 8

so yeah, what should i choose? =/

p.s. ddr667 or ddr800? i do plan to do a mild overclock, nothing too extreme, but i do realise that intel's 1333mhz fsb core 2 duos are coming, but i'm thinking of the core 2 quads(specifically, the q6600), which i believe will still be on a 1066mhz fsb then. so ddr667 or 800? =/

(and before anyone starts saying i'm lich, i'm currently suffering on a old sony notebook with an athlon xp 1500+ and 256mb ram, so yes a new computer's in order and i'm only paying a third of the cost)

[Max_87]

I would personally go for 2x2GB if I can afford it and it is not too much more expensive than 4x1GB.

[Papercut]

You need a 64-bit OS to make full use of 4GB, right? Someone correct me if I'm wrong

[PsYkHoTiK]

Originally Posted by Papercut

You need a 64-bit OS to make full use of 4GB, right? Someone correct me if I'm wrong

Yea, 32bit will only take up to 3GB max if I'm not mistaken.

64bit Windows has PAE (Physical Address Extension) that can use 4GB and upwards ram.

Worry not about lichess. lol. Just enjoy what you buy.

I would take DDR2-800...

[Brian]

well from what i heard the 32 bit edition of vista could take up to 4gb, it was more on the motherboard's implementation instead(been lurking around ars and anandtech forums)

anyway, the 2gb module prices i'm tracking are on newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...me=4GB(2+x+2GB)

currently about rm250/gb, which is about 1.8x the price of the 1gb modules

oh, and yes, one more question, this is for a friend

given a choice between the asus p5b(not deluxe or anything) and the gigabyte p965-ds3 motherboard, which would be better for a mild overclock from 2.4ghz(266mhz) to 3ghz(333mhz) for a e6600? thanks [i'll admit i'm a little biased against asus due to their higher prices]

[PsYkHoTiK]

From my understanding, 4GB is the max address space. But that includes the memory on other peripherals (like graphics cards or other addin cards with memory - X-Fi, RAID controllers, etc). This is why most people don't really get the same space available (those with 32bit Vista and 4GB of ram) as their hardware installed differs.

64bit has PAE which increases the limit. And honestly, I am a fan of 64bit. I used 64bit XP (and have both versions of Vista) and albeit the lack of some drivers, gaming performance was improved quite a bit on XP x64. Now all the drivers are there and working. I installed 32bit coz my brand new printer doesn't have vista drivers yet (have to mod the xp drivers to get it working - Damn HP!)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/aa366778.aspx

Home Basic with PAE supports 8GB. Other versions support even higher.

I would recommend you get the retail version (as it ships with both versions so you can choose which one but only one key).

[Adrian Wong]

Yeah, PsY is right. 4GB if the maximum addressable memory for 32-bit operating systems. Even 3GB is pushing it as you will need to leave some addressing space for the paging file, graphics memory, etc.

2GB is the sweet spot for 32-bit OS. If you want to go beyond that, better go 64-bit.

[Brian]

alright, 64 bit vista it is then, since there isn't any added cost anyway compared to 32 bit, but anyone have any idea on what motherboard's 'better' ?

p.s. went back to do some reading and realised that the limitation still existed with 64 bit versions of vista due to older motherboards and chipsets, nothing to do with the 32 bit edition, kinda mixed it all up

and yes, a reply to the original question would be appreciated

[PsYkHoTiK]

Well I was merely pointing out the software aspect of it. Hardware aside. As for hardware, older hardware would be irrelevant as you're getting new stuff.

I really can't say which one to go to. Not sure how the particular chipsets take the ram (command rate?) Ideally find one that won't sacrifice too much latency for bandwith and strike a draw inbetween.

[Chai]

I don't think getting 2x2gb will help longetivity. DDR3 is coming!