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)
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...
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/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147+1052315794&name=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]
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/...bf-4823-4a12-afe1-5b40b2ad3725&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).
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.
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
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.
i heard it will only become mainstream in 2009, so who cares point is, i'm a buyer who buys for the long term, and i rather not throw out old components and stuff, and i'm of the impression that the more ram the better, so 2*2 or 4*1? i can always easily add 2*2gb ddr2 when the price drops later in the future, not being too bothered about ddr3 because i don't remember any significant performance gains with ddr2 compared to ddr when it first debuted, the main ones came after they ramped up the speed later else i wont be living with a (nearly) 6 year old system today [a little background, this pc is mainly for my uncle who i'm staying with, so once i leave his place he'll be using it exclusively and he simply wants it to last, which is why i've been thinking of 2*2gb, and no, he doesnt play any games, and i reckon that the amount of ram is pretty much the most important factor for him for longetivity, not ddr2/ddr3/graphics card/processor/hdd or blah]
Well the problem is not about performance gain from DD2 to DDR3. But upgradability, and stock availability. 2gb is more than sufficient if you are not using Vista. Honestly, I don't see a good reason why people should start using it now.
Hmm why do you need 4GB in the first place? unless you are going to run enterprise softwares or running multiple virtual machines at the same time, I doubt you'd need to have 4GB in the first place.
well, he wants it to last as long as possible before it needs an upgrade, and while i used to ask the question "why 4gb?", with such low memory prices, i find myself asking "why not 4gb?" instead and yeah i plan to use it as a gaming rig, till well, err, when i leave the place
my PC back at home has 1.5gb of RAM & its running XP .. so .. my dad only uses it for web stuffs or office stuffs will last him for quite sometime
Dude, why not you get 2*1GB now. Then when you switch to Vista, and you felt that you needed the extra 2GB, then only go for it. There's not much point in getting it now. And by then maybe the price for 2*1GB prices will be even lower.
because i'm starting off with vista i do realise that your statement has the unstated assumption of me getting a p edition, but no, i don't intend to get a p edition of xp or vista, so going straight to vista would be a more economical option besides, it means a bigger e-penis hmm but i'm kinda surprised though, i thought the consensus with such low memory prices was go for 4gb and forget 2gb for longetivity
