Will I notice a difference?

Klax · 07-04-2009, 06:24 PM

Will I notice a difference if I upgraded my ram from 4GB to 8GB?

Computers specs are in signature.

(Computer used for gaming, music, movies, internet, file storage)

Tumbleweed36 · 07-04-2009, 07:12 PM

While you might notice a difference in very stringent and memory intensive programs, quite honesty, the difference won't be much more than just a small tad at times and few and far between, since programs rarely access that much memory. IMHO, not worth the cost to go above 4 gigs for most usage.

Others may have different opinions, but that is mine anyhow.

fej2008 · 07-04-2009, 07:25 PM

I agree with tumbleweed, unless you plan on running memory intensive programs all at the same time in one sitting. As tumble said, " not worth the cost to go above 4 gigs for most usage."

**Tyree** · 07-04-2009, 08:07 PM

4 GB of RAM is quite sufficient.

Klax · 07-05-2009, 02:39 AM

One more question: If I upgraded from 4GB DDR2 800 to 4GB DDR2 1066, would I notice a difference?

Tumbleweed36 · 07-05-2009, 04:50 AM

That actually might depend upon which motherboard you have and what it supports. In most instances, I hardly doubt it would be worth the effort to do that one (even if your board supported faster memory) and the likelyhood of improvement would at best be minimal and not really cost/efficient enough to justify changing the total memory out.

That is my opinion on your situation. Why not list specs and tell us what you are trying to achieve in speed, then we might be able to offer suggestions on that.

**Tyree** · 07-05-2009, 07:35 AM

As Tumbleweed36 said it would depend on your Mobo. DDR2800 is the sweet spot.

Sir Arun · 07-05-2009, 11:34 AM

Well I think when it comes to the usage of memory intensive programs (Crysis), you might actually see a difference of roughly 5 FPS running 8GB RAM compared to 4GB RAM at high resolutions where even the best GPU (GTX295) would otherwise yield only 25 FPS. Or am I wrong?

**wrench97** · 07-05-2009, 11:58 AM

Check it Task manager while playing for the amount of ram actually used. you'll find your not even using close to 4 gig let alone 8 gig.

**Tyree** · 07-05-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrench97

Check it Task manager while playing for the amount of ram actually used. you'll find your not even using close to 4 gig let alone 8 gig.

Ditto: 4GB of RAM is more than any apps will use.

Klax · 07-05-2009, 03:07 PM

Okay, my motherboard is now listed in my signature.

Klax · 07-05-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyree

As Tumbleweed36 said it would depend on your Mobo. DDR2800 is the sweet spot.

What do you mean DDR2 800 is the "sweet spot"? DDR2 1066 is surely better?

~~zerofire~~ · 07-06-2009, 12:57 AM

I can guarantee you that DDR2 800 has left the most wanted list. DDR2 1066 is right now the "norm" for computers packing DDR2 modules. Why do you think so many people come in and ask why their memory is below the spec rated when they start it up the first time? We have to tell them to manually set the correct speed in the BIOS so many times its becoming scary.

Klax · 07-06-2009, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerofire

I can guarantee you that DDR2 800 has left the most wanted list. DDR2 1066 is right now the "norm" for computers packing DDR2 modules. Why do you think so many people come in and ask why their memory is below the spec rated when they start it up the first time? We have to tell them to manually set the correct speed in the BIOS so many times its becoming scary.

Now you've got 'this newb' paranoid that his RAM may not be up to speed...

Okay, so I see 2 timings in the CPU-Z Timings Table: Left says 266 MHz, Right says 400 Mhz... What is it running at? Why are there 2 different tables? Is this the correct speed or should I up it?

**wrench97** · 07-06-2009, 01:33 AM

CPUz shows actual clock speed DDR= Double Data Rate it reads/writes on the up and down pulse DDR2 800 will show as 400, 1066 as 533, 266 is 533, the table your looking at tells you the speeds the ram is capable of running.

Klax · 07-06-2009, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrench97

CPUz shows actual clock speed DDR= Double Data Rate it reads/writes on the up and down pulse DDR2 800 will show as 400, 1066 as 533, 266 is 533, the table your looking at tells you the speeds the ram is capable of running.

Okay, and the DRAM Frequency on the memory tab is at 400MHz, does that mean its running at proper speed?

EDIT: More uber newb questions for you: Umm... CPU-Z also informs me that my RAM is running Single Channel. I've got them in Slot 1 and 2. Do I need to put them in slots 1 and 3 to enable Dual Channel? And if so, does Dual Channel even make a difference?

Klax · 07-06-2009, 02:14 AM

K, I've got Dual-Channel enabled now :D

Luckily I noticed that inside my case, my CPU fan had fallen off of the heatsink and was laying on top of my video card.

**linderman** · 07-06-2009, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klax

What do you mean DDR2 800 is the "sweet spot"? DDR2 1066 is surely better?

1066mhz ram speed is not really a setting you can just "choose"

you achieve 1066mhz ram speed thru overclockign the system ..........if you want a boost, you can overclock that rig if you have an aftermarket cooler and a decent power supply

that would yield the most muscle by far.......... getting it up to 3.0ghz or 3.2 would wake up your game play for sure!

Klax · 07-06-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linderman

..........if you want a boost, you can overclock that rig if you have an aftermarket cooler and a decent power supply

For cooling, I gots: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134
EDIT: Also, I've got this case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144151
Currently, I've got the 2 fans that came with it, and 2 spare fans that I've been very lazy to put in cause I think I've got to unscrew the front panel or something.

And for PSU, I gots: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182017

I'm guessing that's not the best PSU for overclocking, what do you guys think?

**wrench97** · 07-06-2009, 02:14 PM

Your right about the PSU, I would not even think of OC'ing with a 550w Rosewill and 8800GT your pushing it pretty hard already.

07-04-2009, 06:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
Klax Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: FL Posts: 39 OS: Windows XP x64 My System	Will I notice a difference? Will I notice a difference if I upgraded my ram from 4GB to 8GB? Computers specs are in signature. (Computer used for gaming, music, movies, internet, file storage) __________________ GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L, 550W PSU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 G.SKILL GeForce 8800GT 512MB, 750GB HDD Last edited by Klax; 07-04-2009 at 06:25 PM.

07-04-2009, 07:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,673 OS: XP Professional	Re: Will I notice a difference? While you might notice a difference in very stringent and memory intensive programs, quite honesty, the difference won't be much more than just a small tad at times and few and far between, since programs rarely access that much memory. IMHO, not worth the cost to go above 4 gigs for most usage. Others may have different opinions, but that is mine anyhow. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

07-04-2009, 07:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
fej2008 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 263 OS: Windows XP SP2	Re: Will I notice a difference? I agree with tumbleweed, unless you plan on running memory intensive programs all at the same time in one sitting. As tumble said, " not worth the cost to go above 4 gigs for most usage."

07-04-2009, 08:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,719 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Will I notice a difference? 4 GB of RAM is quite sufficient. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

07-05-2009, 02:39 AM	#5 (permalink)
Klax Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: FL Posts: 39 OS: Windows XP x64 My System	Re: Will I notice a difference? One more question: If I upgraded from 4GB DDR2 800 to 4GB DDR2 1066, would I notice a difference? __________________ GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L, 550W PSU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 G.SKILL GeForce 8800GT 512MB, 750GB HDD Last edited by Klax; 07-05-2009 at 02:41 AM.

07-05-2009, 04:50 AM	#6 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,673 OS: XP Professional	Re: Will I notice a difference? That actually might depend upon which motherboard you have and what it supports. In most instances, I hardly doubt it would be worth the effort to do that one (even if your board supported faster memory) and the likelyhood of improvement would at best be minimal and not really cost/efficient enough to justify changing the total memory out. That is my opinion on your situation. Why not list specs and tell us what you are trying to achieve in speed, then we might be able to offer suggestions on that. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

07-05-2009, 07:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,719 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Will I notice a difference? As Tumbleweed36 said it would depend on your Mobo. DDR2800 is the sweet spot. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

07-05-2009, 11:34 AM	#8 (permalink)
Sir Arun Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 42 OS: 64-Bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP1	Re: Will I notice a difference? Well I think when it comes to the usage of memory intensive programs (Crysis), you might actually see a difference of roughly 5 FPS running 8GB RAM compared to 4GB RAM at high resolutions where even the best GPU (GTX295) would otherwise yield only 25 FPS. Or am I wrong?

07-05-2009, 11:58 AM	#9 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,681 OS: Win7	Re: Will I notice a difference? Check it Task manager while playing for the amount of ram actually used. you'll find your not even using close to 4 gig let alone 8 gig. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-05-2009, 03:07 PM	#11 (permalink)
Klax Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: FL Posts: 39 OS: Windows XP x64 My System	Re: Will I notice a difference? Okay, my motherboard is now listed in my signature. __________________ GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L, 550W PSU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 G.SKILL GeForce 8800GT 512MB, 750GB HDD

07-06-2009, 12:57 AM	#13 (permalink)
~~zerofire~~ Troubled Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: United States Posts: 637 OS: Windows 95/98se/2000 Pro/XP Home, Pro, or MCE/2003 and 2008 Server Enterprise/7, Debian, Ubuntu My System	Re: Will I notice a difference? I can guarantee you that DDR2 800 has left the most wanted list. DDR2 1066 is right now the "norm" for computers packing DDR2 modules. Why do you think so many people come in and ask why their memory is below the spec rated when they start it up the first time? We have to tell them to manually set the correct speed in the BIOS so many times its becoming scary.

07-06-2009, 01:33 AM	#15 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,681 OS: Win7	Re: Will I notice a difference? CPUz shows actual clock speed DDR= Double Data Rate it reads/writes on the up and down pulse DDR2 800 will show as 400, 1066 as 533, 266 is 533, the table your looking at tells you the speeds the ram is capable of running. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-06-2009, 02:14 AM	#17 (permalink)
Klax Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: FL Posts: 39 OS: Windows XP x64 My System	Re: Will I notice a difference? K, I've got Dual-Channel enabled now :D Luckily I noticed that inside my case, my CPU fan had fallen off of the heatsink and was laying on top of my video card. __________________ GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L, 550W PSU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 G.SKILL GeForce 8800GT 512MB, 750GB HDD Last edited by Klax; 07-06-2009 at 02:17 AM.

07-06-2009, 02:14 PM	#20 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,681 OS: Win7	Re: Will I notice a difference? Your right about the PSU, I would not even think of OC'ing with a 550w Rosewill and 8800GT your pushing it pretty hard already. __________________ Power Supply and Selection