When do I need more RAM? [SOLVED]

Cognisseur

I'm trying to figure out whether I should get more RAM, and whether that would actually increase my performance in any way. I have 2 x 1GB sticks right now.

Perhaps I don't understand how RAM works very well, but I thought that if your RAM isn't filling up all the way, you don't need more. I've got the little Windows 7 applet that tells me my CPU/RAM performance, and my RAM never even comes close to 100%.

The folks online were saying I should get 4GB, but I'm not sure I understand why if I'm not filling up my 2GB. Can anyone shed light on this?

BlindZenDriver

Cognisseur wrote: »

I'm trying to figure out whether I should get more RAM, and whether that would actually increase my performance in any way. I have 2 x 1GB sticks right now.

Perhaps I don't understand how RAM works very well, but I thought that if your RAM isn't filling up all the way, you don't need more. I've got the little Windows 7 applet that tells me my CPU/RAM performance, and my RAM never even comes close to 100%.

The folks online were saying I should get 4GB, but I'm not sure I understand why if I'm not filling up my 2GB. Can anyone shed light on this?

I don't have Win7 so I'm not sure if the app you run tells of physical memory, the 2 GB, or physical plus virtual which would mean the 2 GB plus what is reserved for memory swapping on your hard drive. You should check for this because if it is the later then look for info on the use of physical memory.

Regardless of how much RAM is being used now 2 GB is not a lot and some apps plus Windows itself will adjust it self to what works best with the amount available. In other words if you have more memory some apps will run better because they will use memory differently but it is very much a question of what you use your computer for? If it's just surfing the web, a few office applications and so upgrading may not really bring anything.

If you're wanting to make your computer faster then apart from more RAM also look into getting a SSD drive plus also check if there is room for overclocking.

Apogee

If your'e running games from < 3 years ago, I'd get more RAM. Stuff like Dawn of War 2, SC2, Crysis, anything that's big and fancy uses a lot of RAM. If you've got 2 more slots open, just throw in two more 1GB sticks. It's like $25, well worth it.

Cognisseur

Apogee wrote: »

If your'e running games from < 3 years ago, I'd get more RAM. Stuff like Dawn of War 2, SC2, Crysis, anything that's big and fancy uses a lot of RAM. If you've got 2 more slots open, just throw in two more 1GB sticks. It's like $25, well worth it.

Good point. Well, I thought I thought it was pretty cheap and I'd just go do it but the prices on Newegg seem a lot higher than $25, which made me realize I don't really know what type of RAM I need.

My motherboard has 4 slots, 2 of which are being used by Kingston DDR2 (PC2-6400) 1GB sticks. So do I just need to find any other 2 DDR2 sticks? or PC2-6400? Or does it have to be Kingston? I don't know what to go with.

Edit: Some more information about my current RAM, in case I need to match speeds or frequencies or whatever else I don't understand:
Kingston 1GB DDR2 (PC2-6400)
Speed: 400 MHz (DDR2 800)
Supported Frequencies: 200.0MHz, 266.7MHz, 400.0MHz

robotbebop

Do you have a local computer shop that is staffed by knowledgeable people (IE: NOT Best Buy)? I would go in and just ask what the best parts to buy are. Since you've got some pretty specific info chances are they'll take 2 seconds to walk around the counter and grab the part you need.

I don't know where you're located, by NCIX is a great place to get this stuff from as well.

Paladin

If you're running games, you more than likely will need a new video card before you need more ram.

Bionic Monkey

These should probably work for you. Before ordering, you might want to pull out a stick currently in your system just to confirm it's 240-pin, but they should be fine.

Cognisseur

Nevermind, I just ended up finding my exact stick of RAM for a price that wasn't too unreasonable $30 each. Hope it's the exact right kind and everything works. Thanks for the advice folks!