RAM - How much
- Thread starter Genv [FP]
- Start date
Aramazd
Deity
2 gigs is fine, but I think 4+ would be the way to go. RAM is so cheap nowadays.
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
4 Gigs nowadays should be fine. 2 Gigs is starting to run into some problems with newer games. Otherwise, its highly dependent on what you are using it for. A home NAS probably doesnt need more than 512 mb. On the other hand, a high end gaming rig probably needs 4 gigs or more.
Jazzmail
King
2 GB, because under windows XP a single application cannot use more than 2 GB. Maybe 4 GB is nice if you multitask alot, but for demanding games it is recommended to close all the unnecesary apps. Also Vista can wait.
azzaman333
meh
4GB, it's not like RAM is expensive.
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
Last I checked it was possible to find 2GB of RAM for 50$, but 4 GB is at least 80$ if not on sale.
With that, Im not saying RAM is expensive, just that you should not pull numbers out of nowhere.
Genocidicbunny
Bug squasher
Oh, I forgot that he was looking for laptop memory. Somewhy, laptop memory is cheaper...
And I usually find it good practice to not rely on a rebate when considering a budget. They're just too unreliable/time consuming.
And I usually find it good practice to not rely on a rebate when considering a budget. They're just too unreliable/time consuming.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2007
- Messages
- 9,305
As with most questions about computer specifications, the correct answer is "it depends". A computer with XP and 1 GB is just fine for my parents and sister, but they mostly use it for the Internet, with only a few games such as Civ3, the rest all having similar or slightly higher requirements. And other than a few particularly demanding games such as Civ4 and Company of Heroes, 1 GB would be fine for me since I run XP.
However, I voted 2 GB is the poll since I would assume that this poll would be most relevant in the context of looking for a new computer that most likely comes with Vista. Vista increases what's really adequate by 512 MB or so, and for a new computer it's always better to go slightly higher than what you really need if you can. 2 GB is also a good amount for XP + demanding games. And while some games would do better with > 2 GB, almost every game performs at the very least adequately with 2 GB.
I'd have voted for 1.5 GB if it were an option. But it really depends on the context and operating system.
However, I voted 2 GB is the poll since I would assume that this poll would be most relevant in the context of looking for a new computer that most likely comes with Vista. Vista increases what's really adequate by 512 MB or so, and for a new computer it's always better to go slightly higher than what you really need if you can. 2 GB is also a good amount for XP + demanding games. And while some games would do better with > 2 GB, almost every game performs at the very least adequately with 2 GB.
I'd have voted for 1.5 GB if it were an option. But it really depends on the context and operating system.
Mise
isle of lucy
1Gb is "adequate"... especially if you're running XP.
LucyDuke
staring at the clock
Adequate? For what? I can run SimCity2K with a couple hundred mb.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2007
- Messages
- 20,112
I have about 1 gig of memory.
I'm not a heavy gamer, most mine are DOS games or games not requiring fancy memory, and if its choppy I can just reduce the graphics some. I think the only choppy game was Railroads, though.
My old Windows 98 had something like 256 megabytes. My new Windows 98 has more. I never got around to checking.
I'm not a heavy gamer, most mine are DOS games or games not requiring fancy memory, and if its choppy I can just reduce the graphics some. I think the only choppy game was Railroads, though.
My old Windows 98 had something like 256 megabytes. My new Windows 98 has more. I never got around to checking.
Mise
isle of lucy
I'm pretty sure 8 mb is overkill for sc2k.
Actually a 32 bit OS will only allow you to access less than that, as you have to include the graphics memory in that 4GB range too.
Pretty much anything new supports 64-bit anyway, and is no more expensive than 32-bit alternatives.
If your stuff doesn't support 64-bit, it's old, and you don't need/can't support more than 4gb anyway.
