12GB from 6GB ram worth it?

[shurato]

I currently have 3x2gb Crucial Ballistix DDR3 1600 memory in my rig. Would going to 12gb give me any noticeable performance increase?

I'm a gamer and have multiple windows/apps running at once.

 

[Emulex]

yup. memory is so cheap now it's not funny.

 

[jvroig]

yup. memory is so cheap now it's not funny.

That I can buy 16GB(4x4GB) of DDR3 RAM (even if Kingston ValueRAM) for a mere $100 makes me agree with this very easily. They are so cheap now that if you think you want them, no need to worry about it and just go get them.

 

[shurato]

I'm probably going to purchase because it's cheap...I can get another 6gb of the same crucial memory for $60. I am however curious however if there is a significant or noticeable performance increase. I've been running with 6gb for about a year now fine. But yes the pricepoint is tempting.

 

[jvroig]

Because you said this:

I'm a gamer and have multiple windows/apps running at once.

I am very inclined to say: absolutely. Of course, it will depend on what game you are playing and what apps/windows are actually open simultaneously, but it's not too hard to imagine that more than 6GB could be useful for you in a 64-bit platform. I do not know how much this translates to desktop apps exactly, but in server apps, we found that although 64-bit servers can use more RAM, putting anything less than 8GB was not an upgrade RAM-wise because our server apps and databases end up using almost twice as much memory compared to their 32-bit counterparts. If this also holds true to a significant degree in desktop 32-bit vs 64-bit, then going beyond 6GB is certainly a good idea.

 

[Emulex]

you are using 64bit? i assume you are. yes. you will get more BANG for BUCK buying an SSD if you do not have one. at $1/gb i would go SSD first, then ram. if you have SSD then more ram will reduce swapping if you use more than 1 program at a time lol. if you are an ipad user and rock 1 app at a time, duh no. you can monitor your ram/swap usage.

also vmware - which can rock OSX - loves that extra ram. makes you feel no pain

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

you are using 64bit? i assume you are. yes. you will get more BANG for BUCK buying an SSD if you do not have one. at $1/gb i would go SSD first, then ram. if you have SSD then more ram will reduce swapping if you use more than 1 program at a time lol. if you are an ipad user and rock 1 app at a time, duh no. you can monitor your ram/swap usage.

also vmware - which can rock OSX - loves that extra ram. makes you feel no pain

++

 

[wadec24]

i actually just went from 6gb to 12gb because it was so cheap. i cannot say i've noticed any benefit. i bought my extra 6gb for 30.00 used so i cannot say i wouldn't do it again. i would say my ssd was a nice performance jump though.

 

[theAnimal]

Would going to 12gb give me any noticeable performance increase?

Not unless you're running out of RAM now.

 

[Burner27]

If you intend on running VMs on your machine, more ram definitely helps. As others have stated, an SSD with make the most 'noticable' difference in performance. If you can afford both--do it. Who knows how long the price of memory will stay this low.

 

[Elfear]

Yes. Ramdrive FTW.

 

[shurato]

I do have a 60GB SSD for my OS and apps. Most of my games are on STEAM however and they run off a 7200rpm SATA drive. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[shurato]

Another question.... my current memory modules are 1.65v CL8. 8-8-8-24
I have 3 of these in my PC now. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148305

I keep reading in some other threads that memory using 1.65v is NOT recommended and that 1.5v is preferred.

Why is that and should I be purchasing a different brand/model that is 1.5v or should I match the same type that's already in my machine? My current memory is 1.65v but is "performance" memory with better timings than the average ram of the same type.

Thanks.

edit: After some more research, is 1.5v recommended mainly because of Sandybridge processors?