4GB of slower ram vs 2GB of faster ram?

[MBrown]

What should I do? I have vista 32bit and I am trying to figure out the best way to go.

My system will be the following

CPU: E4500
MB: GA-P35-DS3L
HS/F: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro

I am was set on getting A-DATA 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 for ram, but now I am not sure.

 

[rudder]

800 mhz won't hurt.... but won't really help that much performance wise. But it is good to have for future upgrades. I have the same mobo and it supports the newest intel CPU's. ALthough I run a E6400, I got 800mhz ram in case I ever decide to overclock or get a newer cpu.

 

[dmb60614]

vista 32 bit wont be able to use the full 4gb. you'd be able to use 3.something. i dont remember the exact number. if you are using 32 bit vista i'd go with the faster ram, or 3gb of ram. also, if you plan on overclocking you'd probably want to get the faster ram.

 

[cozumel]

Or upgrade online to Vista x64 and get the 4GB DDR2 PC2-6400. That would be my preferred option

 

[cozumel]

Also take a look at G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit. It is Cas4 (4-4-4-12) and costs $129.99

 

[Ausm]

4gb is useless with 32bit Vista.


Ausm

 

[betasub]

Originally posted by: Ausm
4gb is useless with 32bit Vista.

Not useless, but for most ppl it's only marginally better than 2GB. Considerably better if you run an app that alone pushes the 2GB limit.

 

[cozumel]

That's why I suggested the x64 upgrade...

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: cozumel
That's why I suggested the x64 upgrade...

Shouldn't he check driver support for his components before upgrading to 64bit?

 

[PhoenixOrion]

depends on your use.

if you plan to overclock then of course go with faster ram....worse thing is you overclock your system and bottleneck is your ram.

it's always good to have more memory especially with memory-intensive applications and multitasking...but since you're on 32-bit OS then the price you pay for the extra ram is really just wasted as it won't be used/addressable.