4GB vs 8GB

[jacktesterson]

Would I see any difference moving to 8GB from 4GB?

I am perfectly content with the performance of my HTPC/TV Gamer. Its only used for Media playback and light gaming. I'm trying to convince myself I don't need 8GB, but it's just so cheap right now.

 

[Anteaus]

I doubt you would see any differences in everyday use but it will pay off if you're ever in a position to use a very memory intensive program that will take advantage of that additional ram. 8GB is a really good choice at this point. It's a bit more than you really need for most current applications but it gives you breathing room once 64-bit programs become more mainstream.

 

[Magic Carpet]

When memory leaks in your web browser, extra memory comes in handy ;D

8 GB > 4 GB.

 

[OlafSicky]

8 GB is minimum today for edu

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I doubt you would see any differences in everyday use but it will pay off if you're ever in a position to use a very memory intensive program that will take advantage of that additional ram. 8GB is a really good choice at this point. It's a bit more than you really need for most current applications but it gives you breathing room once 64-bit programs become more mainstream.

This. You never know when you'll need it. Might as well throw more in there in the event that you do with the prices being so cheap. I think I saw a headline on another Tech forum saying that RAM prices might go up because a company went bankrupt. I think it was on TH on Monday but I didn't have a chance to read it. In terms of gaming, I noticed that I had major improvement in BF3 when I went to 8gb from 4gb.

 

[MrWizzard]

Would I see any difference moving to 8GB from 4GB?

I am perfectly content with the performance of my HTPC/TV Gamer. Its only used for Media playback and light gaming. I'm trying to convince myself I don't need 8GB, but it's just so cheap right now.

Don't do it if that is all you do you don't need it.

I rarely need my 8 GB, only when I am running lots of programs at once, OR running 64bit 3D modeling programs. For what you do 4GB is plenty.

 

[jhansman]

Disagree with the above. If you can afford it, get it. Better to have it and not need it than the other way round.

 

[janas19]

There are not a lot of mainstream apps which take advantage of 8GB and you will not see a difference. However since the price difference is less than $20, you may as well get it and be future-proof.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

For $40 you can't go wrong

 

[MobiusPizza]

With RAM so xxx cheap it's a sin not to get 8GB over 4GB.
It will be noticeable if you run memory hungry 64-bit apps like photoshop.

I am running 16GB with fancycache.
I know fancycache is a beta software
But I've run it for a year and it's really good for HDD caching if you have spare RAM. Isn't as good as Intel SSD caching for HDD (Rapid something tech?) simply because the cache is not persistent, but then you don't need a SSD to enjoy comparable benefits.

 

[Soccerman06]

Plenty of games out there allow you to mod them to allow access up to 4gb of ram. Whether the game uses 4gb or not is another question, but it does help increase fps in some situations. No reason to not get 8gb when it costs $40 and sometimes drops down to $25.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Yes, the more RAM the better. There are ways to utilize it:

e.g. RAM Disk, VM, etc.

If you game, BF3 can take advantage of it.

I'd get 32GB if it was cheap enough.

 

[KingFatty]

One benefit is having 8 GB may enable you to avoid ever using a pagefile, so your computer will be faster. Using 4 GB, I'm not sure if you use the pagefile either. I have 8 GB and so far my computer has not requested to enlarge my pagefile beyond 512 MB, so I think that's a good sign that I'm not using it. My pagefile is manually set with a min/max, and although the max is 8 GB, the pagefile has never grown beyond the min size of 512MB. You could test this by trying your own manual pagefile setting and see if your computer tries to enlarge it due to running out of physical 4 GB (also, what if you load up firefox and launch 100 tabs or something crazy).

 

[Anteaus]

Yes, the more RAM the better.

This is true, however use reason. If using more ram means stepping up to larger capacity modules, you need to start balancing ram performance with capacity. A pair of fast 4GB modules seems to be the best way to go today, but that's just from what I've seen available.

32 GB ram is an absolute waste in most home computing situations. 32-bit software still has a OS enforced 3GB limit in Windows7-64, and most games, 64-bit or otherwise, have built-in limiters to prevent unstable situations. I'm not sure if there are still heavy speed penalties to using large modules, but my guess is 8 GB modules have much slower performance compared to 2 & 4 GB modules. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[NP Complete]

The question the OP needs to ask is if the ~$40 is best spent on extra RAM?

There is no downside from upgrading to 8GB - it'll never make your computer slower, and even if it doesn't speed up your current set of applications it may speed up a different application in the future.

For your intended uses, upgrading from 4 to 8 GB will result in minimal, if any performance gains. HTPC for media playback usually means ~1-2 process currently running, and AFAIK media center/VLC don't really use more all that much RAM for standard playback. If you want to use custom filter (like ffmpeg) to enhance your media, upgrading might help slightly in these instances.

"Light" gaming also seems to imply a similar scenario, where ~1-2 process are actively in use. Most games can't use more than 2 GB, since they are compiled a 32bit programs, so upgrading will result in negligble performance gains.

Your system will likely "feel" a bit more responsive, since windows can use extra RAM for caching your file system, making programs you launch often seem more responsive.

TL&DR - 8 GB won't offer any significant performance boost for your intended usage. Your system will probably feel slightly more responsive due to file caching. You should decide if future proofing + a slight performance bump is worth the money to you.

 

[jacktesterson]

I think I'll hold off for now.

Anything I do that requires more Ram would be on my laptop anyways.

The HTPC literally downloads stuff, plays stuff, and a few hours of gaming a week. That's it.

 

[janas19]

One benefit is having 8 GB may enable you to avoid ever using a pagefile, so your computer will be faster. Using 4 GB, I'm not sure if you use the pagefile either. I have 8 GB and so far my computer has not requested to enlarge my pagefile beyond 512 MB, so I think that's a good sign that I'm not using it. My pagefile is manually set with a min/max, and although the max is 8 GB, the pagefile has never grown beyond the min size of 512MB. You could test this by trying your own manual pagefile setting and see if your computer tries to enlarge it due to running out of physical 4 GB (also, what if you load up firefox and launch 100 tabs or something crazy).

What's your OS? You don't have a dynamic page file size do u?

 

[Zap]

There is no downside to upgrade. However, there may not be an upside either.

 

[jacktesterson]

I think I'll make the jump.

It's cheap right now, and I plan on keeping the rig for 2-3 years. (just built it). I was given the motherboard for free, so explains why I'm not O/C'ing. Ive had the board for sale for over a month with no biters, so i just decided to use it and save a little money.

I built it because my laptop is often used by my wife (who likes to use it to watch TV in bedroom).... so I wasted money on this just so I can game a little on my TV. I had a Mac Mini 2011 model as my HTPC but its HD3000 was just not up to par for anything gaming.


Next question, this board only supports DDR3 1333. Do you think I should invest in 1600 or 1833 memory for down the road? Think new boards in 2-3 years will still be using DDR3?

 

[Blades]

Hehe. This is a funny thread. Have you tried switching from your laptop to your htpc? The more memory the better, especially if you're running FancyCache (Windows) or rxdsk (linux).. I just upgraded to 32 on my desktop.. er countertop.. Does the H67 in the clevo's support 32GB? I have 16 on mine and have Clevo P170HM based laptops pack "up to 32GB"..

There is no reason to not get more memory.

 

[janas19]

Adam_the_giant, I wouldn't pay any extra for higher speed RAM. The penalties from having your RAM on a slower bus are small and hardly noticeable. It's cool to match your RAM speed to the processor, but if you don't already own the processor it's kind of ridiculous. Nobody "future proofs" their RAM speed.

 

[Blades]

I just noticed that my command rate when from 1T to 2T when stacking 32GB in my ASrock Z68 mobo... other (worse) shenanigans have gone on when loading up all the memory slots..

 

[zCypher]

More is always better. Software will always need more and more. Better to buy more ram when it is cheap.

 

[janas19]

More is always better. Software will always need more and more. Better to buy more ram when it is cheap.

So by your logic, everyone should buy a 500w PSU, because more is better.

 

[gmaster456]

For HTPC use, I don't see much of a need but more never hurt anyone.