Is 512mb pc2100ddr ram enough for today's PC?

[netjack]

quick question:

i'm thinking about building a new cpu and wanted to know if 512mb of 2100ddr ram is enough for todays and tommorrow's games and the usual extracting/copying? I have a powerful video card (gf4 ti4400) and will probably upgrade to an xp2000+. Will there be any noticeable difference in games (i.e. 3dmark scores) or the usual computer usage by upgrading to 1.2 gigs of ram?

Another relevant question:

do ram heat sinks make any performance difference when you're not overclocking ram?

thanks for the advice

 

[Quickfingerz]

it's more than enough.. I know people using 128 on an XP machine and doing perfectly fine.

 

[DT4K]

Yes.
You would not see any difference at all between 512MB and 1GB.

Unless you are running a server or will have a ton of apps running at the same time.
For normal use, even under Win XP (which is a big memory hog), 512 is plenty and 256 is OK.

Adding memory does not make your system any faster unless you are already using up all your available memory. With 512 this would be very unlikely.

 

[MisterDuck]

I doubt you'd see any difference whatsoever in gaming or 3dmark scores by upgrading to 1.2 gigs of memory. As it is, I don't ever use all 256 megs of my memory gaming, even with other apps running, so I don't see any reason to have 512 unless you're using your PC as a server, running a server in the backround, working with very large files (300 meg +), or using memory intensive applications (games use memory, but not that much).

do ram heat sinks make any performance difference when you're not overclocking ram?

No.

 

[BFG10K]

512 MB is fast becoming the standard and 256 MB is becoming the bare minimum for today's games. You should do fine with 512 MB for a while although more might be better for the likes of Doom3 and Unreal2.

For my next upgrade (~5 months time) I might get another 256 MB so I have 768 MB RAM.

 

[CubicZirconia]

256 MB is becoming the bare minimum for today's games

I wouldn't call it the bare minimum. With a solid system to back up 256 mb of ram, any game will run fine. That said, I do have 512 mb of ram...

 

[mangled]

I was kind of wondering the same thing.

I have 512mb of DDR2100 memory (see sys specs below)

Right now, with XP home, IE 6, and Outlook XP running, I have about 200mb of free ram...I do some heaving gaming and it doesn't seem like I'm running out of RAM (play alot of FPS' i.e. SOF2, MOH:AA, Wolfenstein, etc...)

A 512mb stick at Crucial is $120....it's tempting to just do it now...

 

[CubicZirconia]

A 512mb stick at Crucial is $120....it's tempting to just do it now...

Be strong. Resist the temptation.

 

[Siddhartha]

If you have the money for 1 gig of RAM, get it.

 

[RU482]

have any of you seen the CD that was being passed around the forums a while back with the .tif satellite pictures of the earth?

I have 512MB PC2100. When I tried to let XP's picture viewer open this thing, I used all 512MB of my physical memory, plus another 580MB of virtual memory (harddrive, I guess). That brought my XP1700 system to a creep like I've never seen.

Damn fine photo too

With the low price of memory (Just picked up 2 sticks of 256MB PC2100 for $35ea from Crucial.com tonight), why let it be a limiting factor? 512 minimum in all my systems

 

[Mavrick007]

There are applications which require alot of ram now and some are games. Those of you familiar with Evercrack (Everquest to those not addicted to it yet), the Shadows of Luclin expansion requires 256megs of ram and recommends 512. That's just to play the game.

Now most people do not need 512megs or more of ram, but you should think about what apps you will actually run and then find out how much you need and get a bit more so that you will be able to be safer for the future apps coming out.

 

[teddymines]

I have 512mb of pc2100 ddr and have never seen memory usage above 25%. This is with video capture/edit and stress tests. Running w2k.

 

[Woodchuck2000]

Unless you're a serious multitasker or doing something serious (photoshop etc) you probably won't notice anything above 384Mb. Go for a single 512 just out of principle - you can always add another if you're feeling rich.

I don't think any games appearing in the next year or two will benefit from more than 512Mb ram.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Yeah, I notice on some games like SS2 for example I use 350 to 380 on high detail, etc., etc. so 512 is about perfect for most gaming people, Photoshop, etc........and 256 for Win XP to run quickly with no hitches and good response. Of course some use more, others less with no problems. I hear that the new Everquest requires 512 minimun for you to see all the eyecandy if you are into that game.

 

[rockhard]

FWIW my dad's puter uses up to 460ish MB when he plays FS2002 on XP.
Im thinking when he cranks it up to 100% everything with the next GFX card upgrade im going to have to get him another 256MB or its going to start to chug on the HD
There are games already that'll stretch 512MB so it cannot be long before 1gig of Ram might be seriously worth considering perhaps?

 

[pac1085]

512 is definetly enough. I have 512 but wish I hadnt bought it...I only needed it for EverQuest

 

[SHoddyCOmp]

Originally posted by: redly1
have any of you seen the CD that was being passed around the forums a while back with the .tif satellite pictures of the earth?

I got it. Viper GTS was distributing them. I dont know if he has any left but he might. Anyway though i got it but wasnt able to see any of them because the CD sorta self destructed itself. Neither me or my friend that saw it had ever seen anything like it before. What happened was though is the metallic disk stuff on the cd that is attatched to the clear plastic had delaminated itself :| It wouldnt read the files and i could actually just peel it off the disk-plastic 'stuff'. heh. WHen i get my new computer I guess I'll ask him again if I can get another copy

 

[Zukatah]

I had 384megs of ram and I sold 256megs to a friend of mine (computer liquidation, I'm buying a new rig...!) and I was very happy with 384. Now with 128 megs, you can hear a couple more curse if you sit near the computer because it's darn slow... 512megs should be plenty for this year (that's what I'm buying...).

 

[madthumbs]

I just added 512 to an existing 512. I have to say there is a difference, though I think it may be because I have a lot of hardware in my PC. Opening Windows Explorer I no longer get the little flashlight thing, and it opens quicker. In short I think it depends on your PC, and what you do with it. For me the extra 512 is definetly worth it.