PC hardware: Why all the hype for installing lots of RAM?

It's hype, or it's not, depending on your needs, etc.

I read a few of these 142 replies, then decided just to go ahead with mine.

I agree that for quite some time, increasingly RAM-hungry OSes and programs created an almost continual need for more RAM for the average user -- especially when RAM was still relatively expensive, and for a very long time, "more RAM will speed your system up" was almost always sage advice. That's pretty much a non-sequiter today, with almost all Windows systems (netbooks, aside) coming with at least 4 GB of RAM, which is pretty much enough for every OS there is. in Windows...

However, the comment about the Windows swap file on the hard drive is still valid, I feel (although the more RAM you have, as I recently discovered, the more space Windows allocates for pre-fetch on your hard drive). At any rate, today I agree it's part bragging rights, part the fact that it's usually just so easy and inexpensive, and partly -- if you're buying or building a new system (as I did this past summer -- built one, that is, my first build), just planning for a future I couldn't predict with low-cost, high-quality RAM I could get now.

I bought a high-end motherboard for a Core-i7 system that had six RAM slots, and after rebate I paid about $230 for 12 GB of 1666 Mhz DDR3 Corsair RAM. Now just HOW could I be expected to pass that up, even when everyone on the PC Build forum told me (and my common sense agreed), that I likely wouldn't be using even the first 6 most of the time (I installed only the first 6 until I was sure the system was stable).

The system was capable of running 24 GB, so why not, at that price? I wasn't sure, in June, if Windows 7 would find a way to better use RAM, to allocate more to programs that have a greater need for it at times, such as image editing and video editing programs, or not (you can do that on the Mac -- or at least you COULD the last time I used a Mac, back before OS X). As I've since learned that it appears Windows 7 WON'T be doing that, I've looked into RAMDrive programs, and it appears there are some 64-bit ones possibly even free -- I know there were for Vista. I may allocate as much as 8 GB to a RAMDrive, and find a way to use that for some super-speedy work -- perhaps load all big programs into it... Haven't figured it out yet -- but at any rate, I don't see a PROBLEM with having that extra RAM. It's sort of like having extra horsepower and not needing it, except in this case it's not really using "extra gas," so to speak, and when and if the price of RAM DOES go up and again (and uses for extra RAM DO come into play, I'll already have it).
Jeff

(NT) Bragging rights, period.

In reply to: Why all the hype for installing lots of RAM? by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

Yeah

Yeah it's happened to me several times when working with my video files especially HD ones from the video camera. Sometimes also when working with several pictures at once since i do photography, or when editing heavily even on one picture.
It's important to have enough ram so your productivity doesnt slow down but of course there is a limit as with all things.

Intel explanation on RAM

In reply to: Why all the hype for installing lots of RAM? by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

A few weeks ago, I attended a product brifing by Acer on their new lines, and Intel on developments on the processor side. This is what I undestood from Intel's explanation.

In the past, when processors could not do tasks right away, it parks those tasks in extended memory above the first 640K. Memory was expensive then so if memory didn't suffice, it parked the rest in hard drive space called a virtual memory page file. These tasks stayed there in extended memory or the page file until the processor can finally attend to them. Since access to memory was faster than access to a hard drive, increasing memory made sense if you wanted to improve processor performance.

These days, both memory and hard drive space have gotten cheaper by the week. 2GB of memory is almost standard on entry level systems, expandable to 4 or more. But processors have also become faster, to the extent that instructions do not stay long in memory before the processor executes them. In most applications that included hardcore gaming, RAM usage never went past the second GB. All the more with the new quad core processors.

Intel's advice, if you had an extra $100 to spend on either additional RAM, or the next faster processor, put it on the processor -- unless you are developing games like Assassin's Creed. Somehow, memory isn't that critical as it once was.

RE: Intel Explanation on RAM

I'm NOT a fan of Intel or any company. So I don't think I'm Bias. What Intel was referring to is when you're buying a new system and the system already have fair amount of memory (2GB) and you have an extra $100 to spend, you should get a system with faster processor instead of a system with additional memory. Also, they are not saying you should throw your old processor away and get a new one. That's obviously not what they are suggesting. I agree with Intel, when buying a new system, get the fastest processor you can afford with fair amount of memory. This way, a few month down the road, if you think you need more memory, you can always add more. This is easier to do than changing processor.

Intel Explanation of RAM?

To: Rey Reyes, Run that back at me, about, Processors, Memory and Hard Drives. So, what are you saying? My questions is, Who is on first base? Who is on second, and who is on third? So, your saying 3.0, 3.2, 3.4GHz clock speed is much more important, than, expanding an 80GB hard drive to 150 or 160GB's, or expansion of 2G's to 4G's in RAM, thus, putting Processors' clock speed on first base!

Short Sweet Answer...

In reply to: Why all the hype for installing lots of RAM? by Lee Koo (ADMIN) 

Well you see, even though 50-60% of users don't do intensive chores or well stuff on computers. They just...as you stated, edit photos or just surf the web.

The rest of us however, like me, need lots of RAM to multi-task, play video games, and ect. (and MULTI-TASK!!!)

We all like to keep our machines running smoothly so we install more RAM. Of course it all depends on the operating system....

Here's the breakdown.
XP- 2 to 2.5 sticks of RAM for decent to smooth performance. (on a P4 processor.)
Vista- 2.5 to 3 sticks or RAM for decent or smooth performance.