4GB, 6GB or 8GB of DDR2 ram for gaming?

[Mite000]

Hello. I'm trying to figure out what the best option is when upgrading my ram.

I have a fairly old computer that I'm trying to keep relevant from a gaming stand point. I got the computer as a gift around 5-6 years ago and I'm been upgrading it over time. My motherboard is a Gigabyte G41M-ES2L, which has limited my upgrading options substantially but I've done what I can. I'm running a Q6600 2.4ghz CPU overclocked to 3.0ghz, a Radeon HD 7770 1GB graphics card, and 4GB of DDR2 667 ram. (2x2gb)

Although its frustratingly expensive I bought 2x4gb sticks (8GB) of DDR2 ram as an upgrade because I noticed games are starting to take advantage of higher ram usage. So I did some tests by running a few games while using fraps, both with 6gb and 8gb of ram installed. I noticed some improvements with 6GB installed, mainly in Far Cry 3, probably because ram was the bottleneck in that case. When trying 8gb of ram however, I didn't noticed any further performance gains. I was especially hoping to see a gain in Watch Dogs but no such luck. Short of the 25fps stabilization I saw going from 4gb to 6gb, adding 8gb didn't add anything.

What this has lead me the believe is that my PC isn't capable of properly utilizing 8gb of ram in games because other parts of the PC such as the CPU or GPU will be bottle necked in those instances anyway. Where as with 6gb, its more of a balance.

So after all my rambling lol, my main question is what should I do? Stick with 4gb, 6gb or 8gb?

Thank you in advance, and I'll be happy to answer any questions or fill in blanks if need be.

 

[wolverine96]

8GB is the lowest I would recommend, but 6GB might be okay.

If you are upgrading with an older motherboard that uses DDR2 RAM, you're fine, but if you are building something new, use DDR3. You might even want to get a new motherboard if you are upgrading your PC.

 

[swifty_morgan]

you cpu is not capable of running new games properly. it's too slow and the software coding has changed.

your gpu it too slow to run modern games and there isn't enough vram on it.................. time to save for a new platform.

 

[jkhoward]

Your computer supports the 8 GB of RAM. The problem is your processor and video card that are causing the low FPS.

 

[wolverine96]

Sorry, I answered before you edited the post, LOL!

Yes, you should save up for a whole new system. For now, just use 8GB RAM. It's not hurting anything, and you can have more tabs open in Firefox!

 

[Mite000]

Thank you for the very quick responses.

I do understand that the PC is old at this point and it would ideally benefit me to just upgrade the whole thing lol, but I don't have the money for that right now. That's why I'm focusing on just the Ram question.

Considering the PC I have, should I just stick with 4GB of ram until I'm ready for a full upgrade? Or should I boost the Ram to try and keep it going a little longer. If so, is 6GB enough or should I go for 8GB? Keep in mind, each stick of 4GB ram I would need for this is $80+ :/

 

[wolverine96]

If you haven't bought any RAM yet, I would just stick with whatever you currently have.

 

[Mite000]

Unfortunately I did already buy a pair of 4GB sticks in order to run my tests lol, but now I'm debating on if I should keep them, return them or resell one of them.

 

[USAFRet]

Unfortunately I did already buy a pair of 4GB sticks in order to run my tests lol, but now I'm debating on if I should keep them, return them or resell one of them.

Return it and get your money back. Adding more RAM won't change things.
Save up for a whole new machine.

 

[InvalidError]

Having more RAM reduces the likelihood that the OS will need to use the swapfile and increases the amount of game data that will get cached by the OS so you get faster reload times and less stutter while moving around large maps. It does not improve CPU/GPU performance.

Most modern games, despite often using more threads, are still heavily dependent on single-threaded performance and the Core2 architecture at 3GHz simply fails to deliver what modern games require for best results. No amount of RAM can change that.

BTW, if your 6GB configuration is 1x4GB + 1x2GB, you should actually be taking a small performance hit due not being able to use the full dual-channel bandwidth. You might be better off with 2x1GB + 2x2GB. If you only have two slots, I would simply try to get by with 2x2GB until you can afford a proper upgrade.

 

[wolverine96]

Return or sell the RAM. Save up for a new PC.

 

[Mite000]

USAFRet: Return it and get your money back. Adding more RAM won't change things.
Save up for a whole new machine.

Well currently I'm still able to run games such as Bioshock Infinite, Assassins Creed 4, and Far Cry 3 at high settings and 30 fps. In Far Cry 3 specifically since it recommends higher then 4GB of ram, I noticed that I was able to go from medium to ultra by going from 4GB to 6GB of ram. Although I understand that most games don't ask for more then 4GB or ram and then I wouldn't see any benefits.

I guess the question I should be asking is, when games start regularly recommending higher then 4gb of ram, will the CPU and GPU be ale to keep up anyway? It seems like the answer so far has been NOPE

 

[USAFRet]

I agree. No.
Adding RAM to get to 8GB won't change the CPU and GPU, which are both lacking.

 

[jkhoward]

I guess the question I should be asking is, when games start regularly recommending higher then 4gb of ram, will the CPU and GPU be ale to keep up anyway? It seems like the answer so far has been NOPE

That is correct. Even if you system had the required 8 GB of memory you would most likely not be able to play those games with much success.

 

[Mite000]

It seems like the overwhelming consensus is to stick with the 4GB of ram until I'm ready to spring for a whole new PC, and the money I would be spending on the new sticks of ram would be better put towards that anyway. This is exactly what I'll be doing, and thank you everyone for feedback!

 

[wolverine96]

You're welcome! And right, you may as well just start saving up instead of buying more parts you won't be able to use later.

 

[InvalidError]

I guess the question I should be asking is, when games start regularly recommending higher then 4gb of ram, will the CPU and GPU be ale to keep up anyway? It seems like the answer so far has been NOPE

I had 8GB RAM (DDR2-800) on my Core2Duo E8400 and even in simple games like Diablo 3, that CPU had a hard time breaking 50fps. With my i5-3470 using the same HD5770, I get a steady 60fps in Diablo 3.

The main reason I had 8GB back then was to get rid of all the stuttering from reloading map data when flying around in WoW RotLK. Swapping and reloading lag has always annoyed me in any sort of computing I do so I always ended up maxing up RAM in my systems. I have 32GB RAM on my i5 - only cost me $200, which is the least amount I have ever spent on RAM in my own PCs.

 

[mws5966]

you cpu is not capable of running new games properly. it's too slow and the software coding has changed.

your gpu it too slow to run modern games and there isn't enough vram on it.................. time to save for a new platform.

It all depends on what game you are playing 2.4 GHz isn't bad at all, there is a latency difference between DDR2 and DDR3. However you should be able to run a lot of popular games out there. CPU speed hasn't really improved in the last 5-6 years anyways (source: I'm a Computer Engineer).

 

[Nicshuffin]

honestly, despite what people are saying, that possessor is actually bad as it can run new games, i would suggest keeping the 8GB, and putting some money for a better graphics card, that seems to be your main bottleneck.

 

[anbello262]

You're both replying to a 2 years old thread, so most likely the OP doesn't even have the same system.