Upgrade from 2GB DDR2 to 4 or 8 GB DDR2?

[lcaley]

Hey guys, I have a question. I have 2GB DDR2, I really think I should add some to it, but when I think about it, it doesn't make sense to do it right now. With nehelem coming out soon, I'm not sure its such a good idea to buy new DDR2. Isn't nehelem a DDR3 only platform? I'm wanting to go to at least 4GB, possibly 8.
What do you guys think?
1.) Stick it out
2.)Spend the ~$80-100 to get another 2GB
3.)Go for it and get the full 8GB? Keeping in mind I'll have to replace my current sticks to get 8GB on my board.

 

[juvealert]

what OS are you willing to use?

 

[lcaley]

Oh, sorry, It's in my sig. I'm running Vista x64.

 

[blacksci]

I have heard from other posters here, and on other forums, they were able to see a diffrence going from 4 gigs to 8 when running a 64 bit system. Since 64 bit has a longer string then 32, people who have upgraded have seen a noticable diffrence. If you plan to upgrade your processor though, id say stick it out, keep in mind going from ddr2 to ddr3 is a diffrent ram slot type, so youll need a new mobo to go along with your new processor if your goin to go that route.

 

[lcaley]

Yeah, that's why I'm in the situation I'm in. I probably won't go to nehelem as soon as it comes out, but I will sometime soon after it comes out. So it will take a big upgrade (RAM, CPU, Mobo) to get nehelem running.

 

[blacksci]

If i were in your shoes, i would go with the 8 gigs and sitback and wait until next year before upgrading again. Your processor while not cutting edge, is still near the top of the pile. I think you would see a better benefit going to 8 gigs. You can always sell your 2 gigs you have now, and get back some of the money your going to invest with the 8. Also you know that there will be a performance diffrence there. Vs waiting for a chip that hasnt been released and then being disappointed that the performance isnt exactly what you were expecting. I had a friend in a similar situation with a amd setup. He had a duel core, and was looking at upgrading it to its max, or getting the quad amd core. He went with the quad, and laments on ventrillo almost daily that his duel core setup served him better, now granted its a crippled processor to start with, but the reasoning is sound. Plus if you have the money to upgrade to 8 gigs, i assume by this time next year you would probably have the money to upgrade your cpu if you choose that route.

 

[halcyon]

I've been using 8GB in Vista 64 since October '07. I can say that it does make a difference. For instance, I'm able to totally disable my pagefile and V64 runs quite well simply relying on the physical RAM. I think it depends on what you're going to do with the system. Don't get 8GB just so you can turn off your pagefile. ..but I'm sure you already know that. I really enjoy being able to run multiple virtual machines simultaneously and that is made possible by the RAM.

However, if you're primarily a gamer then I don't believe 8GB is going to give you too much right now. Then again, RAM is cheap. I'd focus more on getting 4GB of really good overclockable RAM then getting 8GB of just so-so RAM like I did. You can always add more later.

 

[lcaley]

That's true. If I do it, I'd probably do it with a set or 2 sets of these. Thoughts?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

 

[blacksci]

Just make sure the ram you choose is on the support list for your mobo, a lot of times people will get the best ram they can, then find out after they have it installed there having issues, because there mobo doesnt like to play nice with the ram they have chosen.

 

[lcaley]

That's the thing though, EVGA's RAM list kinda sucks. There isn't a whole lot of models on there. My current RAM isn't on there and it works just fine. I understand those are the ones they tested and have officially called stable, but it's not a very complete list at all.
http://www.evga.com/support/mbmem/default.asp#680i

 

[blacksci]

Another idea, and its the one i used, go into the mobo section, or the ram section here, and see if people are running without problems the ram your interested in. Also newegg reviews are great for that too. People are quick to point out there if a ram type didnt play nice with the mobo, since there usually quite pissed at that point.

 

[kad]

I would say upgrade your ram , your processor and keep your machine for 3-4 years , it will serve you well
Nehalem will come at a price , DDR3 prices will not settle down before one year
It is not necessary to upgrade whenever something new comes out, no problem if you missed the whole generation of ddr3 and jumped from DDR2 to DDR4
When you talk about Nehalem you are talking about new technology, new socket , new memory , new build simply

 

[lcaley]

I would say upgrade your ram , your processor and keep your machine for 3-4 years , it will serve you well
Nehalem will come at a price , DDR3 prices will not settle down before one year
It is not necessary to upgrade whenever something new comes out, no problem if you missed the whole generation of ddr3 and jumped from DDR2 to DDR4
When you talk about Nehalem you are talking about new technology, new socket , new memory , new build simply

That's actually a really good idea. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of that already. I might, instead of going to nehelem, get a better LGA775 processor in the future sometime (quad something) and worry about the nehelem/ddr3 for the next build.

Thanks for the suggestion

 

[cisco]

That's true. If I do it, I'd probably do it with a set or 2 sets of these. Thoughts?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

I am running 8gigs of the 1066mhz version of this ram. I decided to go to 8gigs because it was cheap and I am happy with my processor. I don't think it made a huge difference going from 4 to 8 in my case but it's nice running crysis and seeing you have 60% of your ram still available.

 

[halcyon]

I am running 8gigs of the 1066mhz version of this ram. I decided to go to 8gigs because it was cheap and I am happy with my processor. I don't think it made a huge difference going from 4 to 8 in my case but it's nice running crysis and seeing you have 60% of your ram still available.

Try disabling your pagefile, totally, in Vista64...that's nice too. Vista 64 is actually FAST with 8GB of RAM and no page file.

 

[lcaley]

I think what I've decided to do is replace my 2x1GB kit with one of those OCZ Reaper 2x2GB kits, and then if I still need more after that, just get another one at a later date.

 

[blacksci]

smart move.