Using 3Gb of memory in vista, yes or no?

Fanu · Apr 12, 2008, 12:57 PM

currently i have 2 gigs of ram (2x1gb OCZ gold DC kit, PC6400, 800MHz)

since the memory is cheap i can afford one 1gb OCZ stick (same as above) - however i cant afford 2 of those sticks for total of 4gigs of memory

now, i dont know much about dual channel, but will it work with 3 sticks? is performance boost noticeable (while multitasking and gaming) over 2gigs of ram?

and another question
i have vista ultimate 32bit with SP1 and latest ATI drivers (the ones that come with support for dx10.1) with HD3870 GPU

but dxdiag reports that i have dx10.0 not dx10.1, is this normal or?

rest of my configuration:

Core 2 Duo 7650
2x1GB OCZ, PC6400 800MHz
P35-DS3P
HD3870 512Mb
2x Seagate 250gb 410AS
20.1" LG LCD

tnx

kris23 · Apr 12, 2008, 01:01 PM

stick with 2GB, youll lose performance with 3GB

**temeteus82** · Apr 12, 2008, 01:03 PM

Dual channel mode won't run on three sticks of RAM. You need to have paired stick to get it to work.
You might not notice so much increase of performance since the dual channel mode isn't on.
And that dxdiag report is ok.

**MIG-31** · Apr 12, 2008, 01:43 PM

I'm no tech expert.... but familiar with my pc.

Most modern day pc's run far better with the memory set at a Dual Channel set up.This is also a requirement for core 2 duo cpu's.

Most mobos have at least 4 ram slots....but you still need to keep the ram matched,equal speeds and size to make the most out of dual channel.

Id either stick with the current ram set up you have.Or double it,but as you say you can not afford to do so keep your cash in your pocket.

This wikipedia Link may give you a little insight to Dual Channel.

Zelig · Apr 12, 2008, 02:30 PM

I was actually playing with an EVGA E-7150 based rig recently, it doesn't support dual channel memory, and even running benchmarks, the difference was less than I expected compared to a comparable system with dual channel memory.

That being said, if your board actually supports dual channel memory, there's no reason to run otherwise.

Fanu: Not sure about your location, but in NA, 2GB of ram runs around $35, if you need more than 2GB, it shouldn't cost much to upgrade to the full 4GB.

Fanu · Apr 12, 2008, 02:37 PM

2gb (2x1gb) of OCZ memory costs 72$ in croatia - costs me 37$ for 1gb stick

hmm, and what if i get 2x512Mb sticks?

so i will have 1gb,1gb,512mb,512mb

that will work in dual channel yes?

and i doubt i will ever be upgrading current computer, so it doesnt bother me that all memory slots are occupied

edit

the problem i have is that i cant get exactly the same kind of sticks i already have

i can get 2x512mb OCZ platinum ( i currently have gold ), and as far as i can see platinum sticks use different timings (4-5-4-15, opposed to 5-5-5-15 i have now)

would that be a problem?

you might say i am nitpicking about this whole thing
but i have this shit small ammount of money which i can only use to buy additional memory ( i basically have everything else ) - dont really have anything else to spend the money on

kris23 · Apr 12, 2008, 02:49 PM

why do you want more RAM?

Fanu · Apr 12, 2008, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

why do you want more RAM?

cause its the only addon i can afford/dont already have for my PC

i have this 40 bucks and cant find anything else to spend it on really
i am a student and my lectures involve decent ammount of photo editing (learning to use vector graphics, fontographer, ghostscript, other vector programming languages, etc) so i figured extra memory couldnt hurt..

**temeteus82** · Apr 12, 2008, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fanu

cause its the only addon i can afford/dont already have for my PC

i have this 40 bucks and cant find anything else to spend it on really
i am a student and my lectures involve decent ammount of photo editing (learning to use vector graphics, fontographer, ghostscript, other vector programming languages, etc) so i figured extra memory couldnt hurt..

If I were you I would just save the money and start saving for next upgrade.

Fanu · Apr 12, 2008, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by temeteus82

If I were you I would just save the money and start saving for next upgrade.

i dont plan on upgrading my PC any further - probably at all and especially in the near future

i have decent ammount of money at my disposal (100 euros) but i have other plans for that money (going camping soon and i am in a need of a decent knife and they dont come cheap)

so basically i am stuck with 40 bucks - its a small ammount and i dont want to spend it on booze or something like that

so, will 1gb,512mb,1gb,512mb memory configuration work in dual mode or not? especially considering different timings 512mb sticks have (4-5-4-15 vs 5-5-5-15)..

if that is truly that useless i'll spend money on some empty media or whatever the fuck comes to my mind (probably nothing usefull)

**temeteus82** · Apr 12, 2008, 03:53 PM

So don't spend it at all....

Yes the dual mode works when you got 2,4,6,8,10 etc... sticks of RAM. And the RAM will run as fast as the slowest timings are. But in my point of view you are waisting money in here... Just my two euro cent's...

kris23 · Apr 12, 2008, 05:45 PM

whats with the hostility?

you really are wasting your money, you cant use more than 2GB for ANY 32 bit app, while that 1Gb would help a bit....

its pretty useless compared to the upgrade to 4GB.

but if you are so bent on getting it, then get it, its your money.... but then there was no need to post a bulletin like this in the first place...

every time you run a program, youll see its usage stop at 2GB + whatever the OS may need.

if you really want a boost from your current setup, save your cash, go warez some 64 bit vista disk (since i know $150 is too much for you to spend)

buy a 2x2GB set of RAM, and add it to your 2x1Gb set and youll have 6GB of RAM to use all on 64 bit apps......

dipstick · Apr 12, 2008, 08:35 PM

You can use three sticks on that board and still maintain dual channel functionality. Hell, they can even be different sizes but I would not push my luck like that

Fanu · Apr 13, 2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

whats with the hostility?

what hostility? lol
you got the wrong impression

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

you really are wasting your money, you cant use more than 2GB for ANY 32 bit app, while that 1Gb would help a bit....

what, there is not one application out there that uses more than 2GB of ram together with vista?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

but if you are so bent on getting it, then get it, its your money.... but then there was no need to post a bulletin like this in the first place...

i posted this bulletin to get information on all tidbits that involve having a 3GB of memory in system and whether or not that is usefull

i did not make up my mind about 3gigs - i am looking into getting more cash for 2x1gb sticks if somehow possible

i am well aware that 4gb >>>> 3gb, but that would require more money and installation of new OS which would be a pain in the ass considering all the driver support that 64bit operating systems have and considering the hassle of transfering all my files/documents/whatever to new installation

i was intrested if i could squeeze out maximum out of 32bit OS i have now, considering rest of my configuration is close to top notch, only thing left for me was to upgrade ram

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

every time you run a program, youll see its usage stop at 2GB + whatever the OS may need.

wont that change with installation of extra memory that OS and applications will have access to? what about page file size?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kris23

if you really want a boost from your current setup, save your cash, go warez some 64 bit vista disk (since i know $150 is too much for you to spend)

buy a 2x2GB set of RAM, and add it to your 2x1Gb set and youll have 6GB of RAM to use all on 64 bit apps......

it is too much considering i am a student and have number of things i have to spend my cash on

btw, why go with 2x2gb set of ram for a total of 6gb of ram? i thought 4gb was more then enough, or is it cause 64bit windows use more memory then 32bit windows ?

tnx

Fanu · Apr 13, 2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dipstick

You can use three sticks on that board and still maintain dual channel functionality. Hell, they can even be different sizes but I would not push my luck like that

first time i heard of it

please explain how could 3x1gb sticks work in dual channel?