Hey there, im not really good that good with computers and was wondering about my computer speed. My computer can handle any game ive played for the past 2 years but now with the new games coming out i think i need to upgrade it, so i was wondering how much of an affect does RAM have on your computer? Ive seen system requirements for some new games and i have most of what they ask for except ram and speed [ghz]. My specs:

Processor: Intel Core 2 CPU  4300 @ 1.80 GHz (2CPUs)

Memory: 1024 Mb RAM

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, build 2600)

Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9500 GT

Now i know i need atleast 2G ram but how much would my speed increase by with every  1G Ram i put in like what would the GHz be.Ye i might have called some things by some other name but i gave it my best shot and thanks for replies in advance.

RAM does not add to your processor speed if that is what you're asking. So having 3GB ram with a processor running @ 1.80GHz would not add it into a 4.80GHz processor.

I would buy a whole new computer.  I got the new  i7 processor (8cpu) works really good. And 3gig ram ddr3 It can do any game on max. costs around 1000 euro total.

Originally posted by Judian

RAM does not add to your processor speed if that is what you're asking. So having 3GB ram with a processor running @ 1.80GHz would not add it into a 4.80GHz processor.

Ye thats what i was wondering and im kinda tight on cash right now so i dont see myself getting a new computer for atleast another year. Also i was wondering does RAM affect how fast the game loads while the speed is how less laggy it will be?

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Originally posted by Gabby-air

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Originally posted by Judian

RAM does not add to your processor speed if that is what you're asking. So having 3GB ram with a processor running @ 1.80GHz would not add it into a 4.80GHz processor.

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Ye thats what i was wondering and im kinda tight on cash right now so i dont see myself getting a new computer for atleast another year. Also i was wondering does RAM affect how fast the game loads while the speed is how less laggy it will be?

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It can effect both, RAM is how much workspace your computer has, if there isn't enough then it'll spend as much time swapping stuff in and out of memory as actually getting work done. How much you need depends on what OS you are using and what games you are playing, but you'd want 2GB at the very least these days.

Once you have enough RAM for your PC to work freely in without having to shuffle things in and out of RAM then you won't see any more performance gains from adding more.

Because you are still using XP your system can only utilize up to 2.7 GB of RAM.  So your options are really to add one or two additional GB of RAM.  Adding that RAM will probably make some improvement but it is difficult to say how much and ultimately you will have to try it to see.

I have upgraded my RAM twice, while playing two different mmorpgs and the results were very similar.  It reduced the lag I had been experiencing when entering heavily populated and graphically intensive areas like cities and towns.  The games were SWG and LotRO.

RAM is relatively cheap and if cash is tight adding another 1GB is probably your best bet.

Installing RAM is easy, anyone can do it.  Buying the right RAM for your system requires a bit more knowledge but people here can help you with that once you tell them what type you currently have in your computer.

Originally posted by Gabby-air

Hey there, im not really good that good with computers and was wondering about my computer speed. My computer can handle any game ive played for the past 2 years but now with the new games coming out i think i need to upgrade it, so i was wondering how much of an affect does RAM have on your computer? Ive seen system requirements for some new games and i have most of what they ask for except ram and speed [ghz]. My specs:

Processor: Intel Core 2 CPU  4300 @ 1.80 GHz (2CPUs)

Memory: 1024 Mb RAM

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, build 2600)

Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 9500 GT

 

Now i know i need atleast 2G ram but how much would my speed increase by with every  1G Ram i put in like what would the GHz be.Ye i might have called some things by some other name but i gave it my best shot and thanks for replies in advance.

you will see a decent increase in performance with 2 gigs vs 1 gig of ram..  if you have xp professional X64 then get 4 gigs since ram is so darn cheap righ tnow.  Another thing that may help is upgrading a vid card if you have $100 bucks hand you can get a 4850 512 for $80 and probably 2 gigs of ram for 20 bucks.  :)  The video card may be overkill for your CPU, but the 4850 is so cheap right now its hard to beat. 

I just got the 9500 Gt for 100 bucks 2 months back so yeh, i guess i'll add a 1G ram stick and see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks for the replies guys ;)

Increasing Ram is often a much more effective option to upgrading a processor, these days 2gb is recommended as minimum. 4gb is recommended as normal.

For your computer, 2gb would be a viable upgrade, however beyond that would not improve performance until you upgrade your processor.

Remember that in upgrading your processor you may also need a different motherboard.

Alright guys seems like adding a RAM stick isnt as easy as i thought, after a bit of searching ive found out that it needs to be compatiable and what not . I did a scan from crucial.com and it says this is my current RAM: DDR PC2-5300. Now im wondering what do i look for in the sticks to know if there compatiable or if anyone has suggestions on company/model, that would be helpful too.

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Originally posted by Gabby-air
Alright guys seems like adding a RAM stick isnt as easy as i thought, after a bit of searching ive found out that it needs to be compatiable and what not . I did a scan from crucial.com and it says this is my current RAM: DDR PC2-5300. Now im wondering what do i look for in the sticks to know if there compatiable or if anyone has suggestions on company/model, that would be helpful too.

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You should buy DDR2 800 PC2-6400, it's just as cheap as your DDR2 667 PC2-5300 stuff and will downclock to match your ram.

But first take a look in your case and see if you have any empty slots for RAM. The slots are about 5 inches long and usually just forward of the CPU. You probably have 2 512MB sticks of it with 2 slots free. RAM works best in pairs so if you have 2 slots free you should pick up a 2GB kit (2 1GB sticks) because they cost the same as 512MB sticks now.

If you have just a single 1GB stick in there you should grab another single 1GB stick to pair up with it. If however you have no free slots at all, you should pick up the 2GB kit (2x1GB) and just replace 2 of the sticks in there.

When you buy RAM the capacity will be listed as '1 GB', '1 GB (2x512MB)', '2 GB' and '2 GB (2x1GB)' so be aware of how many sticks there are in the package. Most brands value ram is fine if you aren't overclocking it and most have lifetime warranties - OCZ, Corsair, Mushkin, G.Skill, Kingston etc are all good.

Thanks alot for the reply now hopefully i can find it at a nearbuy store!

You can look at Newegg.CA or Tiger Direct.CA for a better deal then a local shop most of time.

Sorry its been awhile but i never had the chance to get the RAM, i checked my machine and theres 3 slots and this is the stick im thinking of buying: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134009.  My current RAM is: DDR PC2-5300, Can any computer experts tell me if this would be compatiable with my computer?

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Originally posted by Gabby-air
Sorry its been awhile but i never had the chance to get the RAM, i checked my machine and theres 3 slots and this is the stick im thinking of buying: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134009.  My current RAM is: DDR PC2-5300, Can any computer experts tell me if this would be compatiable with my computer?

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Yep that will work fine. It will step down to 5300 to match your current ram.

When you install the memory, to get dual channel working the ram has to be in separate channels. The way these channels are laid out varies from mobo to mobo. The DIMM slots are usually color coded to let you know what slots to use though and you'll want to put the new stick of ram in the same color slot.

If they aren't color coded, the more common layout is channel 1 = slot 1+3 and channel 2 = slot 2+4, which would mean you want a stick in slot 1 and a stick in slot 2. When you're booting up and it counts the RAM if it still says 'single channel' then you need to try slot 1,3 instead.

Originally posted by angus858

 

Because you are still using XP your system can only utilize up to 2.7 GB of RAM. 

This is not true. XP is not the limiting factor, but what version of XP he is running. If he is running 64-bit version of XP, than he can stuff as much Ram as his motherboard can support and be fine at this point. If he is running 32-bit XP(more likely), than it can handle around 4GB of ram. Because video ram takes up some of that 32-bit address space, along with some other things, the amount the system can actually use varies. Because my 8800 only has 320mb of video ram, my 32-bit XP can use 3.6 GB of ram.

Ye i have a brown and black paint, theres one thing with 2 slots and another one thats kinda seperate with 2 slots. I guess for me it would be putting the new one in brown slot as original is there too. Thanks alot for your info guys, now just gotta wait till i recieve the shipment

Originally posted by Gabby-air

Alright guys seems like adding a RAM stick isnt as easy as i thought, after a bit of searching ive found out that it needs to be compatiable and what not . I did a scan from crucial.com and it says this is my current RAM: DDR PC2-5300. Now im wondering what do i look for in the sticks to know if there compatiable or if anyone has suggestions on company/model, that would be helpful too.

Meh your whole system is OLD like were talking 4-10  years old that is freaking ancient in computer terms I will direct you to a build that is easy on the wallet and will usher you and your family in.

1 before you buy confirm with the manufacture your shit is compatible.

2 goto forums confirm the item doesnt suck ass

3. confirm your willing to pay down on a item die to financial constraints

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/guides/MHGSBG/article.php/3806051