Vista 64 - 4GB or 8GB or Ram?

[VorLonUK]

Just wondering what you guys have got running mainly on 64bit systems?

I've got a OCZ 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz NVIDIA SLI READY EDITION CL5 to use with Vista 64 premium, but with this memory still available and relatively cheap, would it be an idea to buy another kit, or would that be a waste?

The other negative side affect that seems to be constantly mentioned on the Corsair forums is the use of all 4 memory sockets (as opposed to just 2 higher density modules) - even moreso if you wish to overclock.

Recent Articles on Vista Ram:-

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/15/vista_workshop/index.html
http://www.bcchardware.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=4276&Itemid=40&limit=1&limitstart=0

Ideally i don't want to spend anymore, but it's always sod's law to want more memory later on and not be able to match identically what you already have and the current price and availability is good right now. Then again I don't want instability issues with 4 x modules just because I'm trying some way to future proof (if you can do that these days).

Is 4GB ok with Vista 64 and mainly gaming?

Thanks..

[OldDummy]

I'm running Vista 64 with 4G and wish I could run more.

This is the max for this Shuttle. The only time I notice is

when doing a few intensive things. If you haven't ever used

8G then you prob won't notice any limitation. Like anything else

it's easy going up in quantity but tough going lite.

OD

[Reflex]

4GB seems to be plenty for me, but as always, you can't go wrong with more RAM.

[VorLonUK]

Thanks Guys,

Whilst another 2 x 2GB module kit would be ideal (price and availability), the Corsair forums are full of problems with people using all 4 module slots with whatever density module. The advice given by Corsair is to just stick with 2 modules and to up the density if you want more ram.

At the moment 2GB modules seem to be the best price size ratio, where 4GB modules are very expensive.

I just don't want to buy another kit, populate all 4 sockets and end up with stability problems...

[OldDummy]

.......
I just don't want to buy another kit, populate all 4 sockets and end up with stability problems...

Guess it depends on your setup/usage.

You will not be able to OC with 8G like you can with a single 1G stick.

But for my usage I would rather have 8G 1:1 667 RAM VS 4G 5:4 800 RAM.

Thats me, though, others will be different...of course.

[melsmed]

Same limitation as OD.

In reality, only you can answer the question.

Use your computer and keep an eye on the mem usage. If you constantly hit the 4 GB, then, by all means, get the other 4 GB.

There are only 2 times when i was able to fully utilize all my 4 GB.

Running several VM's and using Nero 8, since it uses RAM as a buffer.

I don't game much on my pc and the only games I play are kind of old, so they don't need much RAM.

[Intuit]

The particular motherboard I'd imagine also has a heavy influence on how well the system handles multiple sticks.  If by some chance there are not a lot of people reporting overclock problems on a particular motherboard that's been around for awhile, and there seems to be a lot of overhead for overclocking, then it may be worth satisfying that curiosity.  The extra RAM could always be sold to a friend or on eBay for a slight discount if things don't work out.  All-in-all the final costs of simply satisfying that curiosity would be negligeable.