Question about RAM

[Myth]

I was wondering if having 8GB or even 12GB of ram in a PC is worth it for a gamer. I have some friends who have 8-12 GB of ram if not more, so here's my situation. I like to game while also having multiple programs open at the same time. Programs such as Firefox(with multiple windows open), Vent, iTunes, word, maybe even some video recording, etc., nothing too demanding, but is the 8-12+ GB range a complete waste and will 6GB be just fine for a future build?

[Gethsemane]

Anything past 4GBs is a waste really. No one even goes over that limit with any game that is out now. OS+Game usually runs about 2.5GBs for the latest game. Might hit 3GBs with a browser+vent/teamspeak running. People are touting more RAM is better when in fact that is completely false unless you are running a server.

Now. Where a lot of people make mistakes is the speed the RAM runs at. A lot of people have systems where it can take DDR2-1066MHz max or DDR3-1333MHz max and they have memory installed that is probably DDR2-400MHz/DDR3-400MHz minimum. Make sure you install RAM that is that max speed your processor can handle, always.

If you want more than 4GBs of RAM go for it. Won't do nothing except take space if you're not using over 4GBs already. Mismatched RAM does bottleneck your system because it runs at the lowest clock setting. Also a bad PSU. If you got a PSU where the 12V Rail Amp is less than the +3.5v and +5v rails, you are doing it wrong! I always recommend a bare minimum of 25amps on the 12V Rail.

[Isiolia]

4GB or 6GB is perfectly fine for a current machine. Games won't tend to utilize all of it. Maybe if you're working on obscenely large Photoshop files or doing research computing...but for gaming? Nah.

6GB is only even common because X58 chipsets use triple channel memory - so matched sets of three, ideally, with DIMM sizes of 1, 2, or 4GB. So you get 3, 6, or 12GB total. People want more than three, so that automatically jumps them to 6. It's already more than enough.

[dejet]

If you do editing ram can also come into play and help out. Unless you plan to do heavy duty editing more ram wont really do much at all for you. There is a reason you see min specs on ram. For the most part a game wont use more then half a GB of ram.

[Myth]

Now. Where a lot of people make mistakes is the speed the RAM runs at. A lot of people have systems where it can take DDR2-1066MHz max or DDR3-1333MHz max and they have memory installed that is probably DDR2-400MHz/DDR3-400MHz minimum. Make sure you install RAM that is that max speed your processor can handle, always.

Never really thought about this one much. I always thought having the fastest ram possible was best. So you're saying that if your FSB is 1333Mhz you should get ram that runs at 1333? Or are you talking about something else entirely.

And thanks for answering. This will save me a good chunk of cash for when i build my next PC.

[Isiolia]

Never really thought about this one much. I always thought having the fastest ram possible was best. So you're saying that if your FSB is 1333Mhz you should get ram that runs at 1333? Or are you talking about something else entirely.

And thanks for answering. This will save me a good chunk of cash for when i build my next PC.

I think that's what he's saying - put in the best, not the bare minimum that it supports. If you can put in DDR3-1333, then do it, don't run DDR2-800 just because it's cheaper.

There is some leeway there, since the normal/official RAM clock and what you might be able to push with overclocking are probably different.

[Gatsby]

I just slapped in an additional 4 gigs to a total of 8. Albeit you have to be running the 64 bit OS (not stated in OP) to get the full benefit, I am seeing my favorite game TF2 load up much faster than before. The OS also feels a touch snappier but that's not a quantifiable measurement and could be placebo.

[Gethsemane]

Crucial Memory Advisor Tool

Well, Motherboard and CPU play a part in how fast memory can run. A motherboard can support a max amount of memory like for example I have the 770T-C45, it supports: DDR2 533/667/800/1066. My processor is a AMD Athlon II x4 640 it supports up to DDR2 1066 and DDR3 1333MHz. Unfortunately, I only have a DDR2 motherboard but DDR3 is still slightly too expensive in my eyes. I can always reuse my CPU in a DDR3 motherboard later on.

Basically if you know what the max your CPU can handle and your motherboard can handle, it should match like my CPU+Motherboard DDR2 being 1066 max. Then DDR2-1066 RAM is what you should purchase.

If you mismatch RAM DDR2-1066 and say DDR2-800MHz, it's going to under clock the 1066 MHz to match the 800MHz. I believe this also brings down the FSB on your processor to match as well but don't quote me on that.

Also more memory is very good for people that edit videos/sound/recording/image editing/maya/CAD/etc. But for just gaming, 4GBs is enough. Though I admit I am like everyone else when it comes to building a computer, I install the maximum amount I can into a motherboard lol.

[Metta]

My comp has (will have when it finally arrives) 24gb ram.

Only becuase ive been waiting on the company to deliver my comp for over 3 weeks when they said it would be there within 48hours.

[Myth]

Yeah I know about the differences between 32 and 64-bit.

And thanks for the link Geth. Bookmarked. Looks like my next PC I'll just go with 6GB.

[Airman410]

Don't waste your time on 8-12Gb of ram... spend your money on a really good set of 6Gb of ram that has a good heat spreader and very good timing/cas latency. If you're running a 6Gb set of ram that has timing like 6-8-6-24 or 7-7-7-20, then even that might be overkill. But at the very least you will be more than set to run whatever game you want with a good amount of multi-tasking.