How much would I benefit from an additional 2 gigs of DDR2 800 Ram

[Vexrak]

I am not impressed with my current system which I built around February and I am wondering if getting 2 more gigs of ram would be really helpful. Money is not a problem it's just dragging my HUGE case out and opening the damn thing up to stick in the memory that is making me less enthusiastic about buying more.

Here are the current specs

Q6600 2.4 speed core 2 Quad processor
2x 1 gig sticks of corsair ddr2 800 ram (pretty certain its dual channel)
Nvidia 780I motherboard with 3 way SLI support (I fucking love this thing)
8800 GTX Nvidia card
10000 RPM Raptor Hardrive (I think the company that made it was Westwood?)
Windows XP Home Edition

Anyway I was only getting 60 FPS max on relatively high settings in World of Warcraft when not much was going on on my screen. For what I spent for this system less then a year ago I really am not happy with that.

So my question is how much do you guys think another 2 gigs of ddr2 800 ram would help me? Would I have to upgrade to Vista to see the changes if i did get more ram? Also should I consider dumping the Q6600 quad core and getting a high end dual core or should I wait until a sicker new processor comes out? And finally is there any reason i should look into getting a second 8800 GTX card and setting up SLI (never set it up before so not really sure how).

Oh and finally I need help deciding on a new monitor my current is a 17 inch flat screen I think the biggest thing I can fit on my desk would be a 22 inch flat screen. What size/type do you guys suggest since i know nothing about monitors?

[Viluin]

Yes, it would benefit you A LOT. Minimum framerates will be much higher, and average framerates will get a boost too.

EDIT: Wait, you have Windows XP. You'll still benefit from 2 more gigs though, just less.

I'd recommend you get 2x2GB though. 4 DIMMs really stresses the memory controller, limiting overclockability of the RAM. However, 4x1GB is a possibility if you're on a tight budget, I guess.

EDIT: If you're getting 60 FPS max. chances are Vsync is turned on.

About a new monitor: Make sure it's widescreen. 22" is nice, although you may find that your rig is lacking the horsepower to run some games at 1920x1200 and max settings.

Don't dump your CPU, overclock it. You should be able to get 3+Ghz out of it if it's a good stepping.

[Ankh]

Yes, it would benefit you A LOT. Minimum framerates will be much higher, and average framerates will get a boost too.

EDIT: Wait, you have Windows XP. You'll still benefit from 2 more gigs though, just less.

I'd recommend you get 2x2GB though. 4 DIMMs really stresses the memory controller, limiting overclockability of the RAM. However, 4x1GB is a possibility if you're on a tight budget, I guess.

EDIT: If you're getting 60 FPS max. chances are Vsync is turned on.

About a new monitor: Make sure it's widescreen. 22" is nice, although you may find that your rig is lacking the horsepower to run some games at 1920x1200 and max settings.

Don't dump your CPU, overclock it. You should be able to get 3+Ghz out of it if it's a good stepping.

Most 22" monitors are 1680x1050, which that card manages respectfully.

My Q6600 is of the old B3 stepping and still manages a good OC to 3.2GHz, if you have a decent cpu cooler, give it a boost.

Memory is dirt cheap these days, so it is indeed better to get 2x2gb DIMMs to save you possible OC headaches.

[Viluin]

Most 22" monitors are 1680x1050, which that card manages respectfully.

You're right, for some reason I thought 1920x1200 started at 22". In that case I'd stick to 20" though (Assuming it's cheaper, sometimes there's no difference), unless you really care about 2 extra inches with no extra pixels. Either that or get a 24" monitor.

[Ankh]

You're right, for some reason I thought 1920x1200 started at 22". In that case I'd stick to 20" though (Assuming it's cheaper, sometimes there's no difference), unless you really care about 2 extra inches with no extra pixels. Either that or get a 24" monitor.

I just read a review of a 22" 1920x1080 benQ monitor.

I need to upgrade to one of those.

[antihero-zero]

Yes, 2 GB of RAM would noticely improve performance on applications and games. I consider 4 GB of RAM standard for modern systems.

[Vexrak]

Wait I don't understand what you guys mean by 2x 2 gig sticks saving me trouble from overclocking. I have never overclocked anything on my PC are you talking about the 2x 2 gig sticks being better for when I overclock my processor or can you actually overclock the ram itself?

[Ankh]

Wait I don't understand what you guys mean by 2x 2 gig sticks saving me trouble from overclocking. I have never overclocked anything on my PC are you talking about the 2x 2 gig sticks being better for when I overclock my processor or can you actually overclock the ram itself?

You can't overclock your processor without it affecting ram at the same time, unless you simply change the cpu multiplier, though doing that alone usually doesn't get you very far.


As soon as I bother changing the fsb strap on my mb and with some voltage fiddling, I'll see if I can get 6x500 running for uber memory performance.

[Hyster]

You can't overclock your processor without it affecting ram at the same time, unless you simply change the cpu multiplier, though doing that alone usually doesn't get you very far.


wrong unlink the FSB to the Ram in the Bios
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/staff/ryderocz/xfx790i/n2000_1600fsb_bios2.jpg

you cant make the cpu multiplier high then it came on the chip unless you have a intel Extreme Edition but thats a waste of money

[Bombay1361]

I am not impressed with my current system which I built around February and I am wondering if getting 2 more gigs of ram would be really helpful. Money is not a problem it's just dragging my HUGE case out and opening the damn thing up to stick in the memory that is making me less enthusiastic about buying more.

Here are the current specs

Q6600 2.4 speed core 2 Quad processor
2x 1 gig sticks of corsair ddr2 800 ram (pretty certain its dual channel)
Nvidia 780I motherboard with 3 way SLI support (I fucking love this thing)
8800 GTX Nvidia card
10000 RPM Raptor Hardrive (I think the company that made it was Westwood?)
Windows XP Home Edition

Anyway I was only getting 60 FPS max on relatively high settings in World of Warcraft when not much was going on on my screen. For what I spent for this system less then a year ago I really am not happy with that.

So my question is how much do you guys think another 2 gigs of ddr2 800 ram would help me? Would I have to upgrade to Vista to see the changes if i did get more ram? Also should I consider dumping the Q6600 quad core and getting a high end dual core or should I wait until a sicker new processor comes out? And finally is there any reason i should look into getting a second 8800 GTX card and setting up SLI (never set it up before so not really sure how).

Oh and finally I need help deciding on a new monitor my current is a 17 inch flat screen I think the biggest thing I can fit on my desk would be a 22 inch flat screen. What size/type do you guys suggest since i know nothing about monitors?

is your windows 32 or 64 bit? Because I thought that you can on utilize 3 gigs with a 32 bit windows of xp and vista.

[Hyster]

is your windows 32 or 64 bit? Because I thought that you can on utilize 3 gigs with a 32 bit windows of xp and vista.

thought it was 3.2gigs

[Vexrak]

Its 3.25 and yes i use 32 bit. Are you guys sure that I need to get 2x 2 gig sticks of dd2 800 ram when I already have 2x 1 gig sticks? I had always thought it was better to use 4x 1 gig sticks.

[Ankh]

wrong unlink the FSB to the Ram in the Bios
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/staff/ryderocz/xfx790i/n2000_1600fsb_bios2.jpg

you cant make the cpu multiplier high then it came on the chip unless you have a intel Extreme Edition but thats a waste of money

Proper OCers go with a 1:1 fsb to ram ratio, noob.

Also, I'm bringing the cpu multiplier down, not up, so I can take my fsb higher while keeping the overall frequency more or less the same.

End result = about 25-35% faster memory than what it is at currently.

[Hyster]

its 3.25 and yes i use 32 bit.

do you have the cash to get 64bit? if so you can get 8gigs of DDR2 800 ram with 5-4-4-15 for 150$

Proper OCers go with a 1:1 fsb to ram ratio.

Also, I'm bringing the cpu multiplier down, not up, so I can take my fsb higher while keeping the overall frequency more or less the same.

End result = about 30-40% faster memory than what it is at currently.

3 of 4 ram sticks i get are DoA, i really REALLY dont fuck with the ram unless i have to it took me 4 months to get 4 working ram sticks from newegg, if you OC that way good for you but i OC without the FSB linked its safer imo less shit can get fried.

[Ankh]

3 of 4 ram sticks i get are DoA, i really REALLY dont fuck with the ram unless i have to it took me 4 months to get 4 working ram sticks from newegg

Newegg do it on purpose, just for you.

[Hyster]

Newegg do it on purpose, just for you.

you know what i thought the same thing around the 12th dead stick

[BlueElf]

In 32bit XP, with 2x2GB sticks youll likely only see 3.2GB - 3.5MAX you can use.

Also, in a 32 bit OS, no appliction or game can use more than 2GB. Its the limitation of 32 bits.

However, you can still assign 2GB to a game and have 1GB or better for otherthings, so you will see improvements.

But too get full use of the 4GB with no limitaions as far as GPUS RAm etc, you need to go to a 64 bit OS.

As far as 2 sticks VS 4 stick, 2 is easier on the chipset.
You can run 4 x 1gb, but for best result get exact same kind.

If you get DDR 800 RAM, thats more than enough .. BUT get 4-4-4-12 timings.

DDR2 800 @ 4-4-4-12 is same as 1066 5-5-5-18 (speed wise). your intel will not benefit much from leaving a 1:1 ratio anyway.
Unless you plan on OCing more than a 450FSB its more than enough. Otherwise, if you plan on OCing that high 1066 will give the head room.

[Hyster]

the reason i pointed out the DDR2 800 5-4-4-15 is the kit is 2x2g, aka 2gig per stick so you can get 8gigs with 4 slots. Plus its cheap as fuck.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227269
is 65$