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Home>What Memory to Choose? How Much Memory is Just Enough?

What Memory to Choose? How Much Memory is Just Enough?

The choice here depends mostly on what you are going to use your new PC for. Most users choose DDR3 these days as it can brag really high performance and is available at a comparatively low price. In most cases gaming computers are equipped with 4Gb of memory. 256Mb used to be enough for XP to work well but since today Windows 7 can require up to 1Gb for itself, you will most likely feel absolutely comfortable only when playing with 4Gb.

DDR stands for Double Data Rate, and the number that follows (2 or 3) denotes the generation of the memory unit. For instance, DDR2 800 means that your memory unit is a second-generation one working at 800MHz (double 400MHz – DDR2 implies multiplying the frequency by 2). Consequently, DDR3-1600 is a 3rd-gen memory unit working at 1600Mhz. Good memory makes overclocking easier as it can easily cope with higher load. If you need more speed, then memory is a must.

The higher is the frequency of your DDR3 memory, the better is your PC’s performance in games and certain applications. However, keep in mind that it works only when you have a good CPU and a video card to match it. The thing to remember here is that a good computer is a well-balanced computer. For example, if you have a computer with 4Gb RAM and ATI 5770, better upgrade the video card to ATI 5850 instead of getting another 4Gb of memory – this will maximize your system’s performance in games. Of course, an extra memory unit is never a bad thing if you have a motherboard as good as i7 or X58 – on such boards you see 6Gb of RAM more and more often these days.

32bit limitation – if you are using any of the Windows 32bit editions, you will most probably have your memory limited by the OS. In other words, if you get yourself 4Gb of memory on your 32bit computer, you will most probably be able to see up to 3.5Gb only (3Gb in most cases). Fortunately, this limitation does not apply to Windows 64bit versions. However, it’s worth noting that 64bit versions of Windows don’t work well with certain old drivers and applications that are not optimized for use with this kind of OS. Thus, if you have any old peripherals or software that you want to stick to, better choose 32 bit version of Windows. Alternatively, if both your software and your hardware are brand-new, Windows 64bit will be the best option.

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