2GB or 3GB? (RAM)

So I'am upgrading my useless rig again . . .
1GB >>> ???
Should I get the 2GB RAM? which I can buy now. (Buys one stick of 1GB)
Or the 3GB, which I need moar money for. (Buys one stick of 2GB)
Cause I heard that 2GB to 3GB doesn't make much diff, but 1GB to 2GB does. But I don't trust those assholes, I trust fakku to decide for me.

I just want to run GTA 4 on *higher settings
*No computer can run it on Max settings (without lag of course)

Get whatever amount you want. Really, it's up to your own personal taste.

If your running 64-bit Windows Vista or 7 I would take 3. Otherwise 2 is probably fine. I'm running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit with no background processes and I really wish my computer had 3 gigs in it as it uses 650MB or more of my 2 gigs of RAM.

Of course I checked my board, I just have to ask:
will 3GB be worth the effort?
or will 2GB deliver the same speed? (close to same)

DDR and DDR2 at least here is very expensive these days. I think it's world wide situations as well.

I'd say go for 2GB too. Going for 3GB might be a bit useless and it would cost a lot more compared what you can gain from it. For 2GB you should buy two 512 MB sticks (if you have 2 slots on your motherboard, then you must get 2x 1 GB sticks.), preferably same so you can make them work on dual channel. Depends on your motherboard indeed.

I could've sworn I heard you don't get the best performance out of RAM amounts that don't follow the 128/256/512/1024/2048/4096 numerical pattern (in other words, 3 GB would not be the best choice), is this true?

2 or 3 will be fine, just make sure to check the speed rating on it. Slow ram in any amount will just be shitty and slow.

To ensure compatibility, check out some of these places and run their memory advisor tool to find out what your computer can handle and how much room you got. You can also buy directly from them off of their site as well.

Crucial
Kingston
Memory.com

keep in mind that the board will default the ram speed to the slowest stick of ram that you have so if your keeping your old stick then get one the same speed as that.

Thanks guys, after some researching I found that 2GB is enough.
Thanks guys, I should trust fakku more often. . .

nope, it just that one stick will always be a power of 2

If the price difference is low then go for a 2 gb, every app you open eats ram

every tab you open eats up ram, if you are out of ram, it will crash/hang.

well there is still the virtual memory but it is not as fast as the physical ram.

It is always recommended to use bigger memory, since windows os alone tends to eat a lot of ram :D

And one more thing... buy the same brand, mix brand memories tend to kill one of the ram don't know why but from experience

Yes, this is the very reason I would like to upgrade my RAM from 2GB to 3GB.

At first I thought it was just my pc.

You should rather go from 2GB to 4GB if you're taking 64bit. 32bit can read up to 3GB of memory.

W7 is not such a resource hog as Vista, with 32bit W7 you can easily stay on 2GB.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension

With Physical Address Extension (PAE) 32-bit systems can use more than 4GB of RAM depending on how it is implemented in the operating system (see the table at the bottom of the page). Its just that the maximum amount of usable RAM will always take into account your other RAM sources first, namely video RAM. I'm not sure if it also takes into account processor cache but if so that would be anywhere from 1 to 10MB which isn't a whole lot.

So say you are using 32-bit Windows XP Pro which has a 4GB limit. Your video card will have anywhere from 128MB to 1GB or more of RAM. So that 4th gig of RAM will always be either partially or entirely unusable depending on how much memory your graphics card has. So there isn't a limit of 3 gigs its just that the smart consumers understand that that stick won't be used entirely and is just a waste of money.

If you have 64-bit XP Pro, Vista Ultimate, or Win7 Pro or better then you can use 128GB or more of RAM. You have to remember though that 32-bit programs can still only use up to 4GB of RAM each so having a huge amount of RAM will not benefit your performance if you are only using a single application at a time but you will benefit if you are multitasking. 64-bit programs can use the entire amount of RAM you have available.

I passed my A+ certification tests yesterday so my brain is still on computer mode =O

Good suggestion, saving moar money.Good thing I have 4 slots of RAM

Oh thanks for the info. I am using a 32-bit btw.

If the game is the only thing you are worried about then 2 GB should be fine for you. It is the graphics card that really count when gaming.
I have disabled all the fancy Aero stuff in Win7 and I sometimes run it with only 512 MB (change the hardware configuration often on that rig) and it still runs just fine.
I would of cause never recommend 512 MB, but for simple things it is plenty even in win7.

Ok I have to ask why are people recommending 2GB over four? Right now memory is dirt cheap and if you are going to upgrade go all out. You can check pricewatch and I am sure you can get a great deal.

Edit: just looked and even if buying from scratch $140.00 for 4 GB so I am sure he could get what he needs for less.

DIRT CHEAP you say!?!?

They are FUCKING EXPENSIVE. When i bought my DDR2 few years ago, 1GB was about 20€ and so 2GB would have been about 40€ (~25$ and ~45$). Nowadays 1GB is about 30€ (~40$) and 2GB 60€ (~76$). DDR3 is bit cheaper, but not much cheaper than that.