cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
It will go the same way as 1GB vs 2GB comparison - once individual programs get close to 2GB, the people who don't bother closing firefox/ie/winamp/im/outlook/etc/etc will gain a significant advantage from having 4GB vs 2GB. That's not currently the case IMO, but that it will get there within a few years is a no brainer - you just have to decide if you are buying for what you need or for what might come in useful.
Zebo
Elite Member
- Jul 29, 2001
- 39,398
- 19
- 81
Not if you have ATI video drivers.. May need 8GB someday.
I use 1GB just fine... low timings which surpases the miniscule benefits seen from 2GB. I've never used over 1GB with any game but I run a tight ship - OS idle only uses 62MB with black vipers help.
I use 1GB just fine... low timings which surpases the miniscule benefits seen from 2GB. I've never used over 1GB with any game but I run a tight ship - OS idle only uses 62MB with black vipers help.
gsellis
Diamond Member
- Dec 4, 2003
- 6,061
- 0
- 0
Like me, and 4GB is still useless. I can have about 4GB allocated on my system if I am running a heavy video editing session, a complex animation, and an open browser. But, I still will only have about 2GB committed. Once, and I will restate, once, I ran out of memory at my VM limit of 4GB. That is over the last 3 years. I have 1GB of physical memory.
Yes that is correct, and as far as gaming goes, I have yet to see anything out there that gets even close to 2gb anyway. 4gb can be used if the machine is on par with that much, and you use apps that will utilize it, maybe in the case of photoshop it could come in useful.
Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Which is all fine, but totally irrelevant to the OP's question. No one is arguing that it should be illegal to own 4GB of RAM, punishable by a wicked flogging from a sweaty naked man - just that for (typical) gaming, you will not see much, if any improvement over 2GB.
Now.. I suppose if you're running 5 instances of Epic's "Unreal Tournament 2008 - Video Editing and DVD Encoding Simulator Edition" under Windows 2003 Server 64-bit Edition via VMWARE thought Linux, which is running via VMWARE under WinXP, while you are racing Epic Mechanostriders around 3 instances of IronForge, and simultaneously watching the AQ Gate-opening event,then you might have a point.
Last I saw, VMWare didn't support sound and the video drivers were far from suitable for gaming. Have you actually been able to run any game through VMWare?
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
Originally posted by: Tostada
Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Which is all fine, but totally irrelevant to the OP's question. No one is arguing that it should be illegal to own 4GB of RAM, punishable by a wicked flogging from a sweaty naked man - just that for (typical) gaming, you will not see much, if any improvement over 2GB.
Now.. I suppose if you're running 5 instances of Epic's "Unreal Tournament 2008 - Video Editing and DVD Encoding Simulator Edition" under Windows 2003 Server 64-bit Edition via VMWARE thought Linux, which is running via VMWARE under WinXP, while you are racing Epic Mechanostriders around 3 instances of IronForge, and simultaneously watching the AQ Gate-opening event,then you might have a point.
Last I saw, VMWare didn't support sound and the video drivers were far from suitable for gaming. Have you actually been able to run any game through VMWare?
*taps the microphone*
Is this thing on?
i am currently writing this post from ;linux (ubuntu with gnome) runnning in a vmware player on top winxp with only 128 mb dedicated and downlaoding 10 torrents in linux.
Page file usage 323 mb. ram assigned to linux 128 mb.
also i'd add that windows's ram manengment sucks. most of the time i have ram lying free and windows will still prefer to use page file. in linux unless you need swap you never use it.
also linux ses far less ram than windows in any case.
Trader05
Diamond Member
- Mar 1, 2000
- 5,096
- 20
- 81
just think with 4gb of memory, who cares if you have spyware running lol. On the serious note, I'm dont game much but i'm considering upgrading from 1gig to 2gig, just because lately i've been using photoshop a lot and i do some video encoding. Definitly i know when Vista comes out, 1gig wont be as smooth as it is with XP, definitly the 2gb will prepare me for that. In my opinion 3gb is over kill now for a gamer, but as always in the future it'll become necessary.
how is this an arguement?
Load up your game, check your current ram usage in task manager. More ram does nothing if windows isn't using it!
Load up your game, check your current ram usage in task manager. More ram does nothing if windows isn't using it!
4GB is a good way to go to max out an already pimp system.
That way you can run with 0KB vitual memory and cut down on HD thrashing.
What's an extra $250 for 2gb when you are spending $800 on video cards.
That way you can run with 0KB vitual memory and cut down on HD thrashing.
What's an extra $250 for 2gb when you are spending $800 on video cards.
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
Ronin
Diamond Member
Accurate information.
As was said as well, unless you're able to run WinXP 64bit, anything over 2GB is a waste.
You guys are so awesome! How can I be like you?!
4GB of RAM is totally stupid now that you have shown me the light. OMG what was I thinking coming up with a practical use for such a lame idea?!
I recomend sleeping with hundreds of women whilst quaffing copious amounts of lager
Worked for me!
Alternativly, your idea doesn't work, so you should think harder.
Ronin
Diamond Member
See, it's PRACTICAL if you can use the other 2GB. Since you can't, your idea has no merit.
Get it?
cKGunslinger
Lifer
- Nov 29, 1999
- 16,408
- 57
- 91
Practical use? What practical use did you come up with, "maxing out an already pimp system"?
You're talking about HD thrashing when we've already established than no current game uses (nor can use) more than 2GB of memory, so if you have that much, what's exactly is getting swapped to disk? And remember, we're talking about just gaming, not gaming + photoshop + DVD encoding, etc. Just gaming, like the OP asked.
So please, enlighten us on why 4GB of memory will allow you to play a game with 0 virtual memory and eliminate HD thrashing, while 2GB will not.
zephyrprime
Diamond Member
- Feb 18, 2001
- 7,512
- 2
- 81
This is because Windows preemptively swaps out memory. While processor usage is low, Windows will start writing the least useful stuff to the swap file as a contingency to the need to do so in the future. So, at this point, stuff will exist both in RAM and in the swap file. Later, if a swap actually needs to occur, it will be faster because the page was already swapped out.
Overall though, windows is a huge memory hog.
Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Practical use? What practical use did you come up with, "maxing out an already pimp system"?
You're talking about HD thrashing when we've already established than no current game uses (nor can use) more than 2GB of memory, so if you have that much, what's exactly is getting swapped to disk? And remember, we're talking about just gaming, not gaming + photoshop + DVD encoding, etc. Just gaming, like the OP asked.
So please, enlighten us on why 4GB of memory will allow you to play a game with 0 virtual memory and eliminate HD thrashing, while 2GB will not.
Running with no virutal memory.
Go ahead and say what you will, crapping and all.
In a practical high-end computing environment (even if it is STRICLY for gaming), having enough RAM to not need a swap file is good.
Furthermore, if you have enough money to make a high-end rig and just want to use it for gaming and NOTHING else, then you are either full of ****** or have enough money for 4GB just for the hell of it.
Sitting idle, with nothing open but firefox, I am consuming 34% of my RAM.
So tell me, how is two gigs better than four? Having a ~5% performance decrease in RAM performance from running at 2T vs. 1T is quite worth it when you have no swap file to hit your bus performance.
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