Minimum RAM req'd?

[alconaway]

I'm buying a Dell notebook that I would like to last for 3-4 years. My question is whether 256Mb RAM is sufficient. The system is P3-750, 18Gb hd, Windows 2000, 8xDVD. Mostly used for business and teleconferencing, some presentations. Is there any software technology on the horizon (3-4 year horizon) that will require more than 256Mb RAM?

 

[TomC25]

I heard that would be a minimum (for Anandtechers) for Win 2K

add some later as it may get cheaper - why pay more now when it is not needed

 

[vi edit]

Not to burst your bubble, but 3-4 years is an eternity in computer years. Hell, 4 years ago, the Original Pentiums were the top selling CPU's. Now, we're almost ready to roll out the Pentium 4's.

If you seriously want a laptop that you want to last, I would consider looking into leasing one for two years. When your two years is up, just trade it in for a new, up to date one.

 

[jblondi]

I would have to agree, in 4 years that thing will be an overpriced paper weight. The best bang for your buck is to get something right below top of the line. Make sure it has the ability for some kinda upgrades, ram, HD, etc, and then dont worry to much about it, cause worrying wont make your computer last any longer. Good luck.

 

[AMB]

4 years is too long, I managed to last for 2 years and a bit, that was too much, I would say that 256 is OK, but if you want it to last for 2-3 years, I would say another 128 would be a good idea

 

[Ulysses]

See the Kingston Memory Assessor. Win 2K requires more RAM than Win 98 or Win Me, and 256 MB should be adequate. Depending on your motherboard, it may be better to get a 256 MB module than 2 @ 128 MB.

 

[Cosmic_Horror]

ok for starters , a computer become obsolete, when your needs change!
(if you can see yourself useing the exact same software for 4 years the what ever you get today will be fine).

chances are however you wont.

(i know heaps of people still running old p200Mmx systems to surf the net, send email, use word etc and they must be close to 3 years old now.)

as for the matter of ram, win2k it is recommended you have at least 128Mbs of ram. That is your starting point. Look at the software you are running. Anything there need tmore than that? will you be running more than one application at a time?

256Mb would be roughly where you would end up. Remember on most laptops you can upgrade ram later so you can always add , or replace a stick.


hope this helps

 

[pdo]

Even if you do get 256 megs. Don't get it from DELL. They are overpriced as hell. Go to Crucial for your RAM needs or something.

 

[Erasmus-X]

Dell notebooks are top-notch. Not only are you paying for a good machine, but you're also paying for some of the best support in the industry. Sure you can get a cheaper notebook, but they're simply not all created equal.

 

[Sir Fredrick]

128MB is a decent amount of RAM to have right now, and performance on Win2k does not suffer horribly with 128MB. 256MB should last you for a long time. It'll give stellar performance now, and eventually will probably be deemed "adequate". I'd say the average computer still has 64MB, so you'd be well ahead with 256MB. 4 years may be an unrealistic goal, but I wouldn't say it's impossible. I have a 4 year old pentium 133 with 48MB RAM that my parents were using up until about 2 months ago. Sure it was slow, but not unusable (except for some games).