Windows VISTA - How much Memory?

Discussion in 'hardware' started by TheKid7, Sep 6, 2010.

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  1. TheKid7

    TheKid7 Registered Member

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    I have never used Windows VISTA, but someone I know wants to upgrade their Home PC from DDR2 667, 2 X 512 MB of memory to either 2 X 1 GB or 2 X 2 GB. I think that he has the 32 bit version of Windows VISTA Home Premium.

    Questions:

    1. Will 2 GB of memory be enough for good performance of Windows VISTA Home Premium?

    2. Will using DDR2 1066 memory have any performance increase over using DDR2 800 memory? He wants to order from Crucial. Crucial lists three speeds of memory being "compatible" (DDR2 667, 800, & 1066). I think that DDR2 1066 will just drop back to the DDR2 800 speed, since I do not see any mention of the 1066 speed in the PC's specs.

    3. Will using 2 X 2 GB work OK with the 32 bits OS even though not all of the memory will be recognized?

    Thanks in Advance.

    PC to be upgraded: Compaq Presario SR5130NX
    Memory Specifications: Supports PC-4200 (533 MHz), PC2-5300 (667 MHz), and PC-6400 (800 MHz) DDR2 DIMMs
     
  2. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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  3. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    In addition to what JRViejo said,

    1. Yes. It will run very well with 2Gb. But better with 3 or 4.

    2. Not in your case. According the specs for that system, it supports PC2 5300 (DDR2 667) RAM. That means the motherboard supports up to 667MHz RAM and motherboards (bus speeds) determine the speeds RAM run at. So installing 800 or 1066MHz RAM will not improve performance because the motherboard will toggle the RAM down to 667MHz anyway. RAM has no problem running slower than designed so it will not hurt to buy faster. And some times that is better because faster RAM is often more available and therefore cheaper, and also because faster RAM has a chance of being useful in the future if it can be moved to a faster motherboard.

    3. Yes.
     
  4. TheKid7

    TheKid7 Registered Member

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    I just ordered 2 X 2 GB of Crucial DDR2 800 Memory. I should receive my order by the middle of next week.
     
  5. TheKid7

    TheKid7 Registered Member

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    I just got back from installing the 2 X 2 GB of Crucial DDR2 800 memory. There was a "huge" jump in performance which is hard to quantify. It looks like normal tasks like opening Internet Explorer is on the order of at least 5 times faster than with the 2 X 512 MB of memory. The PC owner is very happy with the performance increase.
     
  6. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    TheKid7, that's great news. Thanks for posting back. Take care.
     
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