Will a RAM Upgrade Speed Up My PC?

[twick]

Currently I have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and 1GB of ram. Crucial say the max my netbook can have is 2GB, will this speed up my PC lots, or would I need a different processor.
I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate(overkill), which runs surprisingly fast with aero and all effects on, but it would be nice to play a few games that currently lag.
Thanks.

 

[sup3rsprt]

it will only help if you're running out of RAM. Which is very likely to happen when playing modern 3D games with only 1GB of RAM.

 

[zigzag3143]

Currently I have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and 1GB of ram. Crucial say the max my netbook can have is 2GB, will this speed up my PC lots, or would I need a different processor.
I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate(overkill), which runs surprisingly fast with aero and all effects on, but it would be nice to play a few games that currently lag.
Thanks.

twick

Hi and welcome to seven forums

Memory wont make you faster. you will slow down less and be able to have more things open at once. Only way to make you computer faster is CPU.

there are things you can do to make your self more efficient like stopping un needed services, killing apps that you dont need,etc.

hope this helps

Ken

 

[twick]

Thanks everyone, I will probably get the RAM, because I do slowdown sometimes. These are not modern games, but old ones.
Do you have any idea of processes I could stop?

 

[pparks1]

I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate(overkill),

The Ultimate version doesn't consume any more resources or put any more load on your box than 7 Home Premium or 7 Professional. Ultimate just has a few extra features (Bit Locker, ability to join a domain, etc).

 

[twick]

OK, I was told that Ultimate was slower. I'm glad I chose it now.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
RAM is often the LAST resource that is the cause of slow performance.

The usual culprit is the I/O sub-system. IDE 5200 RPM disks with a low / small cache will usually KILL any system stone dead however fast the cpu is.

The next thing to look at is the CPU -- this will of course limit the number of concurrent operations and the amount of "throughput" your machine is capable of.

However even a humble ATOM celeron processor is quite good for typical "Officy" type apps such as WORD, Powerpoint, even EXCEL.

For games etc you need a decent GPU - Graphics Processor Unit (used to call them "Video cards" in the old days) as these will do all the graphical processing. You will also need a CPU that can keep up with the GPU -- you don't need the fastest CPU but one that's fast enough to be ready to process the instructions when the "Interrupt" is received from the Graphics processor that it has processed the request and wants some more work to do.

Memory (RAM) for home computers is not such a critical resource as even 2GB of decent RAM will perform quite adequately if the disks / CPU / graphics combination is OK.

Where you DO need RAM and lots and lots of it is in the following areas

1) Running Multiple Virtual Machines

2) Running a server (web or or otherwise) with LOTS of concurrent users.

3) Especially here -- hosting a LARGE Oracle / MySQL database which receives many many concurrent queries so typical queries can be retained in memory - saves re-execution of same query which in a DB can really slow down response time.

I've run photoshop CS4 64 bit quite happily on a computer with only 2GB RAM. Having fast SCSI disks means the system can tolerate "page faults and swapping".

On a Netbook with 1GB RAM I'd say you are probably wasting your money upgrading it to 2GB.

Put the extra RAM on another machine or buy an SSD disk --that will certainly pay dividends.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Christopher]

I would recommend swapping the hard drive out, and maxing the memory out and using ReadyBoost via an SD card.

I have an MSI wind that I put a WD Scorpio Black in, 2GB memory (max) and ran ReadyBoost from a 200x SD card. I noticed significant performance in everything I did on the machine.

As far making it perform better after that? Not going to happen. There are limitations to everything in life.

 

[twick]

Is using ReadyBoost better if you do it from an SD card than if you do it from a usb stick. Also, I use this netbook for internet, photo editing, and VERY basic video editing. Would more ram or readyboost speed these up?

 

[Ryan2320]

The ONLY thing RAM will do is speed up Boot time and the amount of programs you can run will increase...


Check your Task Manger and under the performance tab how much memory are you using??

 

[twick]

The ONLY thing RAM will do is speed up Boot time and the amount of programs you can run will increase...


Check your Task Manger and under the performance tab how much memory are you using??

With nothing open?

 

[sup3rsprt]

but your system shouldn't be out of RAM with nothing open. It's when you start playing games that you need to see how much memory is left (if any).

 

[Christopher]

1GB of memory is not enough for today's software(s). Some may argue this, but I couldn't care less. Having anything less than 2GB of memory on a system where you are editing photos and video is going to be a hindrance.

ReadyBoost is not quite the same thing as memory, but because you are only able to install 2GB have a 1GB or 2GB ReadyBoost SD card or USB stick will help when you are running a lot of programs etc.

It makes no difference whether you use an SD card or a USB stick, just make sure that it is ReadyBoost capable and has decent speed ratings.

 

[Dave76]

Currently I have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and 1GB of ram. Crucial say the max my netbook can have is 2GB, will this speed up my PC lots, or would I need a different processor.
I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate(overkill), which runs surprisingly fast with aero and all effects on, but it would be nice to play a few games that currently lag.
Thanks.

The netbooks limitations have been mentioned already, With the apps you are running I think you will notice an improvement by adding another GB RAM.

My older desktop was noticeably faster when it went from 1GB to 2GB, startup, opening apps, can open more apps and tabs without noticing a slow down.
Win7 recommends min 1GB for 32bit and 2GB for 64bit, I would bet that 2GB RAM for 32 bit will help the overall performance.

As mentioned, a faster HD will also help, get a 7200 RPM with 16mb cache. Haven't seen any 2 1/2" HDs with 32mb cache.

Good luck, let us know the results.

 

[MacGyvr]

Going from 1GB to 2GB on Windows 7, you will most definitely see an increase in overall speed and responsiveness. Above 2GB, the increase is not as dramatic.

On Windows XP, the breakpoint is 1GB rather than 2.

 

[jimbo45]

but your system shouldn't be out of RAM with nothing open. It's when you start playing games that you need to see how much memory is left (if any).

Hi there
in principle you are right but if the disks are fast having a 1GB system with typical HOME user type apps isn't too much of a disadvantage as paging won't slow you down too much if you aren't running too many apps at the same time.

Where you lose out is in running things like Photoshop CS4 (the 64 bit version is much much better in any case for todays larger files with the current crop of DSLR cameras).

Audio editing actually doesn't require a huge amount of processing / memory. Video does.

99% of office apps / internet browsing (provided you aren't using Video streaming), email, messaging will still work just fine on a 1GB machine -- as memory is cheap it doesn't hurt of course to add more but don't be surprised if the improvement isn't as dramatic as you expect.

SCSI Disks, fast graphics GPU and a decent processor are probably much more important although SCSI on a Netbook would be overkill. SSD is another matter -- am looking forward to seeing how these perform when the technology matures a bit and the price doesn't require a "Platinum" Amex card.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[chev65]

I think that purchasing 2GB of memory is about the cheapest way to "slightly" improve performance on that netbook.

You can get 2GB of netbook type memory for 25 bucks.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-PC2-5400-667MHz-SoDIMM-OCZ2MV6672G/dp/B000RZ8WHG/ref=br_lf_m_1000339871_1_3_ttl?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=electronics&pf_rd_p=493356291&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000339871&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0D8X7AP5ZMGE5598FM0D"]Amazon.com: OCZ 2GB PC2-5400 667MHz DDR2 Value SoDIMM Module (OCZ2MV6672G): Electronics[/ame]

 

[Christopher]

Also, remember that it is likely you will need a 1GB module not a 2GB module. I am not sure of your system and its requirements but it likely has "built-in" memory and the memory port only supports 1GB. Check with your manual first.

 

[Lunarpancake]

RAM would be a nice upgrade. As other have said it may not speed you up a whole lot but you will definitely have many less of those "slow-downs" when opening multiple apps or gaming.

When using ReadyBoost be sure that you have the fastest USB or Card you can afford. There are differences in read / write speed for those devices so try to get the fastest!

Another thing you will want to do is turn off Aero (or whatever Win7 calls it). This will make your menu bars no longer transparent but it WILL free up a good amount of system resources.

Also you may want to run an app such as CCLEANER (available from Filehippo.com , FREE) that will clean up your pc of extra gunk, temp files..etc. Also its Registry scanner/cleaner is the ONLY one I trust. I trust it to the point where I have no qualms running it on servers and other important machines.


Goodluck!

 

[whs]

More RAM is always a good thing. But games with an atom processor is pushing it - also because of the graphics chip. If you want real performance improvement, get an SSD - e.g the new Intel X25.