Ram or CPU

Hi,

Buying a new pc

3.2 ghz
ATI 256MB PCI Express x16 ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card
20" TFT

was going to get 2 gigs of ram (2048MB PC-4200 Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024])

I will be using the machine for games (Far cry,doom 3 and half life 2)

Am i waisting my money getting 2 gigs.
Should i just get 1 gig and spend the saved money on upgrading the cpu to 3.6 ghz?


Thanks

Damo784

"Damo784" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

Buying a new pc

3.2 ghz
ATI 256MB PCI Express x16 ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card
20" TFT

was going to get 2 gigs of ram (2048MB PC-4200 Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz
[2x1024])

I will be using the machine for games (Far cry,doom 3 and half life 2)

Am i waisting my money getting 2 gigs.
Should i just get 1 gig and spend the saved money on upgrading the cpu to
3.6 ghz?


Thanks

Damo784

I would just get a single Gb of memory, since it doesnt look like you have a
budget, you could get 2x nVidia graphics cards and use one of those cool
little link cables.

hamman

Damo784 wrote:

Hi,

Buying a new pc

3.2 ghz
ATI 256MB PCI Express x16 ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card
20" TFT

was going to get 2 gigs of ram (2048MB PC-4200 Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024])

I will be using the machine for games (Far cry,doom 3 and half life 2)

Am i waisting my money getting 2 gigs.
Should i just get 1 gig and spend the saved money on upgrading the cpu to 3.6 ghz?

You should get a computer with an Athlon 64 processor. Don't get stuck
with a 32 bit processor and really regret it a few months from now.



Thanks

Damo784

No you wont wait a year and then upgrade to 64bit when the prices are
nice and low, regret it NO *#*W*Wing way, just upgraded to a Mobile
Barton 2500 and that willl do me for YEARS wheres all the 64bit
sotware and Microscum oS ???


On Mon, 26 Jul 2004 19:07:27 -0400, JK wrote:



Damo784 wrote:

Hi,

Buying a new pc

3.2 ghz
ATI 256MB PCI Express x16 ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card
20" TFT

was going to get 2 gigs of ram (2048MB PC-4200 Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024])

I will be using the machine for games (Far cry,doom 3 and half life 2)

Am i waisting my money getting 2 gigs.
Should i just get 1 gig and spend the saved money on upgrading the cpu to 3.6 ghz?

You should get a computer with an Athlon 64 processor. Don't get stuck
with a 32 bit processor and really regret it a few months from now.



Thanks

Damo784

64 bit Windows for X86-64 may be out very soon. We might see
some interesting 64 bit software before the end of the year. An
Athlon 64 3000+ is cheap at only around $175 or so. What Intel
chip could he get for that price? A P4 2.8C? Of course he could
get an XP3000+ for around $110. Only an extra $90 for 64 bit(I am
figuring an extra $25 for the Athlon 64 motherboard vs one for
an Athlon XP), is well worth it.

OCZ Guy wrote:

No you wont wait a year and then upgrade to 64bit when the prices are
nice and low, regret it NO *#*W*Wing way, just upgraded to a Mobile
Barton 2500 and that willl do me for YEARS wheres all the 64bit
sotware and Microscum oS ???

On Mon, 26 Jul 2004 19:07:27 -0400, JK wrote:



Damo784 wrote:

Hi,

Buying a new pc

3.2 ghz
ATI 256MB PCI Express x16 ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics card
20" TFT

was going to get 2 gigs of ram (2048MB PC-4200 Dual Channel DDR2 533MHz [2x1024])

I will be using the machine for games (Far cry,doom 3 and half life 2)

Am i waisting my money getting 2 gigs.
Should i just get 1 gig and spend the saved money on upgrading the cpu to 3.6 ghz?

You should get a computer with an Athlon 64 processor. Don't get stuck
with a 32 bit processor and really regret it a few months from now.



Thanks

Damo784

Well 64 bit is out of the question.
Dell are the cheapest for what i want by a long shot and they only do
intel.
Also i agree with the fact that there is no 64 bit software out
yet.however it should be mainstream in 3 years time when im upgrading
again so i can go for a 64 bit processor then......

So back to my original question more ram or more cpu power?

Damo784 wrote:

Well 64 bit is out of the question.

Why is a 64 bit system out of the question? An Athlon 64 system
might be cheaper than a high end P4 system.


Dell are the cheapest for what i want by a long shot and they only do
intel.

Are they? What would the system you propose cost? Imo I could
probably show you a few better alternatives for the price.


Also i agree with the fact that there is no 64 bit software out

One doesn't need 64 bit software to benefit from the Athlon 64. First
of all, the Athlon 64 has an on chip memory controller, which is a great
benefit and increases performance greatly in some instances. Using
a 64 bit OS even when the applications are 32 bit provides great
benefits. It can allow up to 4 gig of memory space for the application
itself. A 64 bit OS will also probably be much more efficient than a 32
bit one.


yet.however it should be mainstream in 3 years time

It is mainstream now, and will be even more so before the end
of '04. 64 bit Windows XP for the Athlon 64 will probably be released
before the end of '04.

when im upgrading
again so i can go for a 64 bit processor then......

So back to my original question more ram or more cpu power?

The best way to handle ram is to buy a standard amount, then add
if you need more. For a lower end system, 512 meg is a good start,
while for a higher end system, a gig is a good start.

In article , JK wrote:


Damo784 wrote:

Well 64 bit is out of the question.

Why is a 64 bit system out of the question? An Athlon 64 system
might be cheaper than a high end P4 system.


Dell are the cheapest for what i want by a long shot and they only do
intel.

Are they? What would the system you propose cost? Imo I could
probably show you a few better alternatives for the price.


Also i agree with the fact that there is no 64 bit software out

One doesn't need 64 bit software to benefit from the Athlon 64. First
of all, the Athlon 64 has an on chip memory controller, which is a great
benefit and increases performance greatly in some instances. Using
a 64 bit OS even when the applications are 32 bit provides great
benefits. It can allow up to 4 gig of memory space for the application
itself. A 64 bit OS will also probably be much more efficient than a 32
bit one.


yet.however it should be mainstream in 3 years time

It is mainstream now, and will be even more so before the end
of '04. 64 bit Windows XP for the Athlon 64 will probably be released
before the end of '04.

when im upgrading
again so i can go for a 64 bit processor then......

So back to my original question more ram or more cpu power?

The best way to handle ram is to buy a standard amount, then add
if you need more. For a lower end system, 512 meg is a good start,
while for a higher end system, a gig is a good start.



I agreed with buying memory as you've proven you need it,
but the first chip you buy should be large enough that
you won't have to discard it later to make room
for a larger simm if you need to max-out the memory.

Buy a name brand memory module and write down the
model number, so if you want order another module
you don't have to guess to match the chip.
memory chips should match.



--
Al Dykes
-----------
adykes at p a n i x . c o m

Al Dykes wrote:

In article , JK wrote:


Damo784 wrote:

Well 64 bit is out of the question.

Why is a 64 bit system out of the question? An Athlon 64 system
might be cheaper than a high end P4 system.


Dell are the cheapest for what i want by a long shot and they only do
intel.

Are they? What would the system you propose cost? Imo I could
probably show you a few better alternatives for the price.


Also i agree with the fact that there is no 64 bit software out

One doesn't need 64 bit software to benefit from the Athlon 64. First
of all, the Athlon 64 has an on chip memory controller, which is a great
benefit and increases performance greatly in some instances. Using
a 64 bit OS even when the applications are 32 bit provides great
benefits. It can allow up to 4 gig of memory space for the application
itself. A 64 bit OS will also probably be much more efficient than a 32
bit one.


yet.however it should be mainstream in 3 years time

It is mainstream now, and will be even more so before the end
of '04. 64 bit Windows XP for the Athlon 64 will probably be released
before the end of '04.

when im upgrading
again so i can go for a 64 bit processor then......

So back to my original question more ram or more cpu power?

The best way to handle ram is to buy a standard amount, then add
if you need more. For a lower end system, 512 meg is a good start,
while for a higher end system, a gig is a good start.



I agreed with buying memory as you've proven you need it,
but the first chip you buy should be large enough that
you won't have to discard it later to make room
for a larger simm if you need to max-out the memory.

Obviously. That is why I recommend starting with one 512 meg stick,
or perhaps one 1 gig stick.



Buy a name brand memory module and write down the
model number, so if you want order another module
you don't have to guess to match the chip.
memory chips should match.

--
Al Dykes
-----------
adykes at p a n i x . c o m