RAM question...

[filipeg165]

first of all, my specs:

pentium 4 2.8 ht
512mb DDR 400mhz RAM
geforce FX 5600 256mb
HD 80gb
soundblaster live! 5.1

ok, now my question is about my RAM, i play Far Cry with everything max, except for lighting quality, cuz if i put that more than low my fps goes to around 15-20 and i cant play properly, with my settings, i play at around 60 fps, now, if i kick in more 512mb of RAM in my pc and stay with 1gb, what will happen, will the game run faster or will i be able to put my lighting settings a little higher? im asking this cuz i really need to know what will i be able to do after i get more RAM.

 

[Hazar]

Adding more ram will help, though the really expensive Corsair stuff will work the best.

 

[psyno]

Mm it will help, but probably not that much. It's the GFFX 5600 that holds your system back more than anything else.

Also, adding a low-latency module won't have the effect you're thinking of Hazar Dakiri, unless filipeg165 original stick had matching low latencies on its SPD module. Otherwise, most boards will just pick the most compatible latencies, which needless to say isn't the fastest.

 

[blackeye]

I heard that if you have more then two memory sticks in your system it actually can slow down performance.

 

[filipeg165]

well, i dont think thats true, cuz in my old pc, a pentium 3 800mhz, i had 64mb ram and then put in more 256mb, it didnt lose any performance at all... and also, thanks for the replies, i read at some websites, which had coparison charts of graphics cards, my geforce 5600 is a little outdated really, cuz it had such a poor performance at the benchmarks!!! im thinking of upgrading to a 5800 or 5900, what do u ppl think? but im definetly going to upgrade my RAM first.

 

[Pressure]

I heard that if you have more then two memory sticks in your system it actually can slow down performance.

Thats only if lets say one stick is PC3200 and the other is PC2700, then both will run at the speed of the PC2700.

 

[blahblahblah]

I heard that if you have more then two memory sticks in your system it actually can slow down performance.

No that can't happen. In the days before Windows XP, too much RAM actually slowed your system down because older versions of windows had poor memory management.

If his motherboard supports dual channel RAM, he could actually see a speed boost if he puts another stick of RAM in his computer.

 

[mr.six]

!!how the **** do you run far cry at all?? i have a 5600fx and far cry is unplayable. which sucks cause my processor and ram are very good...
are you overclocking it or what?

 

[filipeg165]

no man, put lighting quality to the lowest and try, you should get some nice fps with it, cuz i read that the geforce FX series have some serious problem with pixel shader 2.0, just try to put lighting quality to the lowest, you should be able to play it, no overclocking

 

[mr.six]

i did, but then you get loads of glitches like the flashing decals and textures. and other stupid stuff like peoples heads being the wrong colour...

this is really odd considering that i can run the demo on med/high specs...
i have the latest drivers etc...im kindve pissed off cause the card works fine on stuff like UT2004 but shite on stuff like deus ex2...
im going to have to upgrade, im using a great new pre-build- everythings perfect except the GPU, you just cant get good GPUs in pre builds (unless you pay out dis-proportionatley..)
anyway gah it sucks!

 

[filipeg165]

and Blahblahblah, my motherboard supports 4 memorysticks, so thats not a problem, its a brand new motherboard =D

 

[psyno]

You will get diminishing returns whith the more RAM you install in a system. It can actually slow the memory subsytem down, particularly with unbuffered RAM, although the amount we're talking is normally less than 1%.

Unless your motherboard is dual-channel capable, I wouldn't recommend looking to additional RAM for a performance boost in Far Cry. I wouldn't recommend any flavor of GFFX either, as they all have poor PS 2.0 performance.

 

[filipeg165]

ok i just saw here, my RAM stick is a PC3200 400mhz, and my motherboard does support dual channel, so i think this is good right? hehe, im getting the same RAM model, the PC3200 400 mhz

 

[blackeye]

if you only have ony stick in there you cant put in another and expect it to run in dual channel. You have to buy the memory in pairs.

I know im right about if you have 4 dimms full performance can be degraded. I read it somewhere. Ill find the link.

 

[psyno]

if you only have ony stick in there you cant put in another and expect it to run in dual channel. You have to buy the memory in pairs.

I know im right about if you have 4 dimms full performance can be degraded. I read it somewhere. Ill find the link.

You're right about the second but not about the first.

 

[blackeye]

The memory has to be bought in pairs or it wont run in dual channel. Theres no guarantee that it will run in dual channel if you dont do it that way.

 

[Dedatorv]

The memory has to be bought in pairs or it wont run in dual channel. Theres no guarantee that it will run in dual channel if you dont do it that way.

It doesn't have to be bought in pairs, you can just buy the identical one later.

 

[Asus]

I would recommend 1GB of memory for running farcry because it does take up a lot of memory. Some people notice a slow down when using only 512MB. Plus if your motherboard supports dual channel memory and you are only using 1 stick of 512mb, you can easily add another 512mb RAM and utilize dual channel memory.

btw Link

Dual memory is simply a function of the memory controller. You just need memory in pairs. You don't need to buy them like that. Just installed in pairs.
I can buy one now and one in 2 years and it will be the same as if I bought them in matched pairs. Although they may cost less than two individual 512mb sticks.

 

[blackeye]

It doesn't have to be bought in pairs, you can just buy the identical one later.

Theres no guarantee that it will work.

 

[Asus]

Theres no guarantee that it will work.

Only if the memory you bought isn't compatible with the motherboard.

 

[blackeye]

If i can just buy one memory stick now and then in a year buy another one and run it in dual chanel why would the companies match the sticks in their labs. Probably because they want to be sure its going to run in dual channel. A stick i buy now might no be matched with a stick I buy tomorrow. They may or may not run in Dual channel configurations togethor.

Companies don't just throw two sticks of RAM together to produce these kits, but they don't necessarily produce a totally different batch of RAM either. Testing or qualifying Dual Channel memory might involve something as simple as a QA technician booting up a pair of RAM in a Dual Channel motherboard and ensuring they work together under a set of conditions, or it could be more complicated, including so called "SPD" optimisations and even chip selection (we're inclined not to put much trust in the latter claims).

So there is no gaurantee that it will work.

 

[Asus]

If you buy PC3200 memory that claim they run 2-3-2-6 and then later buy another series or brand of PC3200 that claim the same timings they may end up running 2-3-3-6 as an example. Not incompatibility.

 

[blackeye]

Never mind im not going to fight over this. Its stupid. I think there is no gurantee that it will work you guys think it will work. But im not going to fight over this untill i can get other proof.

 

[psyno]

The quote you gave (and didn't cite) didn't prove anything, and the author only stated that he thought they probably didn't do very advanced testing.

Come on, why do you think they're really sold in matched pairs? 1) So that the consumer who may not be as savy has an easy time with spending his money on memory for his dual-channel motherboard and 2) to capture more of said money.

 

[blackeye]

Here
'

Anyone who has experience in building computer systems, will tell you that in order to achieve the best performance possible, it is always best to use "matched memory". This is even more important when it comes to Dual Channel DDR. But what is "matched memory"? Matched Memory simply means two identical sticks of memory. Normally, you are fairly safe when ordering two or more memory modules at the same time. However, some companies don't care what they sell. They just grab what ever they have at the time and toss it in a box and ship it out to you. You could end up with two 256mb modules, but made by two entirely different companies. Many times when you do receive a pair of memory modules, they will be the same brand, but different serial numbers with different specs. Another frightening problem is there are are still dishonest companies or resellers out there who like to hide their generic memory behind pretty heat spreaders. These companies will even remark the chips with a higher rating just to make a few extra bucks. So with companies like that willing to do anything to move old memory, who wants to spin the wheel of chance and gamble away your money? That is unless a highly trusted company who produces some of the best memory in the world had a system setup that would guaranteed that you would indeed receive matched memory modules. What if this company not only matched the memory for you, but also pretested the memory modules to ensure that they would work flawlessly? Sound like more BS coming from some lame company who has the worst reseller rating on the entire internet? Or maybe from a company who has customer service that is so bad, that talking to them feels like a visit to the proctologist? No, those words are coming from Corsair, a highly reputable company who makes some of the best overclocking memory in the world.

And a Link from the quote.

More

The biggest requirement is that the modules you use are closely enough matched that they can run almost exactly the same. They will run with the same latency settings, same speed, etc. For example, Corsair tests their TwinX sets in a Dual-Channel configuration to make sure they can, "take the heat," but if you bought their Value Select memory, they do not test it in Dual-Channel. However, many times people are still able to run them as such. You have a better chance of it working the more high quality the RAM is (to simplify things).

Here is the link
See from the above the guy is stating that it can work but there is no gurantee. Corsair might buy there memory from samsung one month and then the next month buy it from crucial. Might or might not work. You have to make sure the timings are the same as asus said. But still no guarantee it will work.

 

[blahblahblah]

From your link

No, those words are coming from Corsair, a highly reputable company who makes some of the best overclocking memory in the world.

Rule Number one in Computers: Never trust PR or marketing campaigns. :dozey:

~~~

Using RAM of different revisions will be perfectly fine as long as you don't overclock.

Some general RAM information

Different revisions of RAM will work for Dual Channel

 

[filipeg165]

ok, let me clarify all this to you, my motherboard supports dual channel, i have 1 RAM stick, PC3200 400mhz, and im going to put another one, identical to the other one i have, so please, stop fighting over this dual channel stuff, i know it'll work