Question about increasing my performance via RAM.

[coltyhuxx]

Hi guys-

I currently am trying to goad my Intel P4 2.4gHz (with a Raedon 9800 (I believe its the 256 pro, but I need to check when I get home) inside) into better performance. I only have 768 of RAM and was thinking of upgrading to 2gigs. How much of a performance increase in games do you think I would get?

I'm wondering if you think I will be able to limp through the next generation of games on their lower settings (particularly Starcraft/Diablo.. but even some older 'hi-end' hogs, like The Witcher).

Am I bottlenecked already by my CPU or the Raedon (particularly, if it is a 128?)

Any help appreciated!

 

[Kayden]

Upgrading your ram at this point is like putting one of those little pine trees on a corpse.

It helps mask things a little, but it's still a rotting husk.

As I remember, I used to have a 9700 Pro that would kinda play WoW. Going from 1GB to 2GB helped tremendously by evening out the frame rate, but in large areas it was still CPU bound, on my P4 2.4 none the less. Keep in mind, this was 4 years ago.

If you're dead set against a new computer, you might as well get some more ram, but DDR is more expensive, slower, and smaller than DDR2.

With the i7 platform rolling out, C2D systems are becoming ludicrously affordable. You can get a fairly robust gaming system in the neighborhood of $600. If you don't want to build one, just browse Dell's outlet and look at some low end XPSes or get a good Optiplex and add a video card.

 

[kellehair]

Not to be rude but you’re proc is ancient and it wasn’t even all that good when it was new. RAM for those old systems isn’t overly cheap either. You could be looking at $70 or more for a 2GB kit. And 128MB vs. 256MB isn’t going to matter on that card as it’s so underpowered to begin with.

I think you need to upgrade. Do you build your own systems? Look what you can get for $200… http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4421629&CatId=333 … Add in a few other components and this card… http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214272 …and you won’t believe the difference.