More RAM?

[Dale]

Hi, I'm wondering if 256MB of RAM is good enough running
into my P4 2ghz XP Home Edition. Will adding more RAM
improve SPEED of the machine? Thanks

 

[Jim Macklin]

512 is the sweet spot, 256 is adequate for most home uses.
RAM is cheap. More RAM will reduce the use of the pagefile
(virtual memory) so yes, it will be faster IF you are using
a large amount of virtual memory now.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But legislators see it as an obstacle to be overcome.


message | Hi, I'm wondering if 256MB of RAM is good enough running
| into my P4 2ghz XP Home Edition. Will adding more RAM
| improve SPEED of the machine? Thanks

 

[Bruce J. Weiers]

Additional memory would improve the responsiveness (and therefore, the
apparent "speed") of the machine, particularly when you have multiple
applications and windows open and are switching between them.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In

Hi, I'm wondering if 256MB of RAM is good enough running
into my P4 2ghz XP Home Edition.

How much RAM you need for good performance depends on what apps
you run.

Will adding more RAM
improve SPEED of the machine? Thanks

Most people running a common range of business apps find that
good performance begins at 256MB. *Some* people, for example
those editing large photographic images, can find that more--even
*much* more--can provide substantial improvements.

If you are using the page file, more RAM will help your
performance. If you are not, more RAM will do almost nothing for
you. Download the winxp pagefile usage monitor from
http://www.billsway.com/notes_public/WinXP_Tweaks/

and monitor how large your page file usage gets. If that number
is substantial, more RAM (up to that amount) will improve your
performance,