Will adding 2GB of RAM for a total of 4GB improve performance?

[Uncle Ben]

System: Dell Dimension 9150, Intel Pentium D CPR 3.00GHz, 2.0 RAM
OS: Windows Xp MCE 2002 SP3
Plenty of HD space 250GB boot drive, + two external USB drives (500 GB + 160
GB)

On a routine call with Dell Customer Support regarding a stubborn DVD drive,
once that problem solved, the tech recommended that I increase the physical
RAM from 2 to 4 GB, that doing so would produce a significant performance
boost. Is that so, even though Xp won't be using all of the 4GB but
allocate some for the video card and other components, leaving perhaps 3 to
3.4 GB for the OS. Not that this purchase will break the bank ... just
don't want to do it if the benefits aren't there.

TIA for your help!

 

[Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)]

System: Dell Dimension 9150, Intel Pentium D CPR 3.00GHz, 2.0 RAM

OS: Windows Xp MCE 2002 SP3
Plenty of HD space 250GB boot drive, + two external USB drives (500 GB + 160
GB)

On a routine call with Dell Customer Support regarding a stubborn DVD drive,
once that problem solved, the tech recommended that I increase the physical
RAM from 2 to 4 GB, that doing so would produce a significant performance
boost. Is that so, even though Xp won't be using all of the 4GB but
allocate some for the video card and other components, leaving perhaps 3 to
3.4 GB for the OS. Not that this purchase will break the bank ... just
don't want to do it if the benefits aren't there.

TIA for your help!

It's tough to say if it will be significant or not. It depends on the
other hardware installed in the computer. If the memory is matched,
that would help somewhat. Often, installing 4GB of RAM will only yield
about 3GB visible +/- to the OS for use. The rest will be occupied by
the various peripherals and address space used by things like video
card RAM, etc. It won't hurt anything to upgrade to 4GB. RAM is so
cheap now that it's worth it.

- Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)

 

[Alias]

System: Dell Dimension 9150, Intel Pentium D CPR 3.00GHz, 2.0 RAM
OS: Windows Xp MCE 2002 SP3
Plenty of HD space 250GB boot drive, + two external USB drives (500 GB + 160
GB)

On a routine call with Dell Customer Support regarding a stubborn DVD drive,
once that problem solved, the tech recommended that I increase the physical
RAM from 2 to 4 GB, that doing so would produce a significant performance
boost. Is that so, even though Xp won't be using all of the 4GB but
allocate some for the video card and other components, leaving perhaps 3 to
3.4 GB for the OS. Not that this purchase will break the bank ... just
don't want to do it if the benefits aren't there.

TIA for your help!

Unless you do intensive video/imaging work, you won't notice any
difference and will have wasted your money. The guy at Dell is probably
thinking of Vista.

Alias

 

[R. McCarty]

Unless you use programs that significantly load the machine ( VPC
Graphics work ) additional RAM probably isn't necessary. The key
deciding factor is the highest memory load you encounter using the
PC normally. Another factor is if your Motherboard supports Dual
Channel RAM configuration.

 

[John John (MVP)]

It all depends on what you do with your computer but in all likelihood
it will not do squat to improve performance on your machine. Very few
users have any need for that much RAM, few users even have any need for
much more than 1GB and you already have 2GB, unless you have specific
needs that you can identify putting more RAM in the box is probably
going to be a waste of money. The guy at Dell is working on commissions
and he is trying to increase his sales.

John

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

I think that dell knows
your system best.

there is likely a correlation
engineered into your specific
machine that exists between
a dvd, which holds about 4
gigs of data and your ram.

there is however, a dell
forum/discussion group
that you should refer this
question to other dell know-
it-alls.



--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

"share the nirvana" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Leythos]

System: Dell Dimension 9150, Intel Pentium D CPR 3.00GHz, 2.0 RAM
OS: Windows Xp MCE 2002 SP3
Plenty of HD space 250GB boot drive, + two external USB drives (500 GB + 160
GB)

On a routine call with Dell Customer Support regarding a stubborn DVD drive,
once that problem solved, the tech recommended that I increase the physical
RAM from 2 to 4 GB, that doing so would produce a significant performance
boost. Is that so, even though Xp won't be using all of the 4GB but
allocate some for the video card and other components, leaving perhaps 3 to
3.4 GB for the OS. Not that this purchase will break the bank ... just
don't want to do it if the benefits aren't there.

In most cases, expanding from 2gb to 4gb will have little impact for a
HOME user or a Receptionists Computer.

Open the task manager, look at the Performance tab, then look at the
"Commit Charge" "Total" and if you're running close to 2GB on a regular
basis then you could probably benefit from additional memory.

 

[Uncle Ben]

Unless you use programs that significantly load the machine ( VPC
Graphics work ) additional RAM probably isn't necessary. The key
deciding factor is the highest memory load you encounter using the
PC normally. Another factor is if your Motherboard supports Dual
Channel RAM configuration.

Thank you all for the prompt replies. All four slots are presently occupied
with 512 MB memory modules ... so if I understand your question correctly,
that would indicate that the mother board supports dual channel RAM
configuration. I do a fair amount of work with family photos and DVD
editing - my two daughters pass send me their family photos once or twice a
year; and I do a montage, slide shows, incorporating video clips, etc. I've
see Roxio crashing many times, as well as other video/pictured editing tools
(Corel, ACDsee, etc.)

Replacing the 4 x 512 MB modules with 1 GB modules is not going to break the
bank ... but in this economy, if I won't get any noticeable benefit from it,
I'd rather keep that $100 for rainy days.

Judging from the responses I've seen so far, it looks like it may be worth
my while.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Uncle Ben]

Snip> The guy at Dell is working on commissions

and he is trying to increase his sales.

John

Yeah, that's was I was afraid of too. I did my homework, somewhat, prior to
my OP, and I'm still not convinced one way or another. One thing for sure,
the performance I'm getting now running Roxio and some other video editing
software is mediocre at best, with frequent crashes (software crashes that
is). That's not to say that these problems would go away if I increased
RAM - I always thought that VM would provide ample works space for any
software application I'm running.

Thanks!

 

[Uncle Ben]

SNIP
there is likely a correlation engineered into your specific machine that
exists between
a dvd which holds about 4 gigs of data and your ram. SNIP>

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

To be clear, the DVD issue was resolved with a quick registry fix and the
tech didn't give me any indication that the problem I experienced had
anything to do with insufficient RAM. This was more like "Oh, and by the
way, I note that your computer only has 2 GB or RAM ... you would get
significantly better performance if ....)

Thanks!

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

System: Dell Dimension 9150, Intel Pentium D CPR 3.00GHz, 2.0 RAM
OS: Windows Xp MCE 2002 SP3
Plenty of HD space 250GB boot drive, + two external USB drives (500 GB + 160
GB)

On a routine call with Dell Customer Support regarding a stubborn DVD drive,
once that problem solved, the tech recommended that I increase the physical
RAM from 2 to 4 GB, that doing so would produce a significant performance
boost. Is that so, even though Xp won't be using all of the 4GB but
allocate some for the video card and other components, leaving perhaps 3 to
3.4 GB for the OS. Not that this purchase will break the bank ... just
don't want to do it if the benefits aren't there.

Your suspicions are certainly justified, and the Dell tech gave you
very poor advice. Even the 2GB you already have is very likely much
more than you can make effective use of, and even *decreasing* the
amount of RAM would probably not change your performance.

Here's my standard post on this subject:

How much RAM you need for good performance is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
RAM you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends on
what apps you run. Most people running a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere around 512MB works well, others need
more. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less than 256MB.
Some people, particularly those doing things like editing large
photographic images, can see a performance boost by adding even more
than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes_public/winxp_tweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.

 

[Daave]

Snip> The guy at Dell is working on commissions

Yeah, that's was I was afraid of too. I did my homework, somewhat,
prior to my OP, and I'm still not convinced one way or another.

Here is some more homework for you.

A quick way to determine if you have enough RAM is to open Task Manager
(Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note the three values
under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand corner: Total, Limit,
and Peak.

The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at that
very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of memory you
used since last bootup. If both these figures are below the value of
Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have plenty of RAM.

Or you may want to explore this further by running Page File Monitor for
Windows XP:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

 

[Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)]

Thank you all for the prompt replies. All four slots are presently occupied

with 512 MB memory modules ... so if I understand your question correctly,
that would indicate that the mother board supports dual channel RAM
configuration. I do a fair amount of work with family photos and DVD
editing - my two daughters pass send me their family photos once or twice a
year; and I do a montage, slide shows, incorporating video clips, etc. I've
see Roxio crashing many times, as well as other video/pictured editing tools
(Corel, ACDsee, etc.)

Replacing the 4 x 512 MB modules with 1 GB modules is not going to break the
bank ... but in this economy, if I won't get any noticeable benefit from it,
I'd rather keep that $100 for rainy days.

Judging from the responses I've seen so far, it looks like it may be worth
my while.

Thanks again for your help!

This model supports dual-channel DDR2 533 or 667. There's a sweet 4GB
DDR2 800 kit on Newegg for 55.49. It is backwards compatible with DDR2
667. That is insanely cheap!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144239

- Thee Chicago Wolf (MVP)

 

[Unknown]

Dell doesn't know at all. They just want to sell anything. If you don't
believe it, have someone simulate ordering a
computer on the phone. They'll try to sell 4 gigabytes regardless of the use
of the computer.

 

[John John (MVP)]

Snip> The guy at Dell is working on commissions



Yeah, that's was I was afraid of too. I did my homework, somewhat, prior to
my OP, and I'm still not convinced one way or another. One thing for sure,
the performance I'm getting now running Roxio and some other video editing
software is mediocre at best, with frequent crashes (software crashes that
is). That's not to say that these problems would go away if I increased
RAM - I always thought that VM would provide ample works space for any
software application I'm running.

If you do video editing then more RAM may help. Keep an eye on your key
memory counters (Commit Peak should not exceed installed RAM) and be
guided by the numbers reported. Pay attention to what is running on the
computer, often times poor performance is caused by spyware/adware or by
having too many useless programs running in the background for nothing.

John

 

[Leythos]

8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA=3E`_.._.?= <databaseben at
hotmail dot com> says...

I think that dell knows
your system best.

there is likely a correlation
engineered into your specific
machine that exists between
a dvd, which holds about 4
gigs of data and your ram.

You should not advise people on technical matters until you've learned
the basics of hardware yourself.

Your information is wrong.

 

[JS]

Monitor your memory usage as Dave suggested when you are doing the Photo and
Video editing.
For my photo work (Photoshop Elements) I need at least 2GB and 3GB would
even help.

For the proper memory for your PC see:
Don't buy "no name" memory.
Crucial Memory Advisor Tool
http://www.crucial.com/store/listmfgr.asp?cat=RAM

Don't buy "no name" memory!

 

[db ?¯`·.. >]

trolls like yourself
don't know when
to shut up.

--

db·?¯`·...?><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

"share the nirvana" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[db ?¯`·.. >]

nothing has been provided
validating your faulty theory
that the o.p.'s computer is
referring to a home pc or
that of a receptionists.

perhaps, it is because
you are a receptionist.


--

db·?¯`·...?><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

"share the nirvana" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Leythos]

8859-15?Q?_db_=3F=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA=3E`_.._.?= <databaseben at
hotmail dot com> says...

trolls like yourself
don't know when
to shut up.

Your posted information was incorrect, you should learn more before
attempting to help people.