How Much RAM Does Windows 7 _Really_ Require To Run Optimally?

[martin_metal_88]

Originally Posted by enaberif

Windows 7 != Vista

Its unfortunate that Microsoft ****** up big and made Vista run like a pig through molasses and made the hardware requirements so idiotic that you had to upgrade to run it.

They pulled their heads out of their asses and made Win7 run smoother than Vista so people with old architecture or computers could perhaps use it.

+1 and I don't you if you guys noticed it but the update at this time in seven and vista are the same ( same description ). Personally I run Win7 with 4gig and I never went over 1.4 for the windows and 3.2 when gaming and everything. Only time I get 4gig used was for memtest:) Because of software weight I would suggest 3 or 4 gig, better with 4 2 X2 gig( some board really dislike to have 4 slot full ). But I have to say that I never go over 3.2 with vista to ( yes running 64 bit common guy...)

Ask for more.

[irperson]

Well, I guess the it comes down to wat ur using it for...

I have 2 windows 7 computers nao.

computer 1:
- Windows 7 ultimate
- 32-bit
- 2GB RAM

uses:
- work, chattin, surfin net, playin flash games XD...etc.

computer 2:
- Windows 7 ultimate
- 64-bit
- 4GB RAM

uses:
-EVERYTHING.

The shops offered some another +4GB on my second computer, but I refused. Both take about 1GB to run. So its up to what ur gonna use it for,,,to run at its best, I guess 2GB MINIMUM (if your a real cheapskape (for work only, dont try for games...it will kill ur computer), and 4GB for real smooth performance (you can practically do whatever you wanna or need to do then). =)

[Oversized Rooster]

4GB is insufficient for perfectly smooth performance when you're running many heavy things. 8GB is the way to go - plus of course turn off the slow pagefile.

[Perineum]

Originally Posted by Ritz

Oh man, I remember just 3 or 4 years ago when 256 MB of RAM was sufficient and things were gravy when you went with 512. Now 1 GB is practically the bottom end of the scale, 2 is sufficient for today and most are recommending 4. I have 6, my friend has 8 and I saw an i7 build at Futureshop with 12 GB of triple channel RAM.

But, I would be careful with getting to much RAM too quick. Unless your computer is a media creation workstation of some sort, getting more than 4 GB of RAM isn't going to be super practical. By the time your system needs over 4 GB for day-to-day tasks, the RAM you buy today is going to be slow and outdated compared to what will be available that time in the future. Timings will be faster, and DDR3 will probably be way cheaper.

The amount of RAM I buy depends entirely on the price of RAM. When I bought my system, the extra 4gigs cost $55. Why the HELL wouldn't I spend the extra $55 just to have the RAM?

If RAM is cheap, it's certainly never going to hurt performance.

[drakk18]

I found that even running 2gb on my laptop works fine with windows 7. I never really noticed a difference with 2 - 4 for everyday tasks. I do play some games but it doesn't seem too horrific to have only 2gb. I originally bought 4gb but i ended up going with very cheaply priced 2 1gb sticks i found used. For other harder tasks (gaming, video stuff and whatnot) you'd be safe to go with 4gb I'd say.

[manumuskin]

I am attempting to create raster maps (rmp files) from large bmp files(bitmap)these bmp files are almost 1.2 gigs a piece.I cannot open them through paint because i don't have enough RAM but I can open them through the TRITON RMP program i use to make the maps successfully with smaller files.It takes several minutes for these to open though.I cannot however make the rmp"s out of these though because when i finish calibrating and attempt to make the map on my desktop it tells me not enough ram,on my laptop it just quits responding.
now my desktop is an HP pavilion elite with dual quad core processor.it is a 64 bit computer but is running 32 bit windows vista.the laptop is a 64 bit computer running 64 bit windows 7.the desktop has 3 gigs of ram and can be upgraded to 4 gigs but I've been told thats useless running 32 bit windows.to change over would mean a complete reinstall which i did last month because of a har drive crash and frankly am not up to doing it again mentally,emotionally or psychologically.
the laptop has 2 gigs of ram in it and can be upgraded indefinitely.it has 2 slots while the desktop has four.what my question is is do you folks think if i upgrade the laptop to four gis will that be enough to create rmp files out of 1.2 gig files of bmp?
Thanks for any help,
Al

[dadzilla]

Another vote for 4 GB. Even my aging 775 set up runs everything smoothly with Win 7. Finally the microsofties got it right!

[Arinoth]

She purrs like a kitten on my atom system with just 2 gigs of ram

[manumuskin]

Originally Posted by dadzilla

Another vote for 4 GB. Even my aging 775 set up runs everything smoothly with Win 7. Finally the microsofties got it right!

thanks Big Daddy, I mean Dadzilla:-)
I think I will try it.any thoughts on the best type of Ram.I've been looking on tiger direct and new egg.
Al

[dadzilla]

If you can find ram that is on the list in the mobo manual at least it will run at its advertised speed. Have you looked at Buy Ram clip - DirectCanada because they have some seriously good prices sometimes. Tigerdirect can't compete on price in my experience, NCIX of course is also excellent. If you know what you need, check all four sites and buy the cheapest - it's the same ram, so why not?Most guys here love Mushkin, but I have also had no problem with corsair ever, and even the cheaper OCZ works well if you are careful to select the proper ram. One way to do that is check with other forum members that have the same mobo/cpu as you. Or you can google reviews of your mobo - PC perspective seems to be a decent source, or Tom's Hardware.