8GB of ram. Worth it?

[Salavat23]

I am in the midst of a ram upgrade at the moment.

I came across this set. It is A-Data 4gb (2x2gb).

Best of all, it is only $73!

Here is the link:

Canada Computers - Memory > Desktop Memory > DDR2 800 PC2-6400+ : A-DATA DDR2 800 240pin 4GB Kit (2x2GB) Unbuffered-DIMM Non-ECC Memory (w/ Heatsink).

My budget for ram was $150.

Should I get 2 of these for a total of 8GB?

This is a very good price which I find irresistible!

I don't do any video editing or anything. I just think this is a great deal that will keep me up to date for years to come, ram-wise.

Should I get it? Or is it too overkill?

[Jmac]

Are you going to run a 64-bit OS ?

Answer = Yes ... Yes, 8 GB is a worthwhile investment for a 64-bit OS
Answer = No ... No, 8 GB is a complete waste of money for a 32-bit OS as you won't even be able to use 4 GB (unless you have an OS which supports PAE; Windows doesn't)

[Salavat23]

Originally Posted by Jmac

Are you going to run a 64-bit OS ?

Answer = Yes ... Yes, 8 GB is a worthwhile investment for a 64-bit OS
Answer = No ... No, 8 GB is a complete waste of money for a 32-bit OS as you won't even be able to use 4 GB (unless you have an OS which supports PAE; Windows doesn't)

Yeah, I have a 64 bit os. Vista x64 Ultimate to be exact.

So is this worth it? Or should I get a faster, 4GB kit?

[MpG]

Nothing wrong with the price, that's for sure. But what do you run that's going to use 8GB? There are a couple of games out there that can benefit from having 4GB, but even that's still not the norm. And you'd have to be an insanely compulsive multi-tasker to need that much memory.

Some motherboards also don't like running 4 sticks of memory.

[Salavat23]

Originally Posted by MpG

Nothing wrong with the price, that's for sure. But what do you run that's going to use 8GB? There are a couple of games out there that can benefit from having 4GB, but even that's still not the norm. And you'd have to be an insanely compulsive multi-tasker to need that much memory.

Some motherboards also don't like running 4 sticks of memory.

Its not that I will use it. It is just that I can't resist the price.

Plus having 8.2GB of ram will be beneficial in the long run.

Am I right, or just insane?

[Salavat23]

My main question is:

What is better;

1) going with that cheap 8 gb kit

2) going with some high end 4gb kit

???

[Jmac]

If you will be overclocking, I'd get a more expensive 4 GB kit ...

[MpG]

If you don't use more than 4 GB of RAM, the extra RAM will basically be deadweight. On the other hand, a good 4GB kit of RAM is probably going to cost more than $150. The CAS 4 stuff still tends to run over $200, and the performance increase is honestly pretty small in real-world applications.

Under the circumstances, I might suggest buying 8 GB, and then seeing how much headroom the first set has. It's CAS 5 at 1.8 V, so cranking it up to 2.0-2.1 might let you drop it to CAS 4. Case in point: My own memory is spec'd at 5-5-5-18, but it's presently running 4-4-4-10 with 2.0 V. You don't get a warranty, but if it fails, you've still got 4 GB that you can play it safe with.

[Salavat23]

All right.

Here are my two choices:

1) (two of these) Canada Computers - Memory > Desktop Memory > DDR2 800 PC2-6400+ : A-DATA DDR2 800 240pin 4GB Kit (2x2GB) Unbuffered-DIMM Non-ECC Memory (w/ Heatsink).

or

2) (one of these) Canada Computers - Memory > Desktop Memory > DDR2 800 PC2-6400+ : Mushkin PC2 6400 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 5-4-4-12 (1.8V) 240pins (996587).

Which would you get. Keep in mind the A-Data is 8gb and the Mushkin is 4gb.

[MpG]

Number 2. Better latencies at less voltage? Almost certainly better chips in those Mushkin's, probably with some headroom to play with, if you're so inclined. It'll be quite some time before 4 GB isn't enough for a regular desktop. I'm a chronic parts collector myself, but I honestly don't see the need for 8 GB of RAM, unless I was planning on another cheap build up in the near future.