I actually think I'm pretty hardcore when it comes to my computer. My current computer is an year or something old, and based on the Steam survey, it's way at the high end of the spectrum.
I find that when I think I need a new graphics card, I'll go online and start doing research. I'll see all the new products and how far prices have fallen...and I end up building a brand new computer, instead of just buying an upgrade.
Another big factor for me, though, is noise. That is actually the primary reason why I build my own computers. I can't stand having a computer that sounds like a jet engine...unfortunately, most pre-built computers with fast components are far too loud. As a result, I end up spending more, and it's a lot more work involved in the build.
(BTW, for the OP, 2 GB, definitely. RAM is one of the cheapest ways to effectively improve a computer).
Get 2gb. If you can afford to, go 4gb as it will save you an upgrade later on. If you have a good video card, then you can easily max out all the video settings in whatever games you play.
1gb is the absolute minimum nowadays. Like a previous poster said, you will probably be able to run stuff, but alt-tabbing out of the game to do browser stuff will have to do some chugging.
"...and with that cryptic comment, I'm off to bed!"
I bought my PC just over a year ago. 1 GB Ram, Nvidia 7800. It ran WOW and EQII fine. I've recently started playing LOTRO and on high settings it gets choppy in the biggest city. I don't hold out too much hope of being able to play games coming out like AOC. I'm not sure how intensive Tabula Rasa and Warhammer will be.
I wouldn't mind the extra RAM now, but when I bought my PC it felt like it was overkill. That was over a year ago though.
In a way, I'm actually a bit hopeful that the 'next-gen' of MMO's will run smoothly on non next-gen computers. A large part of the reason why WoW and GW did well is because they run well on subpar systems. Poor performance is partially why several MMO's tanked. So I'm thinking that developers will learn from this and make sure that the games will run on a wide range of systems.
4GB in a windows XP machine is a waste unless its XP Pro SP2 - since XP home and SP1 doesnt support more than 2GB use - while it will show the correct ammount, it wont use it....
Well, if you're buying a new computer from a company like Dell, Ibuypower, HP, etc you're probably going to end up with Vista in some form or another. If you get a new computer with Vista, I highly recommend getting at least 2 gigs of RAM. Even with just XP I'd suggest it, the more RAM the better.
4GB in a windows XP machine is a waste unless its XP Pro SP2 - since XP home and SP1 doesnt support more than 2GB use - while it will show the correct ammount, it wont use it....
and avoid vista, its shockingly sh--
I recommend 4GB of RAM as the ideal configuration for modern gaming.
The claim above is a common misconception. All Microsoft operating systems based on NT technology can support at least 4GB of physical RAM. This includes Windows NT Workstation on up.
Windows XP can also employ up to 4GB of physical memory, however the application memory model provides only 2GB of flat virtual memory space to any given application. If the application is written appropriately, and the /3GB switch is employed in the boot.ini, each application will be provided with 3GB of flat virtual memory space.
With the PAE extensions and appropriately written software, Windows XP can support up to 64GB of physical memory.
The interface between applications and virtual memory under Windows XP does not dictate the amount of physical memory the operating system actually supports and uses. As is always the case, your performance will improve as you increase the total amount of memory in the system.
For maximum performance, a Windows XP system should contain 4GB of RAM.
im currently in the proccess of getting a new computer, the past 3 computers i have owned i built from the ground up. now that im olders and work more i dont really have the time or energy to build one this time.
Im going with DELL over IBUYPOWER and ALIENWARE for the simple fact is that DELL has the BEST warrenty over all PERIOD.
This is the specs of the computer im gonna be getting here soon.
If your Gonna buy a new computer with Window Vista I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you go with the 4 gigs of ram. Yes its a little bit more but Vista Runs on a gig of ram to begin with so you will be saving yourself the headache in the long run. Also, The more ram that you have the better performance you will get out of you machine.
If you can't afford to go with 2 GBs right now then I would recommend buying a system with a motherboard that supports up to at least 4GBs of RAM. This will allow you to upgrade later.
Your computer will need two sticks, as someone else here has mentioned. DDR / DDR2 only really shines when it's used in Dual Channel mode and two sticks are required for that. So if you can afford only 1 GB right now then go with that 2x512.
This means that later, however, you will need to buy 2x1GB (or 2x2GB to max out the board). It could get expensive.
If using Windows XP then you should be able to slide by on 1 GB of ram. You will not be able to play games at max settings unless you get a very good 3D card.
I played EQ2 with 1 GB of RAM on Windows XP Pro SP2 with a 6800 GT AGP graphics card, and thanks to the processor (Intel E6400) I was able to comfortably play at the High Quality setting even in Kelethin.
Obviously EQ2 is going to require more system resources than WoW.
Personally, I recommend Intel's Core 2 Duo processors. These things are work horses. However, regardless of the processor brand that you get, make it a dual core. Do not bother buying a single core processor these days.
LGA775 is the motherboard socket needed for a good Intel processor... unless that's changed in the last few months.
If you do end up getting Vista though then never mind everything that I just said. Get at least 2GBs RAM or don't run Vista (I'm speaking from experience here).
Good luck.
Originally posted by amaya_chan Hey guys, just looking for a bit more advice. After looking this up, I'm curious to know what you think. I've seen many forums about 1 GB RAM vs 2. They were all so mixed up in opinion, I couldn't figure out a final answer towards my question. I suppose there really isn't one, but I'd appreciate a more clear idea. I'm looking to invest in a new computer, since the one I have is a good 5-6 years old. It can't even run the free MMOs smothly. I get something ridiculous like 5-15FPS, if I'm lucky. (Based on Hero Online, it's pretty choppy gameplay)My friend advised going with 2GB, but that does add up in cost, so I wondered how I would fair with 1GB? The minimum on some of these games says 512 to 2GB recommended. If you saw my first question, then you know already that I'm going for WoW or EQ2. It seems WoW uses a lot of RAM, but the issues for EQ2 are greater from what I have read. Some places I came across claimed that they had slow gameplay with 2 GBs, while other sites claim that 1GB and a good graphics card can run it well.The specs I'm going for : [*] Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 641 w/ HT Technology, 3.2GHz [*] 1GB DDR2-667MHz SDRAM (2x512) nVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS 256MB 160GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive So, I'd really love some opinions on this ^.^
go for 2 gigs, everything coming out is requiring a minimum of 1. And MMO are huge ram hogs compared to single players games, due to the size of it. So go for the 2.
lol on my crappy old laptop it takes me like 2 hours to get across stormwind on wow. 256 ram 4 eva
the highest framerate i have ever had is 5fps i guess i should save up for a new computer instead of blowing it all on drums, booze, skateboarding and porn
plus i run it from my ipod becuase i dont have enough memory
So with Windows XP, a system with 1GB of RAM was providing identical performance as one with 2 GB.
There are other games I own that use more than 1 GB of RAM, but no MMO that I own.
In order to see how much RAM your game is using press CTRL-ALT-Delete.
Under the "Processes" tag, look up your game. (Wow.exe). It will tell you the exact amount of RAM that program is using at that time. Remember that Woindows XP usually needs about 100 ish MB itself, including anti-virus etc.
If your total RAM usage exceeds your available RAM the computer will attempt to use your Hard drive as temporay RAM, this is much slower and may result in visible performance lose. You can see how much your computer is "Page Filing" from the next tag on Windows Task Manger (CTRL-ALT-Delete) marked "Performance".
1 GB is going to be enough for both WoW and EQ2 to run optimumly.
1 GB of RAM for a desktop computer will cost between £25 and £50.
I really appreciate all the feedback, thanks guys!
From what I've heard, ibuypower is risky, and people say not to use it. I've had an HP before, and it's been rather reliable, never tried a dell though. My friend suggested building my own, but not having that much knowledge is really preventing me from doing that. I mean, I can build a decent one for around $500-600, which is what I'm looking for, and that would be great. Only problem with it is my lack of understanding. I would mess something up, I'm sure. -_-
As for the RAM, you're right, I see that now. I'd buy it rather than get it from the site, since they are really overpriced.
Hey guys, just looking for a bit more advice. After looking this up, I'm curious to know what you think.
I've seen many forums about 1 GB RAM vs 2. They were all so mixed up in opinion, I couldn't figure out a final answer towards my question. I suppose there really isn't one, but I'd appreciate a more clear idea.
I'm looking to invest in a new computer, since the one I have is a good 5-6 years old. It can't even run the free MMOs smothly. I get something ridiculous like 5-15FPS, if I'm lucky. (Based on Hero Online, it's pretty choppy gameplay)
My friend advised going with 2GB, but that does add up in cost, so I wondered how I would fair with 1GB? The minimum on some of these games says 512 to 2GB recommended. If you saw my first question, then you know already that I'm going for WoW or EQ2. It seems WoW uses a lot of RAM, but the issues for EQ2 are greater from what I have read. Some places I came across claimed that they had slow gameplay with 2 GBs, while other sites claim that 1GB and a good graphics card can run it well.
I suggest upping this CPU to dual cores, they are really cheap nowadays.
– 1GB DDR2-667MHz SDRAM (2x512)
1 GB is OK, 2GB is better, anything above 2GB for WinXP is not necessary. 2GB in most situations is more then enough.
– nVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS 256MB
Dont get GS. Pay a bit extra but get 7600GT. Why? Becuase GS is DDR2, and GT is DDR3. Anything above 7600GS is DDR3 so I highly recommend paying a bit extra to get from DDR2 to DDR3. The faster the memory on your vidcard, the more FPS u will have
– 160GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
Good HDD. Theres not that many things that will test your HDD on max performance. However, keep in mind that SATA2 is already on market, so if money is not an issue, u can get SATA2 HDD instead (faster transfer rates).
So, I'd really love some opinions on this ^.^
PS: Make sure u get a decent MOBO and PSU. Try to buy mobo while keeping in mind that u might upgrade your PC in 2-3 years (SLI, RAM slots, etc).
Comments
I find that when I think I need a new graphics card, I'll go online and start doing research. I'll see all the new products and how far prices have fallen...and I end up building a brand new computer, instead of just buying an upgrade.
Another big factor for me, though, is noise. That is actually the primary reason why I build my own computers. I can't stand having a computer that sounds like a jet engine...unfortunately, most pre-built computers with fast components are far too loud. As a result, I end up spending more, and it's a lot more work involved in the build.
(BTW, for the OP, 2 GB, definitely. RAM is one of the cheapest ways to effectively improve a computer).
1gb is the absolute minimum nowadays. Like a previous poster said, you will probably be able to run stuff, but alt-tabbing out of the game to do browser stuff will have to do some chugging.
"...and with that cryptic comment, I'm off to bed!"
I bought my PC just over a year ago. 1 GB Ram, Nvidia 7800. It ran WOW and EQII fine. I've recently started playing LOTRO and on high settings it gets choppy in the biggest city. I don't hold out too much hope of being able to play games coming out like AOC. I'm not sure how intensive Tabula Rasa and Warhammer will be.
I wouldn't mind the extra RAM now, but when I bought my PC it felt like it was overkill. That was over a year ago though.
Short answer? Go for 2 if you can afford it.
and avoid vista, its shockingly sh--
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irc.ForTheGamers.Org
www.ForTheGamers.Org
I recommend 4GB of RAM as the ideal configuration for modern gaming.
The claim above is a common misconception. All Microsoft operating systems based on NT technology can support at least 4GB of physical RAM. This includes Windows NT Workstation on up.
Windows XP can also employ up to 4GB of physical memory, however the application memory model provides only 2GB of flat virtual memory space to any given application. If the application is written appropriately, and the /3GB switch is employed in the boot.ini, each application will be provided with 3GB of flat virtual memory space.
With the PAE extensions and appropriately written software, Windows XP can support up to 64GB of physical memory.
The interface between applications and virtual memory under Windows XP does not dictate the amount of physical memory the operating system actually supports and uses. As is always the case, your performance will improve as you increase the total amount of memory in the system.
For maximum performance, a Windows XP system should contain 4GB of RAM.
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx
im currently in the proccess of getting a new computer, the past 3 computers i have owned i built from the ground up. now that im olders and work more i dont really have the time or energy to build one this time.
Im going with DELL over IBUYPOWER and ALIENWARE for the simple fact is that DELL has the BEST warrenty over all PERIOD.
This is the specs of the computer im gonna be getting here soon.
If your Gonna buy a new computer with Window Vista I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you go with the 4 gigs of ram. Yes its a little bit more but Vista Runs on a gig of ram to begin with so you will be saving yourself the headache in the long run. Also, The more ram that you have the better performance you will get out of you machine.
If you can't afford to go with 2 GBs right now then I would recommend buying a system with a motherboard that supports up to at least 4GBs of RAM. This will allow you to upgrade later.
Your computer will need two sticks, as someone else here has mentioned. DDR / DDR2 only really shines when it's used in Dual Channel mode and two sticks are required for that. So if you can afford only 1 GB right now then go with that 2x512.
This means that later, however, you will need to buy 2x1GB (or 2x2GB to max out the board). It could get expensive.
If using Windows XP then you should be able to slide by on 1 GB of ram. You will not be able to play games at max settings unless you get a very good 3D card.
I played EQ2 with 1 GB of RAM on Windows XP Pro SP2 with a 6800 GT AGP graphics card, and thanks to the processor (Intel E6400) I was able to comfortably play at the High Quality setting even in Kelethin.
Obviously EQ2 is going to require more system resources than WoW.
Personally, I recommend Intel's Core 2 Duo processors. These things are work horses. However, regardless of the processor brand that you get, make it a dual core. Do not bother buying a single core processor these days.
LGA775 is the motherboard socket needed for a good Intel processor... unless that's changed in the last few months.
If you do end up getting Vista though then never mind everything that I just said. Get at least 2GBs RAM or don't run Vista (I'm speaking from experience here).
Good luck.
the highest framerate i have ever had is 5fps i guess i should save up for a new computer instead of blowing it all on drums, booze, skateboarding and porn
plus i run it from my ipod becuase i dont have enough memory
WoW was using 600MB of RAM on my sytem.
So with Windows XP, a system with 1GB of RAM was providing identical performance as one with 2 GB.
There are other games I own that use more than 1 GB of RAM, but no MMO that I own.
In order to see how much RAM your game is using press CTRL-ALT-Delete.
Under the "Processes" tag, look up your game. (Wow.exe). It will tell you the exact amount of RAM that program is using at that time. Remember that Woindows XP usually needs about 100 ish MB itself, including anti-virus etc.
If your total RAM usage exceeds your available RAM the computer will attempt to use your Hard drive as temporay RAM, this is much slower and may result in visible performance lose. You can see how much your computer is "Page Filing" from the next tag on Windows Task Manger (CTRL-ALT-Delete) marked "Performance".
1 GB is going to be enough for both WoW and EQ2 to run optimumly.
1 GB of RAM for a desktop computer will cost between £25 and £50.
I really appreciate all the feedback, thanks guys!
From what I've heard, ibuypower is risky, and people say not to use it. I've had an HP before, and it's been rather reliable, never tried a dell though. My friend suggested building my own, but not having that much knowledge is really preventing me from doing that. I mean, I can build a decent one for around $500-600, which is what I'm looking for, and that would be great. Only problem with it is my lack of understanding. I would mess something up, I'm sure. -_-
As for the RAM, you're right, I see that now. I'd buy it rather than get it from the site, since they are really overpriced.
I am the type of player where I like to do everything and anything from time to time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor - pre-WW2 genocide.