6GB 1333Mhz RAM or 8GB 1066Mhz RAM

Which will benefit me more for gaming/running simulations? Is it more important the amount of RAM of the speed of it?

Thanks in advance

 

You will notice absolutely no difference in performance by choosing RAM with higher clock speeds. I mean that literally, there will be no performance difference at all.

 

Why not 8GB 1333MHz?

 

Puts me just over budget. My two options are either 6GB 1333MHz or 8GB with 1066Mhz.

 

For gaming, you don't need more than 4GB. What kind of simulations you are running? As stated above, memory speed and specs such as CAS latency have no real life performance benefit.

 

They makes a difference on WEI score. I think I notice some difference when I switch from single channel to dual channel.

 

Only need 4GB for how long though? I only buy a new laptop every 3 years or so. For simulations it will mainly be econometrics, statistical modelling, tax policy implementation simulations

 

I would pick 8GB 1066 if I were you. Asymmetric 6GB will not be as fast as real dual channel.

 

Get the cheaper option and put that money towards another component such as screen, graphics, proc or hard drive, where the money will be placed towards a more noticeable difference.

 

WEI score is worthless. e and my brother get teh same CPU score, he has an i7 at stock clocking, I have an AMD quadcore clocked to 4.0GHz. and they get the SAME number, in reality I kick his in benchmarks.

 

4GB should be fine for at least a couple years. Your models don't sound hugely memory-needy.

Remember, you can upgrade RAM and hard drive down the road... it's much harder to upgrade the display, graphics card, and other internal components. If you have a fixed budget, put your money toward the things that you cannot or are difficult to upgrade later.

 

I'd say the 8 GB if you're a big- multitasker. 6GB is fine for gaming and other needs, but in my opinion, they're both a waste of money if you're not doing anything important.

 

Extra ram will be used for cache, so it is not completely wasted.

 

there will be little or no difference... IMO , if ur given this 2 choices , i'd get 8GB 1066MHz RAM since u'll need a greater amount in the future... also the 8GB will be faster in a way than the 6GB.... for the size , 8GB is my choice.

 

I agree that more than 4GB RAM for gaming is not worth it. Check in the statistical/simulation software how much RAM is used. Virtually all programs have dedicated commands to check this, e.g., there's a command that's called "memory" in both Stata and Matlab; if you're running compiled code there are various operating system (or shell) tools you can use to check.

I'd go for 8GB if my choice is 6GB 1333 vs. 8GB 1066. But keep in mind that memory prices tend to follow a so-called "pig cycle." Memory prices are relatively high currently. So it might be economical to go for 4GB today and upgrade in two years or so if it turns out you need more then.

 

Thanks to all for the input. Looks like I might just go 4GB and make sure everything else is top notch then upgrade the RAM later on.

what's teh average rate of price drops on RAM in the past few years? Do you think it's the right time to go SSD?

 

You don't need an SSD, you must Spawn Moar Overlords.

On a serious note, SSDs are still pricey, but they give a very noticable performance boost. The trick is figuring out whether you think you need the performance boost or not, and whether your need justifies the price. Personally, I like SSDs, and I'm planning on keeping one. The Intel G2 drives are currently the top dogs performance-wise, but you can't go very wrong with most SSDs, anyways.

 

Really, the only reason I want an SSD is faster boots. Maybe I'll wait on that too

 

Well, in this kind of case, make sure your computer can support upgraded memory, in case you want more.

 

That's a good reason. In fact, that's the most practical reason for anyone to get them at the moment. In the form of a hybrid system--using the SSD as your primary OS and/or application drive, while maintain traditional HDDs for storage--they make an excellent contribution to your overall computing experience.

 

Seconded.

The speed differential between 1066 and 1333 versions you will never even see.
WEI scores essentially mean nothing.

What you WILL notice however is the need for larger RAM capacity as time goes on.

My recommendation is to stick with the 8GB option.