Hey I have a question about ram

Right now I'm running a Samsung P50, mainly for 3d graphics.
Its got 2gb of ram and capable of maximum of 3gb.
I've heard of external hard drives that connects to the USB port right?
Is there such thing as like a external ram drive? where I can use more than 3gb of ram?

 

Nope. Ram connects straight to your mobo. You can always increase the paging file on your harddrive if you are having shortages of memory, although 2-3gb is plenty for most activites.

 

I wouldn't recommend you using 3 GB of ram cause you won't be able to put them in dual channel.

 

Well I dont know what that means. But my 3d software crashes because it runs out of memory...giving me stress.

 

Windows Vista will have a feature that your looking for. I read that you will be able to connect things like USB thumb drives, and it would be able to use the space on them as extra RAM. It wouldnt be as fast or as good as actual ram in the system, but it would still help. And since Vista is 64-bit, it would be able to get more than 4GB this way. Ill find the link where it explains how it works and post it.

[EDIT] Ok heres the 3 paragraphs on it directly

Windows ReadyBoost

Adding system memory (RAM) is often the best way to improve your PC's performance. More memory means applications can run without needing to access the hard drive. However, upgrading memory is not always easy. You need to know what type of memory you need, purchase the memory, and open your computer to install the memory—which sometimes can invalidate your support agreement. Also, some machines have limited memory expansion capabilities, preventing you from adding RAM even if you are willing to do so.

Windows Vista introduces a new concept in adding memory to a system. Windows ReadyBoost lets users use a removable flash memory device, such as a USB thumb drive, to improve system performance without opening the box. Windows ReadyBoost can improve system performance because it can retrieve data kept on the flash memory more quickly than it can retrieve data kept on the hard disk, decreasing the time you need to wait for your PC to respond. Combined with SuperFetch technology, this can help drive impressive improvements in system responsiveness.

Windows ReadyBoost technology is reliable and provides protection of the data stored on your device. You can remove the memory device at any time without any loss of data or negative impact to the system; however, if you remove the device, your performance returns to the level you experienced without the device. Additionally, data on the removable memory device is encrypted to help prevent inappropriate access to data when the device is removed.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/features/foreveryone/performance.mspx#more

 

Thanks for the info. I've head the 64 bit windows xp lets me more than 4gb instead of the xp pro which only gives like 1.5 gb of ram.
Is the windows vista going to have that feature only for their 64 bit version? Also what are the system requirements for a vista 64?

 

Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
* 1 GB of system memory.
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
* DVD-ROM Drive3.
* Audio output capability.
* Internet access capability.

JC

 

intel core duo is not a 64 bit processor right?

 

Affirmative. The Core 2 Duo is 64-bit though.

 

The effect would be about the same as what you'd get by enlarging your pagefile though. You don't need Vista for that.

Since the 64-bit version of Vist ais 64-bit, you mean. The 32 bit version is, well, you can probably guess...

Anyway, just set your page file size up to avoid the crash problems. You might want to look into XP's support for extended memory. It is possible, with a bit of trickery, to use more than 4GB memory space even on 32-bit XP systems.

 

If i use vista 32 bit is it same with windows xp where it only assigns certain amount of gb on applications? Cause I need the full 2gb of ram...