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    RAM, better over or under maximum

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Raindown, Aug 5, 2008.

  1. Raindown

    Raindown Notebook Enthusiast

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    My laptop can take somewhere around 3GB with vista business (probably a little over).

    But is it better to upgrade to 2 x 2GB sticks or stay under the max and try to get as close to max as possible?
     
    Raindown, Aug 5, 2008
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  2. Apollo13

    Apollo13 100% 16:10 Screens

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    It doesn't hurt to have more RAM than your operating system can take advantage of - so if you have 4 GB but Vista can only recognize 3.25 GB, it'll still run just fine. The advantage to going for 3 GB and being able to use all of it is that it will be a little bit cheaper.
     
    Apollo13, Aug 5, 2008
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  3. sirmetman

    sirmetman Notebook Virtuoso

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    There is a small advantage to going 2X2GB even if only 3.25GB can be accessed in that the whole amount then runs in dual channel mode (as opposed to 1X2GB+1X1GB where only the first 2GB runs in dual channel), but the perf gains from running in dual channel are debatably noticeable at best. That said, it certainly won't hurt anything, and if the mobo supports it, if you ever do upgrade to a 64 bit OS, you'll already have 4GB of RAM waiting for you.
     
    sirmetman, Aug 5, 2008
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