Windows Vista 32-bit and 3 vs. 4 GB of RAM

I ordered my T400 with a single 2GB stick of memory. I have already decided to fill the other memory slot. I am running Windows Vista 32-bit. Is it worth the extra ~$25 (over the cost of a 1GB stick) to buy a 2GB stick for a total of 4GB, or am I just as good adding a 1GB stick for a total of 3GB? If Vista 32-bit doesn't recognize more than 3GB, why buy it? It seems a lot of people do!?

 

Why buy it? Because you're going to upgrade to 64 bit in the future.

 

not to mention the T400 and T500 support 8.0GB!! of memory once DDR3 4.0GB modules are released.

 

You guys are venturing a little off course. His question is whether he should go with 3 or 4GB of RAM because Vista 32 will only see about 3.5 GB of RAM.

In my opinion DDR3 is overpriced for all quantities at the moment and I will wait a few months for it to drop before I upgrade (4GB expansion if reasonable, 2GB if not). You only gain a few hundred MB by going to 4GB under Vista 32, but I think it might be possible for the integrated video processor to access this unused RAM, even if your applications cannot.

Therefore, if you are going to buy RAM, I would say go for the 2GB stick, its not that much more expensive, and you should get a little better performance under Vista. However, do not load more than 4GB into a 32-bit OS (unless it is Windows Server), because you would be wasting your money on a lot of RAM that your OS cannot use.

 

No. The extra RAM cannot be used, period. You get 4 GB of addressing space, once you run out, you run out.

 

Vista 32-bit sees 4.00 GB on my T400 but I think its actually using 3.5GB

 

I think Vista SP1 added a "feature" where it will report the entire amount of memory installed - this does not mean that the OS is using it. Only x64 can utilise 4GB+.

 

I can buy a 2GB stick of Lenovo memory for $76.99 delivered (buy.com). Does anyone think the price will go down that much more in the next 2-3 months?

 

Probably, but it is something you need now? If the price drop (lets assume...20%) of about $15 is worth 2-3 months of you time not having the ram, then wait. But if not grab it now.

 

Yes. A 2GB stick of DDR2 is $31 shipped. DDR3 should drop below $50 for 2GB as soon as production capacity for it ramps up.

 

Is there a point of having 4 GB of memory if you don't plan on using processes that take up even 1GB or memory.

 

Thanks! I am in no hurry. I'll wait 'till it drops to ~$50.

 

I'm no expert but my understanding is the OS will optimize how it loads programs according to how much memory is available. Pre-fetching plays a large role in this I think. The pre-fetch will get your programs ready to run better with 4GB vs. 2GB of memory. My anecdotal experience with x64 Vista and 4GB of memory indicates that indeed applications start faster (office, IE, control panel) and overall system performance is noticeably better with more memory.

Experts feel free to chime in.

 

Well i ordered the 1x1GB 1x2GB on my t400, but i plan to only used Windows XP. Is there huge difference between 3GB and 4GB in x64 Vista?

 

If you use x64 Vista you should throw in as much memory as you can possibly afford. Vista uses all the memory you have available as a type of synthetic L3 cache by pre-loading applications it thinks you will launch (it learns this over time). Therefore, 4GB, or 6GB if you can afford it when 4GB DIMMs become available, is a good idea for Vista x64 (I plan on popping in a second 2GB DIMM or 4GB DIMM as soon as they come down in price a bit).

 

Good plan, but can i install RAM on the T400 myself without the risk of messing things up? And i don't think i'll ever go to Vista unless windows XP becomes obsolete, which i don't think we'll see for a very long time, at least my laptop will be, before windows XP is.