3GB ram vs. 4GB ram in Vista 32bit?

I currently have 3GB DDR2 memory in 32bit Vista. Runs great and all, but I read that by not having matched sticks, there is a performance hit in memory (and since it's an IGP, a graphic hit as well)

My question is, will upgrading the second stick to 2GB provide an increase in system and gaming performance? I don't mind the fact that Vista doesn't use all 3GB, I just want better performance.

How much of a difference will it be from 3GB to 4GB matched sticks?

 

you need the 64 bit vista to use the full 4 gb and using it in 32 bit vista it won't increase performance by much. if not at all you won't be able to notice it

 

Performance in what ? The latest high-end games ? Like ??
In ^^ that case, it's your IGP that's a tremendous bottleneck, and getting another gig of RAM isn't helping....
Also, as a matter of clarification, having different sticks won't produce any performance hit. It just won't be as far as two identical sticks (Dual Channel Memory) but that difference too is negligible.

 

Actually I've been doing some research on Dual Channel RAM and it turns out that having two matching sticks (necessary for Dual Channel) doesn't actually do much in terms of performance...

A mere 10-15% performance difference.

 

I'm sure that must be in the past. In today's world, with 4GB RAM barely being utilized in the first place, I doubt it could produce that significant a difference just because it's dual channel, other than the obvious additional 1GB RAM gain ofcourse.

 

I know the HD3200 IGP is the bottleneck, however it is a great performer. Currently playing Oblivion on medium to high settings, and HL2 @ max settings no AA.

Since it is an IGP, it relies on system memory, so any noticeable increase in memory performance can impact gaming performance.

So is the difference that negligible?

 

I admit I have no firm answer, but it'd still be worth a try.

 

If you have a 1 gb stick around (you could cannibalize your other laptop, for example, if they use the same RAM speed), you could downgrade it to 2 gb (2x1gb) and see if you get significantly faster performance. I recommend running a graphics test and a memory test. It should give you an idea of whether upgrading to 2x2gb would be worth it or not. Or... maybe you'll just stick with the 2x1gb and put the 1x1+1x2 sticks in your other machine.

 

I bought my alienware with 1gb ram and upgraded it to 4gb. The difference between 3gb and 4gb was negligible (20-30$) compared to having ram that matches for the dual channel and an extra GB in case i ever decide to go 64bit.

 

That would have been the first thing I would've done, but the tx2500z uses DDR2 800 and most compact notebooks (including my Toshiba U300) use DDR2 667.

I was hoping someone would have did some benchmarks with different sticks vs. matching sticks.

 

Would you gain .5? Doesn't 32bit address 3.5 or just 3?

 

32 Bit addresses different amounts depending on how the machine's hardware setup is.... but yes, 3.5 GB max with any 32 bit system...

 

rams cheap do it. It wont make it slower thats for sure. keep a eye on this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=121363
for deals

 

With current Intel chipsets, single vs. dual channel won't make much difference according to benchmark tests. Also Intel supports something called "flex mode", with your 2 + 1 GB configuration, the first 1 + 1 GB will be in dual channel. With AMD chipset though, single vs. dual will have a bigger difference.

 

Even with the theoretical boost that having all the RAM dual channel gives, it won't matter.....

You current setup of 1-1GB and 1-2GB sticks means that up to 2GB of your total RAM is able to run dual channel----Namely, all of the 1GB stick and half of the 2GB stick.

32-bit versions of Windows only allow any single 32bit app (like a game) to address up to 2GB. Note---this is a separate limitation from the 4GB total RAM thing. So having 3.XGB of dual channel RAM won't speed up any of your games.


If you really just want to throw money at this, buy some lower latency memory. 4GB of memory that's faster/lower CAS probably costs $80 and gives maybe a 5-8% improvement on IGP system's games.....If you feel that's worth it.

 

very intriguing. I just ran CPU-z and noticed that the timings of the memory module is different.



Are these values right? (it's the same for both sticks)

 

That's just the timing for the memory at different clock speed. If you change the pull down menu between Slot #1 / Slot #2 and they're the same, then you have nothing to worry about. If they're different, then the faster RAM will run at the slower RAM's speed in dual mode theoretically.

 

Thanks! You guys are awesome~

I'll stay at 3GB for now. Just wondering, if I were to consider lower CAS timing sticks, which one would you recommend? (see image above for current timings)

 

G.Skill has the PC2-5300 with 4-4-4-12 timing, but honestly though, I doubt you will feel much difference, especially you're already running PC2-6400 sticks.

 

From another thread:

Unfortunately 3dMarks is a synthetic benchmark so it is not sure your gaming performance will improve, but it seems likely you'll get some improvement.

 

Very interesting. I hope someone else can confirm this.

Could the performance increase in his brother's notebook be due to the fact that he is using matching sticks?