What is the optimal amount of RAM for vista

I am waiting to buy a new notebook until Vista comes out. What is the optimal amount of RAM? I have heard 2 gigs, but wonder if more would be better. Thanks.

 

One to Two Gigs. More may not help you that much unless you are doing intensive applications (games, CAD, video editing, etc.)

 

I'd go 2 gig for a notebook now (2 gig on a single stick is still real expensive), for a desktop you can get 4 gig a lot cheaper.

If you are using a integrated GPU (that takes system RAM for graphics purposes) I'd go with at least 2 gig.

Unless you are really planning to tax your machine 4 gig isn't really necessary yet.

 

For running Vista, you'll need at least 1GB of RAM...preferably 2GB.

 

1GB should be fine unless you game. For gaming 1.5gb is minimum and 2gb is best.

 

I would say two gigs should be good enough

 

Optimal? 4GB for the 32-bit version.

For the 64-bit version: 32 terabyte.
Vista, like any decent OS likes having lots of RAM. The more the better.

You can still get by with 1GB though. 2GB should be plenty for pretty much anything you do.

 

Vista may eat up to 1GB on its own. Better get 2GB =)

 

It depends of what you gonna do on that.For simplier activities it's enough to have 1GB(some people say that 512MB will be enough,but it's hard to believe...),but for harder games or Photoshop/Maya or something 2GB would be optimal.

 

That does not mean the memory isn't available to other apps, or that you should get more memory than that.

As far as an OS is concerned, unused RAM is a waste.
There's no *reason* not to "eat" 1GB if it's available, and that does not mean it needs more RAM, or that you will benefit from more RAM. It simply means that the OS is reasonably well written and behaves as an OS should.

The only sensible metric is to look at how well it handles when other apps request memory. Do they get pushed out to the pagefile? Does Vista still use 1GB? And if it does, how much of that 1GB is actively and continuously used, and has to be kept in physical memory?

Vista, just like most other OS'es, "over allocates" memory. It reserves more memory than is actually requested, as long as memory is plentiful. Why? *Not* to benefit RAM manufacturers, and *not* to artificially pump up the minimum reqs. Quite simply because it improves performance *without* raising system reqs. Because then it can handle the next allocation easier by simply taking some of the memory that is already reserved.

Quite simply, the more memory you have, the more memory Vista will use for itself, and the more generous it'll be when allocating memory to other apps as well.

The idea that "If the OS can consume this much memory, we must need even more to be able to run applications without a performance loss" is flawed. It's simply not true.

 

More memory is always better. Unless you've got money to burn, 2GB s/b adequate.

 

Basically you will ned twice as much as you had for XP. If you had 512MBs of ram with XP then 1 gig will be fine for you with Vista... and so on.

 

Most users have 256MB RAM with XP installed.So,they will need 512MB to run Vista "like the God says"?Yeah,sure...

 

Vista is screaming fast with 2 GB of RAM. More in a notebook seems unnecessary -- unless your're doing CAD work, video editing, etc. etc.

 

you are going to want a recommended minimum of 1gb of RAM for Vista... even if its for casual use.. to get smooth performance.

You want at least 2gb if you are going to play games

When DX10 is finalized in next-gen gaming, probably 4-8gigs would become ideal.

 

That's really depressing to hear 2gb as a figure for a needed amount of ram for gaming...

 

That's not connected with Vista,normaly you need GB or two to run games on XP on some high resolutions,that is the fact.Maybe now is 1GB enough,but when the Crysis,Bioshock or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. come,you'll need more to play normal.
There is one more solution,to buy a notebook(or desktop computer) with 1GB RAM now,and make an upgrade few months later.