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Ram Q's for the experts


Baddcog

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OK, I just took a look at Ram prices and it's looking pretty cheap.

 

 

Do I really need it? I have 4 gigs, dual channel, DDR2 800. Until recently having a mission load in TDM I never experienced any lack of Ram issues (i often have editor, web browsers, music, 3d modelling, photoshop running at same time). And that issue just seemed to be a windows thing anyway.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145176

 

So I was just considering this : 2 gigs, $33. Why go to 8 if I'm not even sure if I need 6.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148163

 

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Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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That first link is my ram:

 

CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit

 

My mobo is an abit IP35 -pro, I have 2 dual channel slots open

 

Win7 64 Pro

 

Q6600 2.4

 

 

-------

 

But like I said, before the Large Address thing loading Melan's mission I have never noticed a lack of available ram. So even though I can put another 4 gigs in, will it even matter? And if so I'd probably just go with 2 to save money.

Not that much more for 4 I know, but even the 2 is money I probably shouldn't spend, so doubling it isn't a good idea

 

Buying it just to buy it makes no sense. If when I do any serious upgrading to this machine it will be new Mobo/processor/ram (i7 era)

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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I too have been looking at a RAM upgrade. I've currently got 2x2GB of Corsair XMS2 DHX DDR2 800 (the one with the silver comb heat spreader) and two spare slots on my motherboard. However, another 2x2GB pair of this RAM will cost me about £60 which seems a lot and not too far from what I paid about two and a half years ago when I bought my existing sticks. So like Baddcog I'm wondering if going from 4GB -> 8GB is going to make any appreciable performance difference for things like TDM.

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@BC

The only reason I upgraded to 1x2GB (so my total is now 6GB) was purley down the DR/TDM with their ridiculous memory usage. I had no other reason or need to get the extra ram, other than so that I would have to keep shutting down TDM between map compiles as often etc. As for cost about £30 or £60 for 2x2GB.

 

 

@BC and HW

Where are you guys located, from an e-tail point of view, so I can have a look online for the best prices.

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I always use newegg, everythings been good, never had probs. good prices. If I do get it it will probably be that Mushkin 1x2. I'll probably wait ands see if I have any issues with DR then, haven't been using it that much anyway lately and never had an issue before.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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I have had some lock-ups when taking screenshots in TDM, but very rarely any time else. I wonder if that's a ram thing.

 

I figured it might be file size (was in RTC) but also figured I had enough memory to cover it.

 

Oh well, I've had the ram for almost 4 years?

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

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  • 3 months later...

I'd like to ask, in general, how much does a RAM upgrade help with TDM and Dark Radiant (on a 64-bit system):

 

4GB (2+2) DDR3 -> 6GB (2+4) DDR3

4GB (2+4) DDR3 -> 8GB (4+4) DDR3

 

Step 1 is complete and I'll be swapping out my other 2 GB stick later. I know that Dark Radiant 64-bit can use more RAM for actually handling larger maps, but I was wondering if TDM would see any benefit. Since TDM is 32-bit, it can only use up to 4 GB, correct? Would it be likely to use more if you had 8 GB total available for all applications rather than just 4 GB?

 

If anyone wants to get in on the action, here's the deal, it's memory for laptops: http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/56278/newegg-8gb-2x4gb-g.skill-ddr3-1333-laptop-memory-kingston-datatraveler-101-4gb-usb-flash-drive

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Doom3 itself can use about 1.5gb of physical mem, at max. A fresh load and fly around of the largest map I can find is about 1.2gb (If I dmap, it will be around max when loading the map).

DR can use more, since its amd64 or x64 or whatever you want to call it these days. Loading the largest map I can find and playing around for a while puts it at about 1.7gb.

Windows itself will try and reserve 1gb for itself, this can be lowered if theres nothing holding onto the memory and the system is approaching low memory. You really, really don't want it to do that.

 

Throw in a few other apps, you're looking at a little under 4gb usage under reasonable load. But Physical mem doesnt really mean much, since you also have other things sitting in memory, other reserved space.

 

This is my system under normal working (the map in TDM/d3 is _massive_). Also this is an extremely minimalist system, windows has very fluff little left and a 100mb pagefile:

 

mem.png

 

 

So all in all, 6gb is pretty much 'yes', 8gb with some headroom - I don't see things using much more than that in the next while, specially on a laptop.

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Throw in a few other apps, you're looking at a little under 4gb usage under reasonable load. But Physical mem doesnt really mean much, since you also have other things sitting in memory, other reserved space.

And to ad to Serp's comments, you also need to factor in memory fragmentation. If effects us mappers more then players, in that the longer we have DR and TDM running the more fragmented system memory becomes, and the short version of this is that program have less 'free' un-fragmented memory to run so thing there is less ram to run in than there is. So the more ram you can afford the better.

 

And on that subject I am in the process of upgrading to an Core i5 based system, the CPU (i5 2500k was purchased when I traded in the Qx9650) but I still need to decide on a motherboard & Ram. So back to the Ram, the sweet spot for i5/i7 systems seems to be DDR3 1600 and the sweet spot for timing is CL8 and as I had 6GB in my old system I am opting for 8GB in the new one. And this is where I get to the end of my ramble, 8GB(2x4) of DDR3-1600 at CL8 going for around £60.

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I decided against the 2500K, and pricey ram. Went with a cheap board (tbh, not bad at all), 2500, 16gb of the cheapest 1333.

 

If I went with the 2500K/decent board/mem with headroom, I'd have not got the little 64gb ssd and bumped my gfx from 6850 to 6870 - tho I do regret buying the ssd in hindsight.

 

5 years ago you couldn't even get a cpu+high end gfx for the same price as the entire system - good ol SA.

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Im running a 4x320GB (seagate) raid-0 array already and I have a GTX480. The 2500K only cost me £40 with the trade in of the Qx9650.

 

Back to the subject of Ram, yeah I am looking at getting wither to 8GB of 1333 CL7 or 8GB 1600 CL8. Trouble is there isn't enough of the slower stuff around and when I do find it its not cheap enough when compared to the CL9 1600 kits.

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