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View Full Version : Does RAM really matter that much?

Xalmoniss
13-10-2006, 01:36 AM
I used to get most of my playing done on my a desktop, which has 1gb RAM and an x800 GTO. I obviously have no problems there; no lag at max settings.

However, I find I'm growing more dependant on my laptop. I know there's a lot of talks concerning laptops, and that they are not designed with gaming in mind, etc. I know all of that. And that's why I never considered getting more than the default 512 mbs RAM on it, since I planned to use it almost exclusively for work.

Not being confined to a single room in the house is a very interesting thing though. So is playing on a widescreen :laugh:. This laptop has:
- Pentium M 1.8 GHz
- Radeon x600
- 512 mbs RAM

I know the x600 is more than enough to play WoW, as I used to have that on my desktop (and the performance was already perfect). On my laptop, WoW is quite playable. I experience some lag from time to time, lots when getting near the AH/banks/mailboxes in the capitals. I never dared running an instance on it, out of fear of lagging too much. Everything at lowest, except the resolutions (widescreen! it's so addicting)

I'm not really used to upgrading computers. In my case, would adding more RAM really get rid of the lag? I'll have to check my config, but I would most likely go for a 1 gb card right away, making a total of 1.5 gbs.
AaManiac
13-10-2006, 05:09 AM
You're fine... although WOW is a RAM hog... I'm able to play on my laptop using wireless and it's a"
P4 3.06GHZ
512MB Ram
and a 64MB Nvidia GeForce Fx5200

I'm able to play fine, although I do experience some slowdown "graphical lag" when entering big cities...

-Maniac
Kesselle
13-10-2006, 11:01 AM
As far as I'm aware, if a game requires a lot of memory, and your PC/Laptop doesn't have enough, then that's where Virtual Memory comes in, allocating hard drive space to compensate for the lack of RAM

So I guess it then comes down to how fast your hard drive is, how much spare room you have on it, if it's regularly cleaned up and defragmented for efficiency, and of course how much virtual memory you've actually got allocated

The best bet of course is always more memory though

To give an idea, I have

Single Core P4 3400
GeForce 7800 GS 512MB graphics card
2 GB RAM (4x 512MB chips)

4MB Cable Broadband connection

And there are times during peak play that I get lag in places such as IF :P (But to be fair I play the game on max settings so it does have an awful lot to think about)
Dynatos
13-10-2006, 04:27 PM
I'd upgrade to 1GB ... 512MB of RAM is pocket change nowadays.
mesonm
13-10-2006, 04:30 PM
Doubling from 512M to 1g makes a BIg difference...I went from 1-2gig and it still made a big difference. (I have 4gig now, and it screams)

Not saying lots of memory is 'required', but I am saying it is desirable.
swaldman
13-10-2006, 04:39 PM
Erm, guys, the original poster already has 2GiB of RAM - the 512MiB that you're seeing is on his video card!!!

I think it's fairly safe to say that with the spec that he has, remaining lag is mostly going to be server side or due to latency.
Babobery
13-10-2006, 04:51 PM
Nah, he said his desktop has 2gig ram and his laptop has 512 ram. Ram is cheap atm and I would def recommend upgrading, I have 2 gigs on my laptop and it allows me to play WoW lag free almost, my graphics card is a mobile 9800 256Mb ram, wish I could upgrade that ;)
mesonm
13-10-2006, 06:18 PM
Erm, guys, the original poster already has 2GiB of RAM - the 512MiB that you're seeing is on his video card!!!



you mean...laptop, right?
Dynatos
13-10-2006, 06:23 PM
Erm, guys, the original poster already has 2GiB of RAM - the 512MiB that you're seeing is on his video card!!!


I used to get most of my playing done on my a desktop, which has 1gb RAM and an x800 GTO.

<snip>

This laptop has:
- Pentium M 1.8 GHz
- Radeon x600
- 512 mbs RAM

His desktop has 1GB and his laptop has 512MB. His whole question centres around increasing the RAM on his laptop from 512MB to 1GB.

Reading comprehension is your friend.
swaldman
14-10-2006, 12:52 AM
His desktop has 1GB and his laptop has 512MB. His whole question centres around increasing the RAM on his laptop from 512MB to 1GB.

Reading comprehension is your friend.

Oops. Sorry :-)
Xalmoniss
14-10-2006, 01:38 AM
Thanks for the replies everyone.

I'll probably upgrade. How much, I'm not sure yet. It's just that for someone who is not used to upgrading computers, it's a bit weird to think that simply adding a memory card would influence performance that much. I'm pretty sure it's worth it though, because 1 gb RAM seems to be the new standard.
Nakh
14-10-2006, 02:36 AM
And will soon become 2 gig. Well not very soon, but close enough. Some people already got 4 gig :wink: