intel quad core + memory but what speed?

[Zxian]

Do people really need 8GB of RAM? Encoding videos doesn't take that much, playing games doesn't take that much, and like memnoch said - 1GB per virtual machine, and you still leave the OS with plenty to spare.

I just think it's excessive for the tasks described. 4GB I can understand, but 8...

[ripken204]

lol, wait 4 years from now and say that again

how much ram were you using 4 years ago and how much are you using now?

i was using 256MB 4 years ago and tomorrow there will get a 4GB set at my door.

yes i have to agree that 4GB is a little too much at this point in time but 2GB is also a little too few. 3GB would be just perfect for me but that doesnt really perform well now does it?

Edited August 16, 2007 by ripken204

[FabulousFred]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820144072

[Zxian]

lol, wait 4 years from now and say that again

how much ram were you using 4 years ago and how much are you using now?

Four years ago, I was using 512MB of RAM in my system. Now, I've just managed to get all my main computers up to 2GB, but that was just recently.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227030

I picked up a set of that for my file server. If you want 4GB, get two packs.

[IcemanND]

now I have 1gb and 3gb in my laptop and desktop respectively. But started out with more that anyone would ever need in my first computer 16k.

[nmX.Memnoch]

lol, wait 4 years from now and say that again

how much ram were you using 4 years ago and how much are you using now?

i was using 256MB 4 years ago and tomorrow there will get a 4GB set at my door.

Did you have the same computer 4 years ago that you do now? Somehow I doubt it. Something tells me that your 4 year old computer didn't even support 2GB RAM, much less 4GB. 4 years ago I was still using a P4 2.26GHz Northwood with 512MB RAM. The Asus P4B533 motherboard I was using only supported up to 2GB...and 4GB certainly wasn't something I was thinking about for a desktop system.

My point is that with the current growth rate of CPU and RAM usage, RAM isn't the only thing that'll need upgrading in 4 years so your comment is invalid.

Edited August 16, 2007 by nmX.Memnoch

[ripken204]

i know its overkill but im trying to futureproof as much as possible.

i dont think that he plans on buying a new comp in the next 4 years.. everyone has a different meaning of futureproof tho. mines is like 1yr down the road..

[nmX.Memnoch]

Well...if he's running VPC's for learning SQL and SharePoint services then he's likely a developer or IT professional. Regular users don't just run those type of things just to "learn the ins and outs". Based on that knowledge I'm willing to be he'll be upgrading more than just RAM over the next 4 years.

[ripken204]

well unless he is going to be doing insane SQL queries in a few years.. on my current comp the most advanced queies that i have all take under a second to run..

[bonestonne]

lol, wait 4 years from now and say that again

how much ram were you using 4 years ago and how much are you using now?

i was using 256MB 4 years ago and tomorrow there will get a 4GB set at my door.

yes i have to agree that 4GB is a little too much at this point in time but 2GB is also a little too few. 3GB would be just perfect for me but that doesnt really perform well now does it?

4 years ago i was running 128mb, now i'm running 1gb in this system, 1152mb in my server.

in school i encode videos, from raw to final on systems that have 2gb of RAM...2gb is actually better than 4gb, because you use it all to it potential, not a little of each stick. and the world isn't about overclocking.

i kinda have to side with Zxian on this one. for better performance you can't go too high, and more sticks spread the load.

but i have to ask this...why doesn't 3gb perform well?

i also have to beat on future proofing. you can't future proof with computers. you can just get a board and say i have a max of this at any given time. by the time you really do reach that max, the world is already 3 steps ahead. it doesn't hurt to opt for performance...4gb of RAM is the most any 4 core system for home use will ever need.

8gb is beyond overkill...its not future proofing, its saying i want a server for home use because i think i need that much power. tear my opinions apart, i've been flamed in places for running a pentium D...but really...the most powerful Mac Pro at my school only has 4gb of RAM, and its running dual Xeons, its heavily used for video, audio and photo editing [final cut pro HD, Soundtrack Pro, Photoshop CS2] also it runs blender from time to time.

if you need more than 4gb of RAM, than that mac would have more than 4gb of RAM, and it does more taxing stuff than whats listed.

[IcemanND]

with that he should be able to query every available SQL database and come up with the answer to life.

Wonder if it will still return 42.

[jcarle]

well unless he is going to be doing insane SQL queries in a few years.. on my current comp the most advanced queies that i have all take under a second to run..

Queries have very little to do with SQL performance, performance is mostly a result of how the data is organized and indexed. Also, the quantity of data has a bigger impact then the complexity of the query itself. Oh and let's not forget, with database servers, every bit of ram helps.

Edited August 16, 2007 by jcarle

[nmX.Memnoch]

with that he should be able to query every available SQL database and come up with the answer to life.

Wonder if it will still return 42.

Quite simply, yes. The answer is indeed 42. I know because all of my computers have come up with the same answer.

Oh and let's not forget, with database servers, every bit of ram helps.

That belongs in the great list of "IT related things to live by"...

[eyeball]

Well...if he's running VPC's for learning SQL and SharePoint services then he's likely a developer or IT professional. Regular users don't just run those type of things just to "learn the ins and outs". Based on that knowledge I'm willing to be he'll be upgrading more than just RAM over the next 4 years.

exactly,

but thing is i dont plan to upgrade for a long time, iv had my current processor for years now and started with only 512mb ram, iv changed motherboards, hard disks psu's added hard disks..... the list goes on, and im sick of it.

so what i wanna do is build a fantastic pc and have done with it.

The way i see it is this will last a hell of a long time for what i need it for and the only things that may change in my computer will be my 4x400gb which will eventually become 4x1TB.......... cant wait for those to come down in price lol

oh just so you know im not building a gaming pc at all so i wont really need to upgrade in a years time or so... hopefully

thanks

EDIT - also what do you guys think to the motherboard? (Universal abit IP35 PRO) the main criterion here being:

1) has to support 8GB of RAM

2) has to have 3 standard PCI slots

3) has to have gigabit LAN

4) has to have 6xSATA slots with RAID Capabilities (inc RAID 5 would be ideal)

5) has to have at least 1 eSATA port

if anyone knows of a cheaper/ better board with these features please let me know.

Edited August 16, 2007 by eyeball

[jcarle]

What you just mentioned is the P5B Deluxe by ASUS ( http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&amp...amp;modelmenu=1 ).

- 4 x DIMM, max. 8GB, DDR2 800 / 667 / 533 MHz, non-ECC, un-buffered memory

- 3 x PCI 2.2

- Dual Gigabit LAN controllers, both featuring AI NET2

- 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports on ICH8R (Intel Matrix Storage Technology supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10).

- 1 x External SATA 3.0 Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)