Windows Vista Ultimate... thoughts on RAM and is it worth upgrading

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I-Die-Often

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So the wife told me I could buy some toys for my car... but I am thinking about buying some toys for my computer instead. Currently, my system is this:

Mobo: Asus P5B-E (can run the new 45nm CPUs)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Due E6600 (w/ Zalman 9500 HSF)
RAM: 3gb Patriot Extreme 800mhz... 4-4-4-12 (2x1GB; 2x512mb; 800mhz is the fastest my mobo can handle)
Video: Gigabyte 3870 512mb
PSUP: OCZ Stealthextreme 700watt

I think those are what would be deemed most importnat in this upgrade. I currently am running Windows XP Pro 32bit (and thus the reason for 3gb of RAM). The question is pretty simple and two part:

1. What is the REAL WORLD minimum for RAM on Vista? On XP the "minimum" is like 256mb, but I think people are crazy for running anything less than 1GB and should have 2GB. So what does Vista actually take to run GOOD. I could add 4GB (2x2GB) and have 6GB.... but should I push for 8GB (maximum my mobo can handle)?

2. Is it worth upgrading to Vista Ultimate? The OS is $180 and the additional 4GB of RAM will be $75 (after rebate)... so is that a "wise" way to spend $255 or should I be spending it else where?

She said I could buy toys for my car... so this would be in place of buying me a race header (~$500) for my Civic... so it is a tough decision, but I use my computer more for "racing" than my car... if that makes any sense...

Thanks AGAIN for the technical advice and help... eGO has become my favorite place to go for tech questions... :D
 
I guess I should add... since I know some will tell me to get a new 4870x2... I really only play TF2... so that would be overkill... serious... serious overkill ;)
 
maybe a 4850? it'll run you about $140-150 and improve the performance in some games for you

the extra money could go towards something else, like a gift for your wife or something

unless your job relies on your computer, like an artist, your not going to see that much of a performance boost with 7GB of ram

for real real world usage...
xp=gotta have at least 1gig
i worked at a school that had an old computer with 128mb and one with 256mb...took like 10 mins to boot and run a program

vista=at least 2 gigs, the os itself is pretty decent now, i've heard that on some games people get a performance boost while on others they don't
i had a friend with 1gig, it seemed to run fine but all he really did was play css and do schoolwork on it

if you cpu isn't oc'ed yet, get on that...you'll see a boost depending on how far you go
i have a e6400 with the same heatsink, went from 2.13Ghz to 2.8Ghz without any volt mods
 
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you dont need vista ultimate waste off cash you need home prem and if you use more then 3gigs you need vista 64bit it can handle up to 32 gigs off ram, 32 bit only can use about 3.5 gigs so if you want 4 gigs or more you need 64 bit and get home premeum
 
warshy said:
maybe a 4850? it'll run you about $140-150 and improve the performance in some games for you

if you cpu isn't oc'ed yet, get on that...you'll see a boost depending on how far you go
i have a e6400 with the same heatsink, went from 2.13Ghz to 2.8Ghz without any volt mods
Click to expand...

A video card is a wasste for me... that was the point to my second post. As for overclocking... I typically run at 2.8ghz...

Evil-Jester said:
you dont need vista ultimate waste off cash you need home prem and if you use more then 3gigs you need vista 64bit it can handle up to 32 gigs off ram, 32 bit only can use about 3.5 gigs so if you want 4 gigs or more you need 64 bit and get home premeum
Click to expand...

I understand the difference between 32 and 64 bit... but why is Ultimate a waste vs the other options?
 
Maybe a better question is (after reading the useless Windows page), what are the REAL WORLD differences between Home Premium and Ultimate?
 
i think home premium is the media one, then theres a business vista, and believe ultimate is a combination of the two
 
So okay... back to the original question.... now with Vista Home Premium and adding RAM, is it worth upgrading? :) Thanks for the advice on the Ultimat vs Home Premium :D
 
As far as RAM goes, I'd recommend either 3GB or 4GB...

The most you'll need is 4GB, I wouldn't go over that unless you're going to be rendering 3d models, compiling maps, compiling code, etc.
 
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If you are playing TF2 main on your comp, you don't really need vista (only really use for a gamer is DX10, and you aren't using it atm). Upgrading to 4g on XP 32bit is not a bad idea. It utilizes only 3.4 gigs of it, but it will smooth out the game play on larger maps. The ram you have now is good stuff, so if you can, buy another 2 gigs of it. Upgrading to vista would only allow you to fully utilize the whole 4 gigs of ram. You won't really get much else out of it. I will eventually get vista only for the DX10. That is about all that is in it for gamers, unless you use it a lot for media type applications. I would say spend a little bit of money on some more ram and then use the rest of your extra cash on something else :D
 
i have 2 gigs on my laptop with home pre. works just fine, never any NO MEMORY errors or w/e windows says
 
Having vista ultimate myself while running CoD4 and using SSH/FTP software... and surfing the net... I've only been able to hit 3GB 1 time... never got higher then that.. I have 4GB only cause my MB won't let me go any higher then that.
 
I don't know that Vista would be a great upgrade for you right now. You say you really only play TF2...is that going to be the case in the future? If you don't really plan on playing any newer games, then there's no reason to waste the money on Vista. The only real gaming benefit of Vista is DirectX 10.x Vista's 64bit version works a lot better than XPs, but as MrAwesome said, unless you're going to be doing some heavy graphics work or much more intense games, 3 or 3.5 gigs of RAM and your current rig will hold you over just fine. I would spend the money on something you'll actually use, and wait for something better (hopefully windows 7...<sigh>) to come around. Vista is really just a pretty, dressed up XP with a little more functionality, and a few more bugs.

Alright, so all of that to say...if you're happy with the current performance of your rig with TF2, then there's no real reason to upgrade your OS. In my opinion, it's a waste of money.

Oh, and Warshy is pretty spot on for the real world RAM requirements of windows:

XP - 1gig
Vista - 2 gigs (at LEAST) if you want Aero to run smoothly
 
Good question.

The difference between Ultimate, Business, Premiums are all listed on their website, but a casual gamer or even hardcore gamer will not need the Ultimates future. One would say this is kind of a marketing gimmick and I would have to agree.

And remember that the support for each "category" is a bit different too.
There are STILL things that Ultimate version should be running that it's not (I don't have it so I'm not going into details). As a gamer and a home computer, Home Premium is the best bet and it saves you a couple of bucks.

As far as 64 Bit goes, think of it as an investment, in a few years or even less, coming up OS's are likely to be ALL 64 Bit. 4 gig of ram is extremely sufficient for home users right now at the moment, but there will be a day where 4 gig is only the minimum requirement (don't hold your breath).
 
thanks for the input... I think I will hold off a while longer until something truly better comes along... I think I am going to play with my car a bit instead. :)
 
I swore by xp for a LONG time. This past weekend i bought and installed Vista ultimate 32 bit. i have 2 gigs of ram and a AMD 5600+ processor. Running ventrilo, areo theme, dual monitors, and ingame playing TF2, my CPU usage was 35% and memory was 54%(1.2GB). No, strange errors or spikes, however, i am going to be upgrading to 4 GB soon. Looking at the graphs and seeing anything above half makes me @_@!
 
second thought 2gb or 4gb isnt enough, but this is:

2303727442_15774b8dcf.jpg


yes youve all seen this before



but for ultimate, 1.5gb ive seen works fine

vista learns to adapt to how much ram you have
 
Rogue Sniper said:
vista learns to adapt to how much ram you have
Click to expand...

Given the windows of the past... this phrase makes me think... hell yeah it adapts... it adpats about as well as jello... takes up all of the psace possible then makes itself at home.... LoL...

So now I have a new delima.... race header or intake... LoL...
 
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