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512 Ram?

post #1 of 22
7/26/05 at 10:27pm
Thread Starter 
I ordered my 9300 with 512 RAM and am wondering if this is enough for playing games. I see most people have a gig or more so it makes m e wonder if it will make my gaming suffer? I can't really afford a gig right now...you know, student. Thanks
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post #2 of 22
7/26/05 at 10:31pm
My HL2 performance really improved when I went from 512 to 2gigs of ram. It was really slow with 512.
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post #3 of 22
7/26/05 at 10:33pm
Thread Starter 
Really? Like unbearable. I couldn't imagine it was that bad with the 6800 in there. How different was it?
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post #4 of 22
7/26/05 at 10:34pm
Buy 2GB from newegg or eBay, you will be in paradise.
My XPS2 came also with 512MB. Now, with 2GB of RAM it's like comparing a donkey with a panther, point of view of speed and performance. My lappy used to load in about 20secs, now it's about 5secs or less. I'm sure other users will back me on this, you have to go for 2BG, especially that is only 200 bucks. If you sell on eBay your 512MB that you get an even better deal.
Look in my signature for the memory part, I'm really happy with it. Other users like Transcender brand also, it's up to you. I prefer Kingston because they have a life warranty... and the integrated chip that is compatible with Dell XPS2, even if the sales guys at Kingston try to push the more expensive bars and swear that is not...
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post #5 of 22
7/26/05 at 10:35pm
It was pretty much unbearable. I had no idea that ram could matter that much with a game especially considering the gpu.
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post #6 of 22
7/26/05 at 10:41pm
Thread Starter 
The last time I ordered from newegg (when I lived in the USA) they didnt ship to Canada. Have they changed? I dont think they can ship computer parts over the border. I dont think anyone can.
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post #7 of 22
7/26/05 at 11:10pm
Its completely bearable. I certainly suggest upgrading to 1 gig of ram but 512 will certainly hold you over till you can afford to buy more ram.
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post #8 of 22
7/26/05 at 11:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by schrivedawg
512 Ram?
Not.
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post #9 of 22
7/26/05 at 11:16pm
Thread Starter 
Is this a good deal?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...330&CatId=1726

It is in Canadian dollars. I think this is the RAM TECK has in his sigy?

Thanks for the help guys. WHat is the best time to buy ram anyway? Is there a certain time of the year?
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post #10 of 22
7/26/05 at 11:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by schrivedawg
Is this a good deal?
Looks like a very good deal. You know, the Pentium M has no dual channel advantage.... So just add it to one of your 256 sticks until you can afford another 1 gig stick. Or were you planning on purchasing 2 sticks of 1 gig RAM?
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post #11 of 22
7/27/05 at 1:08am
Thread Starter 
No I might be able to scrape together enough for 1 stick. I see that a lot of people have 1.26GB of ram so it has to be better than 512 then.
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post #12 of 22
7/27/05 at 1:15am
I have the Dell 256 Meg + Transcend 1 Gig...Half Life 2 runs quite well for me.
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post #13 of 22
7/27/05 at 2:19am
Yeah 512 when I got my XPS2 made hl2 unbearable. It was just chugging along. Great fps but as soon as something loading or moved. CUGH CHUG STUDDER. I'm now at 2gb and loving it.
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post #14 of 22
7/27/05 at 2:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by schrivedawg
Is this a good deal?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...330&CatId=1726

It is in Canadian dollars. I think this is the RAM TECK has in his sigy?

Thanks for the help guys. WHat is the best time to buy ram anyway? Is there a certain time of the year?
Looks like a good deal. I bought mines on eBay because at that time tigerdirect.ca was selling the same bar for almost 300 pops...
I paid my 2GB $260 CAD ($210 US) S&H included. The 50 bucks extra will save you the hassle with the eBay hunt for a good deal... or maybe not.
I wanted to save money. So if you want to do the same, wait for a good deal on eBay.ca.
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post #15 of 22
7/27/05 at 2:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by schrivedawg
Is this a good deal?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...330&CatId=1726

It is in Canadian dollars. I think this is the RAM TECK has in his sigy?

Thanks for the help guys. WHat is the best time to buy ram anyway? Is there a certain time of the year?
It's an ok deal, but you may want to check out www.bytewizecomputers.ca. Under their SO-DIMM memory, you can find OCZ PC-4200 / DDR2-533 ram for $162 CDN. It's in stock, and I ordered a pair on Friday, and it was on my doorstep first thing Monday morning.

For the extra $7, I'll take OCZ Ram over Kingston (4-4-4-8 timings vs 4-4-4-12). Just a personal preference, as the Dell won't change the timings to suit the RAM you have. I just prefer OCZ over Kingston.

I'm leery about ordering stuff from Tigerdirect; they seem to take forever to ship stuff.


On edit: The other place to check out is www.canadacomputers.com. They usually have stock on SO-DIMM memory, and you can grab 1 GB sticks of generic memory on there for less than either the Kingston or OCZ stuff. Unless you're fussy, the RAM type isn't going to make a difference (and even though, it's only a mental one).

Pat
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post #16 of 22
7/27/05 at 3:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick B
For the extra $7, I'll take OCZ Ram over Kingston (4-4-4-8 timings vs 4-4-4-12). Just a personal preference, as the Dell won't change the timings to suit the RAM you have. I just prefer OCZ over Kingston.

Pat
A typical RAM timing you'll see with PC4200 modules is 4-4-4-11 or 4-4-4-12. Btw, smaller numbers are better, which does not matter with a Dell BIOS. Even if you have your Kingston timed at 4-4-4-8, the BIOS will kick it to 4-4-4-11 or 12 (which sucks). But, in theory the 4-4-4-8 is a better value. I wish Dell will stop monopolizing the harware with their BIOS...
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post #17 of 22
7/27/05 at 3:25am
Exactly why I went that way....should I decide to buy something other than the XPS (or Dell release a BIOS that allows me to change memory timings), then the OCZ is a better bet for nearly identical money.

I run OCZ in my desktop, and it's always been rock-solid for me. So I'm partial to it for my laptops as well.


Pat
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post #18 of 22
7/27/05 at 3:36am
Kingston is timed at 4-4-4-8. XPS2 is a beast and I would not trade it for any laptop out there... Even if the Kingston bar is timed at 4-4-4-8 and Dell BIOS is forcing it to 4-4-4-11/12, is not the end of the world in exchange for this beautiful machine that you get... Plus, who knows, maybe a member here will release a patch the same like the 6800U one, then we are all happy (which I'm sure it will happen).
I'm happy with my baby, period. The problem is that we get sometimes to technical and we forget about the important thing: enjoy our machine (because in 2 years we will get even a better one)
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post #19 of 22
7/27/05 at 9:11am
Hmm, all the specs I've seen on the Kingston Value-Ram side show it as 4-4-4-12, and not 4-4-4-8 (which the OCZ is listed as).

Kingston only lists it as 4-4-4, which is fine, as CAS latency is the only number that really matters much. tRAS is just Active to Precharge, and shouldn't have a huge impact, as it's a guideline number moreso than an actual setting.


Pat
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post #20 of 22
7/27/05 at 10:44pm
Thread Starter 
Hey thanks guys for the Canadian sites, It really helps. I will probably get the OCZ just because of the price.
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