Would more RAM matter?

So I was wondering - would it benefit me at all to upgrade my RAM to 16 GB with this system? And if I did…how do I determine what type will match what I have in there? (Or do I just open the case, find the RAM, and match it that way?)

Intel i7-4770K @ 3.50GHz (not overclocked)
8 GB RAM
Windows 8.1 Pro x64
GeForce GTX 760
Samsung EVO 850 SSD

It would matter. Beyond 16gb is harder to justify but 8 to 16 means that all the windows processes that run regularly get left alone in their own memory space while any game you play gets to make use of 4-8gb without having to swap processes to the hard drive (virtual memory).

Best bet would be to run something like CPU-Z from here (http://www.cpuid.com/) to get the make and model of the mother board and ram. Alternatively you can open the case and see if the memory has a serial number/model number sticker on it and see what the model of motherboard is.

Either method will also let you know how many sticks of memory are on the board and tell you how many empty slots that there are. You then have a couple of options:

  1. If there are empty slots, buy another pair of memory modules that match what you already have;

  2. If there are no empty slots, take a look at the motherboard specs and memory specs (which should match) and buy a pair of 8gb memory sticks that match (8gb giving 16gb);

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I went from 6GB to 12GB, skeptical I would see much of an improvement, and the difference blew me away.

You have to be careful just filling up extra memory slots on your mobo - many mobos optimize memory access via channels and having mismatched memory (in terms of speed) in the same channel can limit performance.

I’d suggest first figuring out which mobo you have, and then go get the users manual and memory compatibility guide for it from the manufacturer. The user manual will tell you the maximum memory capability of your motherboard and which slots go with which channel. The compatibility list will be a very conservative list of what’s compatible with your system, but gives you an idea of what memory suppliers the mobo manufacturer works with.

If your mobo is old enough, you might need to go to forums like www.overclock.net to see what experience other users are having with your board.

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I think you will be happy with the upgrade, I wont go into detail has others have, so I will just say, more is better :smile:

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Given that you have SSD, it probably will not do that much…it will not hurt though. I would get it since cost is so little now days.

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Best thing for me going from 6 to 12 GB ram was the effortless ability to spam f2 on a MP server and the joy of flying without any laggyness over airports etc
RAM is so cheap comparatively that with your rig its the most affordable upgrade with any noticable improvement

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Thanks for that! So this is what I came up with when I ran it… Excuse my ignorance…I’m not a real techie guy. So I suppose there are 4 RAM slots - and two are occupied right now since Slot #1 and Slot #2 show no data, and Slot #3 and #4 show below (Team Group - Vulcan 1600). So should I just order that same type and stick them in Slot #1 and #2?

I appreciate the help… the listings online show something other than PC3-10700 (showing 12800 instead??)

http://www.amazon.com/Team-Vulcan-240-Pin-Desktop-TXD316G1600HC9DC-V/dp/B008BG9HUY

BeachAV8R

BeachAV8R

You should be fine ordering those. The higher PC3 rating should not matter. If it was lower I would be concerned but that may be set by the motherboard (ie: the motherboard may only support 10700 and not 12800 but the memory will slow itself down)

Of my current games installed, Grand Theft Auto 5 requires the most RAM. MSI Afterburner reports about 6 to 6.5 GB usage( of 16) at any given time. My VRAM reports just under 3.5 GB (of 4 GB available, cuttin’ it close!) in 3 monitor config. Large open world with dynamic action = more hardware required.

DCS barely uses 3GB of RAM and 2.5ish of VRAM which I’m pleasantly surprised. I’m very curious to see how DCS 2.0 will fair on my rig. From the live streams that Matt has broadcasted, it’s looking great and I’ve seen his system specs posted at the ED forums. I missed his in-game settings. If anything DX11 should be more efficient than DX9.

You will definitely enjoy faster load times and hopefully smoother gameplay with 16GB. I wouldn’t go any higher.

For parts it’s always worth running a quick check on the PC comparison sites like this to make sure you are getting the best deal:

https://pcpartpicker.com/

They tend to show good deals for things like recent price drops too, plus help make sure all the parts you get are compatible (about 98% of the time :slight_smile: )

I also like sites like this:

…as they tend to show the best combinations of parts and clearly point at what the best ‘bang for buck’ next upgrade step is.

ahhh, now I have to buy more RAM :smile:

…and I did it …finaly !! :smile:

With so many discussions about ’ F-14 super hungry for RAM ’ and ’ all time low RAM prices ’ and ’ mid-life upgrade ’ I decided, after two years, to invest litle into my PC.

Was surprised that they are still selling the same modules - HyperX FURY 16GB ( kit ) CL14 2133MHz

Hopefuly I will see some diference with 32Gs :slight_smile:

edit : I realized that my previous post was related to my previous PC :grin:

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Installation was easy, modules did slide into the slots with ease. Remember few years ago I thought I would brake the MB installing modules.

Anyway, it was quite a shock for Win10, it didnt boot the first try. After reset it started to respond :slight_smile: seems OK now

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Holy necromancy

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