Hi, I have a 2 year old HP m8187c computer with 2 Gig of Ram. I'm starting to bump into the upper limits on the ram and am considering upgrading to 4 Gig of Ram. I'm running Vista 32 bit OS. Here is the RAM specs (see http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...82E16820134193)RAM specs: Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop MemoryAny thoughts on whether this is a good route to go or not. RAM is pretty cheap now so I am happy to go a different route if folks feel it will give me better performance.Here are the specs for my computer. (see http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/documen...915〈=en ComputerBase processor Core 2 Duo E6750 © DC 2.66 GHz1333 MHz front side busSocket 775Chipset Intel G33 ExpressMotherboard Manufacturer: AsusMotherboard Name: IPIBL-LAHP/Compaq motherboard name: Berkeley-GL8EMemory Component Attributes Memory Installed 2 GB Maximum allowed 8 GB (4 x 2 GB) (64-bit OS) 4 GB* (4 x 1 GB) (32-bit OS) *Actual available memory may be less Speed supported PC2-5300 MB/sec Type 240 pin, DDR2 SDRAM Thanks for any help/advice

There is no sense in going past the BUS speed... However you may want to choose 800mhz ram since you might find a better deal. There's a lot of people who will disagree and tell you to buy the fastest ram possible but you need to realize the timing of the ram is determined by the chipset and not the RAM itself,... Also another thing to realize is that RAM is also a secondary storage device much like your harddrive, all the computations are actually done inside the processor using the onboard cache/registers... so you have to make sure that pipeline is clear of any other programs that may cause conflicts with FSX... the more predictable things are the faster everything performs. So when it comes to RAM just remember the MHZ listed is the limit of how fast the gates can be opened and closed for reading and writing, ie the bandwidth. It has nothing to do with actual performance unfortunately.Hope that helps...

That board should support DDR2 800, certainly recommended over the 667 stuff you're looking at. Get something with low timings like this 4-4-4-12 RAM from Patriot.

There is no sense in going past the BUS speed... However you may want to choose 800mhz ram since you might find a better deal. There's a lot of people who will disagree and tell you to buy the fastest ram possible but you need to realize the timing of the ram is determined by the chipset and not the RAM itself,... Also another thing to realize is that RAM is also a secondary storage device much like your harddrive, all the computations are actually done inside the processor using the onboard cache/registers... so you have to make sure that pipeline is clear of any other programs that may cause conflicts with FSX... the more predictable things are the faster everything performs. So when it comes to RAM just remember the MHZ listed is the limit of how fast the gates can be opened and closed for reading and writing, ie the bandwidth. It has nothing to do with actual performance unfortunately.Hope that helps...

It does help. Thank you. I have so much garbage running on my computer. Frankly I don't know how most of it got there, whether it is necessary and, if not, how to stop it from running. Just this past week, I found out about the other features of "Task Manager" and was shocked to see how much RAM was being used (and processor speed) by things I don't have a clue about. Any thoughts on how I can determine which of these programs are necessary and which ones I can shut down? I'm happy to pay for a quality program to help me with this. I see O&O appears to offer some tools to help. Any other suggestions?

That board should support DDR2 800, certainly recommended over the 667 stuff you're looking at. Get something with low timings like this 4-4-4-12 RAM from Patriot.

Price is about the same so I'll go with the 800 stuff. What is "low timing"? Seems counter-intuitive to me....shouldn't I be looking for the fastest timing? Sorry, this is probably an uninformed question...thanks for any thoughts you can shed on this.

RAM timings are a measurement of access speed as measured in clock cycles. The lower the numbers, the faster your data can be accessed. It is somewhat counter-intuitive compared to most speed measurements in computing where higher numbers are better.

Thanks.I seem to have posted the wrong RAM link in my original post.... Here is the correct one... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820134193Which RAM is faster and a better match for my system?- Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/4G - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134193)- Patriot Viper II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory w/Futuremark 3DMark Vantage Bundle Model PV224G6400LLKB - Retail .... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220425I have very limited IT knowledge so I am not questioning anyone's opinion...just looking for a bit of help. Sounds like the lower "speed" is faster which points to DDR2 667 being faster than DDR2800. Is this correct?

Thanks.I seem to have posted the wrong RAM link in my original post.... Here is the correct one... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820134193Which RAM is faster and a better match for my system?- Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/4G - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134193)- Patriot Viper II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory w/Futuremark 3DMark Vantage Bundle Model PV224G6400LLKB - Retail .... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220425I have very limited IT knowledge so I am not questioning anyone's opinion...just looking for a bit of help. Sounds like the lower "speed" is faster which points to DDR2 667 being faster than DDR2800. Is this correct?

Doug,It's a combination of memory speed AND timing that results in faster RAM and better performance in the sim. You can't just look at one or the other. The goal, especially for this sim, is to run the fastest speed with the lowest timings that the memory will run STABLE and not overvolted (by much). RAM spec'd at faster speeds can actually be SLOWER than RAM spec'd at slower speeds IF the slower RAM has very low timing values and/or the faster RAM has higher timing values. The 667 could actually run faster than the 800 IF the 800 was spec'd @ CAS 5 or 6 and the 667 was spec'd @ CAS 3. The two parameters go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately for a DDR2 system running at the speeds you are considering the difference between 667 and 800 won't be that great. Going from 667 to 1200 CAS 5 would make a nice difference but you'd need the CPU/MB/PSU to be able to run a 400MHz FSB and OEM system's like what you have just won't do that, not because they're slow but because they're built for a different purpose. FSX really requires a purpose-built system for getting the most out of it. A move to a faster (or overclocked) GHz Core2 or i7 and DDR3 and RAM speeds around DDR3 1600(+) with CAS 6 (or 7) would be a night & day difference from the DDR2 667 at any timing.-jk

OK, I'm starting to understand. Thank you. Seems like it is a much more complex question than I originally thought. My goal is to limp by on my system for the next 6-9 months and then buy a more modern/faster set-up. To get me by during this period, which RAM would you suggest....- Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/4G - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134193)- Patriot Viper II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory w/Futuremark 3DMark Vantage Bundle Model PV224G6400LLKB - Retail .... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220425- Other?Thanks for your help.

A good program that worked well for me was Alacrity PC by Ken Salter... it'll not only shutdown unused windows services it'll also clear up a bit of ram. Unfortantely the main site seems to be down but it's availble on CNET via this linkAs for the ram go with the Patriot...

As for the ram go with the Patriot...

Thanks. I'll pick up the program on CNET. Is the Patriot RAM faster or why do you prefer it. Price is the same...I'm just trying to learn...Thanks

check wiki or reread what techguymaxc, don't want to dumb it down cause most likely it'll confuse me more than it informs you :)wiki linkBottom line for you is that the Patriot has a lower propagation time than the kingstons, simply put 800mhz would be the available bandwidth for your RAM, and the CAS latency would be how quickly the RAM responds to data once it gets it.