CPU speed or RAM?

[bobobrazil1984 0]

In my shopping for a new laptop, to stay within the price range I want, i've been finding I have to compromise a bit on one of these.

 

I'm looking at Core 2 Duo's, which have varying speeds, 1.66, 1.83, 2.00 ghz, and the same with RAM, anywhere from 512, 1 GB, or 2 GB ram.

 

Which is generally more important for an efficient and smooth non-clunky experience? My first instinct is that going with 2GB RAM with a slightly lower cpu (1.66 core 2 duo) might be the best option.

 

fyi - i do a little bit of everything, internet, watching videos, light gaming, etc.

[Black Lushus 0]

ultimately it's the RAM...you can have a 2.66 GHz processor, but it won't mean shit if you don't have enough memory to run the stuff you want...go for at LEAST 1GB.

[Guest Queen Leelee]

Black is correct. We have 512MB on a 2.2GHz PC, and the RAM is what causes some PC games to run slowly.

 

Get the RAM.

[tominator89 0]

When I buy a new computer, I always get the best processor that I can. It's much easier to upgrade RAM than it is a processor.

[tominator89 0]

double post

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

When I buy a new computer, I always get the best processor that I can. It's much easier to upgrade RAM than it is a processor.

 

 

Very, very true. Especially if it's a desktop.

[MrRant 0]

If we are talking Vista, safer to go with the 2GB and then back down the clock speed a bit.

[World's Worst Man 0]

The CPU is the most important part of the computer. Without at least a decent CPU, nothing else matters. Not to say you need a super high-end CPU, because you don't. But all the RAM in the world won't mean anything if you get a weak processor. And for gaming, video card is more important than RAM period. I'd go for the strongest CPU you listed, with one gig of RAM, which can easily be added to should you need more. And you probably won't need more for another year or so, at least until the standard recommended specs on PC games goes above one gig of RAM.

[TheBostonStrangler 0]

As long as you're getting a Dual Core, it's not a gigantic difference between some of the smaller levels. But the memory has large, noticeable differences - particularly between 512 MB and 1 GB at this stage in the game.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Get an e4300 and overclock it. Seriously, these chips are so ridiculously overclockable, you can hit speeds of up to 3.2ghz on stock vcores by just upping the FSB. I just built an e4300 rig with a Gigabyte GA-965p-DS3 motherboard and this thing frickin' flies.

 

Also, RAM isn't that important, no matter what anyone tells you. Try to get a midpriced DDR2-800 kit, two gigs or so, and spend the money you save on a beefy graphics card (NV 8800 GTS 320mb is the value leader right now) if you want this for gaming.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115013 -- C2D e4300, if you wait until the end of April, the price will drop to about $130. I highly reccomend the 4300 versus the 6300, since the 6300's multiplier is lower, which means you have to buy more expensive RAM if you want it to hit its potential.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231098 -- G.SKILL 2GB of DDR2-800. Cheap stuff, but good timings and very good overclocking ability. Overclockers love this shit.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128012 -- GA-965P-DS3 I love this motherboard. Pretty cheap 965p board, and it overclocks like a mother.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130038 -- EVGA 8800 GTS. VERY fast card, you won't need anything better right now unless you're running absurd resolutions, like 1900x1200 or something.

 

All of this stuff is pretty much on sale, and I used this exact setup on a build last week. Throw a Thermalright Ultra-120 HSF on that 4300 and you can OC it to 3.2 without even hitting 50 degrees C. It's amazing that you can build such a good computer for so cheap nowadays, I'd highly reccomend everyone who has the ability to upgrade to do it in the next year as dual cores get even cheaper. Quad cores nowadays are highly, highly unnecessary, but since they're the market standard, the dual cores are dropping in price.

[jwpeer 0]

Go with 2GB of Ram. Especially if you do a 'little bit of everything'. 1GB of Ram is just not enough nowadays, especially if you want to run any of the newer games which rely more and more on memory (Try running Oblivion with only 1GB of ram and you'll be in for hell)

 

Clearly you can't IGNORE the processor...but in many modern computers people with only 1GB of ram are bottlenecking their performance. IT also depends on the type of applications you're running, as well. Not every game is designed the same and some rely more on the memory than others, but trust me, having a bottleneck be your ram is horribly frustrating, because things will just run SLOW.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

My point is that basically, stuff is getting so cheap nowadays that you can afford to go with a reasonably priced 2gb ddr2-800 kit and a bit of a "slower" processor and still get outstanding performance.

 

It's not a situation where it has to be one to the exclusion of the other; if you're running games, 2GB will be absolutely fine. You'll rarely come across an app that will bottleneck at 2GB; normally, the GPU will be the bottleneck. If you're building now, get an 8800 GTS. If you're waiting a few months, go for the 8800 still (it'll drop in price once ATI's next gen drops) or if you want to go top of the line, go for either ATI's newest offerings (going to be the x2900 series) or the next Nvidia offerings (8950 will be the highest, probably).

 

You can run a 1.88 ghz C2D e4300 at 3.15 ghz without breaking a sweat, and I highly recommend it.

[Jericholic82 0]

I have the same issue, my laptop has only 256 ram so my high-speed internet isnt really high speed. I odnt play games on it, so is 1gb right? havent bought it yet cuz its expensive in stores. anyone recommend a trustworty site that sells RAM cheaper?

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

www.newegg.com

[Guest Vitamin X]

www.tigerdirect.com is also not too bad, their outlet store/headquarters used to be around the corner from my house, but that's where I got my (admittedly a bit small, 19" but really good) LCD HDTV/PC monitor for $200. Pretty good deals there.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Generally, it's very smart to shop around between TigerDirect, NewEgg, FrozenCPU (for more specialty/cooling parts), and ZipZoomFly to find the best deal. They usually have sales that are exclusive to the store.

[Thoth 0]

If the question is, "Which has more impact on the performance of the computer," the answer is RAM. Here's why:

 

The slowest part of a computer is, and always has been, I/O. Hard drive access is pretty much the slowest part of a computer. The more RAM you have, the more memory pages the operating system has to work with, and the fewer disk accesses you have.

 

It's true that a faster processor will have a noticeable effect on games; the ability to execute instruction cycles faster is always nice, and will be more noticeable in games than in other applications. But when you hit that page limit, oh shit there go the hard drive accesses. Take the RAM before you take the processor, if you must make a choice.

 

More games these days are using the GPU to do non-graphics things; in the next couple of years, a good graphics card will be better able to substitute for a slower CPU when it comes to games.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

What about AMDs? what kind of performance hit are you taking if you settle for an AMD Turion X2 but with, say 2GB of RAM? will it be significantly slower than a core 2 duo?

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

It really depends on what you're doing. If you're browsing the internet and typing in Word, no, you won't notice a difference. However, you won't really notice the difference between one gig and two, either. But, if you're playing games, you will notice the difference. On the other hand, either way, you're going to bottleneck. A computer is only as good as its weakest part, so you have to keep that in mind.

 

Core 2 Duo is, by far, the best line of processor out there. But there's no point in getting an extremely expensive system that has a shitty video card, or 512mb of RAM, or a Sempron or something.

 

FYI: Turion's are notebook CPUs. If you're looking for a notebook that can game, be prepared to drop 3k, because you're not going to be able to play anything worth a shit on integrated GPU anyway.

[tominator89 0]

I said this earlier in the thread, but I feel it needs repeating: it is easier to upgrade RAM than it is a processor.

 

If you only plan on "doing a little bit of everything" then get the best processor you can. You can always upgrade your RAM at a later date. It is cheaper and easier to do.