How much RAM?

[MattC]

I am just about to order some parts for a new i5-750 based PC, and I am trying to work out if I should be putting 4GB or 6GB of RAM in the machine.

First of all, can the i5-750 make use of 6GB, as I have read it is only supports 2 channels of memory?
Secondly will 4GB be sufficient for 'Photoshop' type applications?, and will having 6GB make a difference?

Any replies much appreciated.

Matt

[ving]

i have 2 gb... thats plenty for me. runs fast enough...(duo core 2.6ghz)

[Kym]

64 bit Windows 7? You will need that to use memory above 4Gb.

AFAIK the Lynnfield (i5) is dual memory channel whereas the Bloomfield (i7) is three.
That affects buying memory is pairs or tripple set of memory sticks.

How many memory sticks? That depends on your mother board. Memory is cheap, so get 8 or 9GB if you can. Stitching panos' will use a lot ;)

[MattC]

Thanks for the replies - Kym - yep Win7 64bit.
So there no point in having 6GB with the i5 - best to go 4GB (2x2GB sticks), and upgrade to 8GB later on.

Thanks for the help :food04:

[Kym]

Thanks for the replies - Kym - yep Win7 64bit.
So there no point in having 6GB with the i5 - best to go 4GB (2x2GB sticks), and upgrade to 8GB later on.

I'm fairly sure the i5 needs pairs - so 2 x 2 for now and another 2 x 2 later. Google it or check the mobo specs.

[oldfart]

All Socket 1156 processors (i5 and i7-800 series) are only designed to handle Ram Modules in banks of 2.

If buying Win7 64Bit buy 8Gb (4x2Gb) you'll be very pleased by the performance.

[phild]

I have a core2 Quad with 8Gb and Win7 64 bit (pro), very happy with the performance. A decent videocard will help as well, an ATI 4870 is a decent card for around $200.

I think from memory 32 bit Win7 will only address 4gB.

Here's a breakdown of addressing capabilities of Win7 Variants.

Here are the upper (64 bit) RAM limits for the different editions of Windows 7:

Starter: 8GB
Home Basic: 8GB
Home Premium: 16GB
Professional: 192GB
Enterprise: 192GB
Ultimate: 192GB

[chicko]

At a Win 7 Microsoft presentation a few weeks back the guy said that the sweet spot for Win 7 is 2Gb, but added that as you add applications you should add RAM. 4Gb for PS. Agree with 2x2 with another 2x2 later on. Interesting point he made was that computers will remain usable for a lot longer as Win 7 seems to operate well on smaler processors. We have loaded it onto a P4 1.8MHz with 2 Gb RAM and it works OK. Good enough for Word processing etc. Drivers a bit of a problem but all is well. Vista was hopeless, if it loaded at all.
Cheers

[MattC]

Thanks for the info guys - will be ordering my new system today :xmas31:
Should be a big improvement over my current 5 year old setup.

[maccaroneski]

I tried 4gb and 8gb with win 7 64 bit and couldn't really detect and difference.

Checking out the system monitors revealed that I never really go above 3 in terms of memory usage, although this could be a different story were I a PS user (stitching panos etc as mentioned above).