How much ram to Have installed on a computer????

[jmorlock]

IS there any general rule for how much RAM to have installed on a computer running Windows XP Professional?

Sincerely,

Jeremy J. Morlock
IT Specialist

PatentWizard, LLC
E-mail: jeremy@PatentWizard.com
Web Site:

http://www.PatentWizard.com

 

[DartBoy]

I am unsure of exact minimums but I would recommend at least 128Mb minimum. I do know of one machine, but is bloody slow. Possibly 256Mb is average these days as memory is cheap anyway !!

Simon Everitt, Lockwell Lectrics Ltd
System Administrator

 

[Blujacket]

WinXP and Win2000 love to have as much RAM as the motherboard will support. I'd also start with 256MB. I started with 512MB and my newest computer now has 1GB/1024MB and have Win2000 on the older computer with 512MB.

 

[Xemus]

128MB is the minimum that Microsoft says should be installed prior to running XP.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/sysreqs.asp

128MB will make it very hard to do anything, so you're much better off with at least 256MB. The more the better.

http://www.closedsocket.com

 

[jsauce]

Even 256MB is not enough ram in Windows XP. When someone says minimum requirements that means the very minimal amount to get the os to boot. With 256mb of ram Windows XP is sluggish and cant do many things. I'd recommend 512mb minimum for almost anyone. I myself have 768mb of ram and am going to go up to 1gb or more. Ram is cheap you can never have too much. Remember the less ram you have the more dependant you are on the pagefile, which when something gets paged to disk will slow down everything.

John D. Saucier
jsauce@magicguild.com
Certified Technician
Network Administrator

 

[cdogg]

jmorlock,

As you can see, answers will vary!

The best way to look at it depends on your system. A faster system (1.0GHz and higher) can get away with 256MB no problem. The sluggishness may or may not occur, depending on the type of apps you use. Remember that in slower systems, the amount of RAM hardly makes a difference because you have other bottlenecks to worry about (i.e. hard drive, CPU, FSB, etc).

Generally, most tests show that 512MB is XP's sweet spot. Any more only gives you diminishing returns in a majority of applications and games. It never hurts to have too much, since the OS will likely find a way to put it to use. However, once you're at the 512MB mark, rest assured that you have enough to handle most tasks.


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind"
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[techkiwi]

For what it's worth my own experience backs up cdogg's comments.

My own computers run Windows 98 or ME but the computer I use at work is a P4 2.4 GHz with 256 MB of RAM, running XP Professional. It runs just fine, but with multiple apps open starts to get sluggish.

But then I guess what you're going to be doing with the computer makes a difference. Just office apps, or gaming, or graphics processing?

Graham

 

[ceh4702]

I recommend either 256MB or 512MB or RAM. I have tried running XP on a PIII with 128 MB and the operating system sometimes can run on that much RAM, but some programs like MS Word tend to need a lot of memory to run. Occassionally when using 128 Megs of RAM I have seen Word run out of memory.

A lot depends on what your are doing, and what kind of programs you are running. Some servers have a minimum of 2 Gigs just to keep running. Also some applications like Photoshop or Video encoding may be good examples for the use of 1 Gig of RAM.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[jurgen36]

Well I had XP running with 64 Mbytes but it was impossible to use, much slower as an old XT. I do agree 512 Mb seems to be ok for most applications. I do a lot of video editing and use
4 Gb of ram with a P4 HT EE chip. This is as fast as I need it to be. Regards

Jurgen