What is the optimum amount of memory?

**Snootch** · 05-28-2004, 07:42 PM

What is the optimum amount of memory using a M-10000 and winXP? When I searched, the only thing I could find was that 512MB would take longer to write to the HD during the beginning of hibernation than a 256MB stick would. BUT I know XP is a memory hog, as I'm using 1GB of PC3200DDR in my desktop.

Since i'm limited to only one stick of memory, should I purchase one stick of Corsair 256MB, or a stick of Corsair 512MB?
Oh, P.S.: I plan on using the carputer for mostly MP3's, then video, then GPS in that order.

**henkbliek** · 05-28-2004, 09:57 PM

Windows XP just needs around 128 for itself, to any additional depends op the applications you are going to use. For most situations 256 will be more than enough.

I am going to use 256MB for a WinXP system with Destinator2 and my own media player based on DirectX/Directshow and that will be enough, even with swap disabled...

**god_of_cpu** · 05-28-2004, 10:21 PM

Go on a machine with windows XP and run all the apps your going to run in your car at any one time, do a ctrl+alt+del, select the task manager then go to the performance tab check out how much physical memory you have availble. subtract that from your total memory to get how much is optimal. You might want to turn off the swap file before you do this to get a more accurate count. My optimum amount is no less then 384 MB.

**samc** · 05-28-2004, 10:26 PM

512 megs.. I don't know if thats too much, or too little or even if my windows xp even uses that much during operation. I just picked 512 and was done with it

**noodles** · 05-29-2004, 02:38 AM

256mb sounds good. Sometimes it takes longer to boot if you have more memory.

**Walleye** · 05-29-2004, 02:34 PM

dont know... i had 256 and it took slightly longer to boot into XP. like 38-40 seconds. when i went to 512, it went down to 33 seconds. when i went to 512 DDR, it went down to 30 seconds flat.

This is on a 1.8 ghz Duron, and a mobo that supports both SD and DDR ram.

**Snootch** · 05-29-2004, 03:21 PM

Okay, but what about for carputer use, where you want the boot-up and hibernate times to be as fast as possible using XP. Would using good-quality RAM in a 256 stick (e.g. Corsair, Mushkin, Geil, etc.) Give the best results over using say 512 or 256 of generic PC2100 DDR on this board?

**Walleye** · 05-29-2004, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Snootch

Okay, but what about for carputer use, where you want the boot-up and hibernate times to be as fast as possible using XP.

this is my carputer i was talking about. i still havent gotten around to optimizing the boot. that's simply a fresh XP install.

**Hcomplyr** · 05-29-2004, 04:15 PM

I have had just as much luck with generic ram as i have with name brand chips. I've run 128 in windows XP fairly well it could even play some games smoothy, going to 256 made a huge difference in the multimedia dept, so i would think 256 is the minimum if your running DVDs and DIVX in XP