Computer techies. Question on memory requirements for Windows XP

[JohnyCanuck]

My nephew is asking my advice on purchasing a low cost computer that comes with a Pentium 4, Windows XP, 256mb ddr ram and an onboard Intel i845GE graphics card. Like most 14 year olds he is really into gamming on the PC (which I am not). Do you think he would gain much by shelling out a bit extra to upgrade the memory to 512mb from 256mb.

Thanks for any suggestions or comments

[kalian]

1. Definitely....

XP is memory intensive. I would recommend 512MB as a minimum.

[no one in particular]

4. Seconded.

512MB minimum.

I got a big boost going to 1 gig. Most of my use is games and music production.

[papau]

8. Agree - although more than 512 unlikely to be as important as 7200 on

the hard drive rpm or the speed of the motherboard chip set.

[Nlighten1]

11. Thirded.

512 is minimun with XP. Did you know that 2003 server has an option to disable the swap file if you have enough memory and want to be daring?

[raysr]

2. Yes

cheaper to get it up front than add later.

[Triscuit013]

3. Definitely

256 MB is about the bare minimum for good gaming. It'd also be worth it to go extra money for a higher quality graphics card.

[no one in particular]

5. Definitely needs a new video card.

That onboard Intel is definitely a no-no as far as gaming.

[FireHeart]

12. That is for certain.

Some folks forget that integrated video/sound cards suck up some of the available DDR that you have installed. An indie card with it's own video RAM will really help improve performance.

[Florida_Geek]

6. For Gaming I would add a 512K stick

He may not need it today, but within a year or two he will.

[Deja Q]

7. You can disable some unneeded services, but I agree

- up that RAM!

I'm not sure on the grtaphics card's specs.

The ATi Radeon 9800 Pro is a great model for the money.

But if you want Linux, stick with nVidia as they know how to write good drivers (in general, but their Linux drivers are far, far better than ATi's in terms of performance and installation...)

[Resistance]

9. yep it's worth it

upgrade that video card though

[JohnyCanuck]

10. Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I'll pass them on n/t

n/t

[OKNancy]

13. It's real easy to do it yourself too

Check out prices just to make sure it is cheaper to have it done before you buy it. Here I am, a middle-aged housewife in Oklahoma, totally self-taught on a computer, but I have installed the memory pins on two computers that I have owned. ( and tons of other stuff too!! I'm not afraid )

I got mine from Kingston tech. They are a good company.

Caution: If you are the kind of guy who doesn't like to read instructions, then nevermind. It's like cooking....follow the recipe.

[jmowreader]

14. I don't think so. It's not enough.

My rule for Happiness in Windows is to take the side panel off the machine and throw RAM at it with both hands. If he can swing 1GB, that should hold him for a few days.

2GB would be better.

Y'all are laughing right now, but I clearly remember the days when 300MB hard disks were so unbelievably huge you'd never fill one up. I have individual files that won't fit on a 300MB hard drive.

And yes, I walked uphill to school both ways.