Hello NineLives! I think the reason why this thread has been dead for more than a year is because RAM is so cheap these days that 4GB and 6GB in Dual- or Triple-Channel kits are dirt cheap nowadays and usually come "standard" with a new build. Gone are the days where 512MB users were differentiated with non-dual and dual-channeled variety. I remember the time when 1GB was considered the "sweet spot," and getting 2GB was just for "bragging rights." Again, with the cost of RAM now, it's a moot point. Heck, I'm even considering an 8GB or 12GB setup "just for the fun of it," and in no way will it cost me so much that it'll make me look like an idiot for trying.

However, best of luck with your testing, I would love to see how things turn out.

I notice that 64bit is becoming very common on pre-built computers today and these take the high amounts of RAM but this is only since software and driver suppport improved.

The majority still have 32bit which won't see more than around 3.5GB so getting more than 4 is pointless.

I take what you say about the lower cost of RAM and there is no reason to have less than 2GB now. But I will still do some tests for the 32bit users.

I agree with you. However, from my point-of-view, if you're a gamer with or building a new system, again with the cheap RAM these days, it makes no sense to go for less than 4 Gigs! Personally, I want my bottlenecks to just be the CPU or the GPU. RAM is too cheap to be bothered with, so 4GB is a minimum for such a low cost.

The funny thing here is that I'm still sitting in front of a 32-bit PC with 1.5GB of RAM, so I also know where you're coming from. Then again, this isn't my gaming rig (any more), and I'll be building one in a few months.

Just a quick update. No need to show any figures because the 4GB in my system has made no big difference at all of note. The system recognised 3.25GB.

Boot times are the same and so are game start times albeit a couple of seconds.

I flew over Heathrow with Traffic and in a Captain Sim liner in FSX and it is still a slide show.

IL2 was already going along at 60FPS anyway on Perfect but the only thing I would say is that on custom missions with the sky full of planes it was as smooth as silk but still showing 60FPS because of the game limitations but it was smoother it seems.

So basically if you have 32bit I would stick with 2GB unless you can pick up a 4GB pack real cheap just for the small improvement in some areas.

I would like to add Flaming Cliffs 2 Notices the difference..I had 4GB in a XP Pro system and took it out as everybody kept saying there is NO difference. well there is in Flaming Cliffs 2..

I plan on going back with a 4GB Kit and a new CPU E8600 or was it the E8400??

Speaking of RAM, I just upgraded from 2 GB to 4 GB of RAM yesterday and I noticed an immediate improvement with how fast programs launch and especially with how quickly I exit from them. Some games used to take a while to close out since they used so much of my swap file and I could even see my desktop being redrawn but now with 4 GB the exiting is pretty much instant.

I think there's a special .exe that enables it to use 1GB, instead of 512MB. Maybe worth testing with it?