23 replies to this topic

[Kaptain]

Just wondering if anyone out there has upgraded an older system from 4gb of DDR2 to 8GB of ddr2 and what it did for your performance in MWO.

My systems
Q6700 (Quad) @ 3.4
4GB DDR2 @ 1066mhz 5-5-5-15
GTX280

AMD 965 BE (Quad) @ 3.8
4GB DDR2 @ 800mhz 5-5-5-15
GTX280

While both systems are dated they are playing MWO just fine for me.

MWO is the only "modern" game I play anymore and I have NO intention of building a new system unless something comes out that I just have to have... and I don't see that happening.

OK so with all that said has anyone upgraded the ram on an older system and what did it do, if anything, for MWO?

Edited by Kaptain, 17 August 2013 - 08:29 AM.

[GetinmyBellah]

I can't speak for what more RAM will specifically do for you concerning MW:O, however upgrading your RAM regardless of age or type is always a plus for your OS, especially when you're talking about doubling the amount of RAM. So, given the OS will operate more efficiently chances are your games will play more efficiently also. I'm no PC guru by any means but I have been building my own rigs since 1996 and in my personal opinion upgrading will benefit your system as a whole.

The only question should be what OS are you running and is it and, or your motherboard capable of utilizing 8GB of RAM?

[Narcissistic Martyr]

If you have a 64 bit OS and you MB can handle it, yes it's worth it. Of course with the price of fast DDR2 RAM being what it is these days you might well be better off saving your money for a new system.

[StainlessSR]

There are several ways this can be answered.

With a 32bit OS, you will not see any help/with a 64 bit os then yes it is worthwhile.

But have you thought about (if it is possible, I don't know as I do not know what mb you have) upgrading your dual core AMD BE processor with something newer (new cpu/mb/ram) and using the 4gb ddr2 in the Quad core intel machine to give it 8gb.
At the high cost of DDR2, and with the age of the AMD cpu if you can do this and afford it this would be the way to go in my opinion.

If it plays fine and you have no problems with out of memory errors and you are running a 32bit os, I would leave it be till you can at least upgrade the cpu/mb/ram. With the introduction of the new line of Intel with a different mb requirement, look in Craigslist (or other local classifieds), I have seen several i5 systems with 8gb ram going for $280us (granted it is usually stock dell or hp/compaq with locked I5/I3 and not the best gaming ram at that but for a limited budget it is a way to go). Actually I upgraded my cpu with an I5-2500k that I bought for $75 just 2 weeks ago.

[Kaptain]

OS is 64bit W7
and yes both motherboads (one being an evga 780) will support 8gb
The AMD is a quad core black edition. overclocked 400mhz to 3.8ghz

Seriously considering making the AMD my dedicated media center. I can swap in a 9800gtx I have laying around and salvage the GTX280 to be used in SLI in the intel system. Then I just need $60 for 4 more gigs of dominator 1066 (ebay).

Thanks for the replies everyone. Would still love to hear personal experience from anyone that has gone from 4 to 8. Or if anyone is willing to test with 8 and pull 4 gigs and test again..?

[Goose]

…

I'm sorry, but DDR2? Hideously expensive for rarity of demand DDR2?

Mock up a new box, and compare bang for buck …

[Deathz Jester]

Why not DDR3?

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Iron Harlequin, on 15 August 2013 - 09:01 PM, said:

Why not DDR3?

Motherboard compatability.

[Kaptain]

Narcissistic Martyr, on 15 August 2013 - 10:17 PM, said:

Motherboard compatability.

Exactly.
Not looking to build a new system as I only play MWO these days.
I know how cheap boards, mem and CPUs are getting. I want neither the expense nor the project of building a new system atm.

[reiGngehoWn]

Kaptain, on 15 August 2013 - 02:49 PM, said:

OK so with all that said has anyone upgraded the ram on an older system and what did it do, if anything, for MWO?

System:
AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHZ
4 GB DDR2
Gigabyte Board
Gainward GTX 260
64bit Win 7

Upgraded from 4GB to 8GB DDR2 Ram and the FPS didn't change at all. I can now ALT - Tab a little bit smoother then before ...



Greetz

Edited by reiGngehoWn, 15 August 2013 - 11:37 PM.

[Kaptain]

reiGngehoWn, on 15 August 2013 - 11:36 PM, said:

Upgraded from 4GB to 8GB DDR2 Ram and the FPS didn't change at all. I can now ALT - Tab a little bit smoother then before
Greetz

Thank you!
This game is very CPU intensive (again post patch) and I wonder if quad core systems would see an improvement with 8gb...
Originally I had 8gb and 2xGTX280 in SLI for the first crisis and its expansion. Ended up pulling half the mem and a card to help a friend and completely forgot I had done so. When I realized my system was running just fine on half the parts I sold them to him... Curious if the extra 4gb would make more of a difference on the new engine with a quad core.

BTW, if your board is AM3 there is a good chance you can run one of the black edition amd quads! They are stupid cheap. I think they run like 40-50 on ebay

[Narcissistic Martyr]

reiGngehoWn, on 15 August 2013 - 11:36 PM, said:

System:
AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHZ
4 GB DDR2
Gigabyte Board
Gainward GTX 260
64bit Win 7

Upgraded from 4GB to 8GB DDR2 Ram and the FPS didn't change at all. I can now ALT - Tab a little bit smoother then before ...

Greetz

You need more CPU. Since you're AM3, you can pick up a phenom ii off ebay for not a whole lot. If you're limited to 95W, get a 960t.

Edited by Narcissistic Martyr, 16 August 2013 - 11:25 AM.

[Kaptain]

Narcissistic Martyr, on 16 August 2013 - 11:20 AM, said:

You need more CPU. Since you're AM3, you can pick up a phenom ii off ebay for not a whole lot. If you're limited to 95W, get a 960t.

And you can do a little research too... Even if you are limited by bios you may be able to run the chip using a program called phenom tweaker. Thats what I am doing... I can't set clock speed in bios because the board doesn't like the chip, BUT I can set it to 3.8 in windows using that program.

[WidowMaker91]

the amd phenom II and athlon II have ddr3 and ddr2 controllers. ( i have a phenon II x4 965 be @ 4.2 ghz 8 gb ddr3 1333 @ 1866mhz ) just upgrade your board and purchase ddr3 memmory ( your cpu will drop right in , am2+ cpus can go into am3/ am3+ sockets ). honestly you will not notice any performance increases going from 4gb to 8 gb. so save your money and upgrade when you do. being cheap now ( not offence ) will screw you in the long run ( x99 chipset coming soon and its gonna have ddr4 memmory ) if u need a quick boost in performance i suggest the asus 550 ti directcu card and over clock it. or a 560 ti + .. i get not less than 50 on my 550 ti ( averages 70ish ) and my asus 560 ti directCUII gets no less than 70 and averages about 80-90. ik wall of text. its my twocents

[Gremlich Johns]

reiGngehoWn, on 15 August 2013 - 11:36 PM, said:

System:
AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHZ
4 GB DDR2
Gigabyte Board
Gainward GTX 260
64bit Win 7

Upgraded from 4GB to 8GB DDR2 Ram and the FPS didn't change at all. I can now ALT - Tab a little bit smoother then before ...



Greetz

More RAM does not increase your FPS. It just helps your system run better. You want more FPS, look to your CPU and video card. PCIe-1 or 2?

[Kaptain]

OK did some testing.

The AMD system is very held back by the 1200mhz HT of the old AM2 board (Newer CPU in older board)

The Intel system plays the game much better
ALL settings on "Very High"
1440x900 (using a backup as the main monitor need the inverter replaced)
FPS of high 30s - Low/Mid 40s
Drops into the low 30 with lots of action or large panoramic views
Sometimes gets short runs of 45-60 FPS

Hope this information helps someone!

[Narcissistic Martyr]

Kaptain, on 16 August 2013 - 07:23 PM, said:

OK did some testing.

The AMD system is very held back by the 1200mhz HT of the old AM2 board (Newer CPU in older board)

The Intel system plays the game much better
ALL settings on "Very High"
1440x900 (using a backup as the main monitor need the inverter replaced)
FPS of high 30s - Low/Mid 40s
Drops into the low 30 with lots of action or large panoramic views
Sometimes gets short runs of 45-60 FPS

Hope this information helps someone!

Good to see what an older system can do even with DDR2. Also, you could grab a Q9650 or something if you wanted a budget upgrade. If you do, it'd be lovely if you could do some more benchies.

[SIN Deacon]

I'm a little into the hole so I will try to make this as clear as possible. The difference from a Q6600 @ 3.4ghz 1.65volts with 8gb's of ddr2 1066 compared to my current setup in my profile is honestly night and day. It's the same amount of memory except just totally new technology (regardless of the overclock). I would recommend saving the $100 bucks and just buying a AMD setup with a 6-8 core and get er done bud. No need to mickey mouse with century old technology move her on, just like you should the B!tC4.

Edited by SIN Deacon, 16 August 2013 - 08:49 PM.

[Kaptain]

Narcissistic Martyr I have considered selling the q6700 and picking up a used Q9650 or QX9650 but the game is running just fine honestly. If I change my mind I will be sure to post before and afters

I think I am going to swap in the other GTX280 out of the amd system and setup a hacked SLI profile for MWO. That would be more for experimentation though as the game runs just fine on the Intel system.

Sin Deacon

Kaptain, on 15 August 2013 - 02:49 PM, said:

MWO is the only "modern" game I play anymore and I have NO intention of building a new system

[Barbaric Soul]

I know you don't want to do a rebuild, but honestly man, you really ought to. But here's the kicker, don't upgrade the Intel system, upgrade the AMD system. That AMD Quad you have is actually capable of being a lot faster than that Q6700 you have. In a compatable motherboard, at 3.2 GHZ, it's about equal in performance to the 3 ghz Q9650( which is a lot faster than your Q6700. I went from a Q6600 to a Q9650, and the difference was amazing). A motherboard upgrade to a AM3 board would show you this. Instead of dumping money into the Intel system, I'd suggest spending about $70 and getting these-

http://www.ebay.com/...=item4d0eb08603

http://www.ebay.com/...=item2581577a9d

And just to show you the difference you should be seeing between the Q6700 and the AMD BE- http://www.anandtech...oduct/362?vs=53

Granted, I don't know exactly what AMD quad you have, and Anandtech's benchmarks don't have the Q6700, but you see the difference between a Q6600 which is only 100 MHz slower than the Q6700 and a 3.8 ghz AMD BE. Your AMD should a h e l l of a lot faster than the Q6700. If your not willing to upgrade the MB of the AMD system, don't upgrade anything. It will not be worth the expense.

Edited by Barbaric Soul, 17 August 2013 - 05:13 AM.