Which upgrade will net me the best increase?

Washrag

New Member
My comp is running a little bit slow as of late, and I'm wondering whether a RAM upgrade or a dual core upgrade would be better. I have an amd 64 3500+ 2.2ghz and 1024 mb of ram (4 x 256). Which would be better, an upgrade to 2.5 gb or RAM, or an upgrade to an amd x2 3800+ 2.0 ghz?
 
AMD has cut their prices on the earlier X2 CPU's dramatically, a decent mobo with it will set you back about $150. But, running 4 sticks adds stress to AMD's on-die memory controller, so it is highly recommended to just get a 2GB(2x1GB) kit or 1GB(2x512MB) if you're on a budget.
 
I would personally go the CPU upgrade.

1Gb Ram is fine for Home User if Running XP

i Would suggest 2Gb if Running Vista Tho. . .
 
Will I notice any drop at all going from 2.2 to 2.0 on regular applications?

I didn't when I swapped my 3500+ 2.2GHz out for a 3800+ x2 2.0Ghz =)

In fact, everything seems to flow better now... but I have 2GB PC2-4200, 512MB x4.
 
Back
Top