BleepingComputer.com: How much RAM needed these days?

I’d be grateful for suggestions on how much RAM I need to cope with present-day websites, and whether I should try to add the extra to my present laptop or get a new machine with sufficient RAM installed.

At present I have 512 DDR MB, 333 Mhz and I will shortly be replacing my dial-up with broadband and expect I will need significantly more RAM to cope with video streaming and graphics infested web sites. The maximum capacity I’m looking for is what will cope with eg the BBC I-player.

Would I also need to upgrade the processor? My present processor is a Mobile AMD Sempron 2600+ ....1603 MHz

So .. Grateful for advice on how much upgrade I should go for and whether to add it or get a new machine.

Thanks.

Your system seems old so you will have to go with older parts; I too have a DDR system and most games run well enough with 2 gigs. However, your motherboard will determine how much you can get.

You should also start looking for a graohics card compatible with your operating system and motherboard slots; good luck.

Your system seems old so you will have to go with older parts; I too have a DDR system and most games run well enough with 2 gigs. However, your motherboard will determine how much you can get.

You should also start looking for a graohics card compatible with your operating system and motherboard slots; good luck.

Most new computers come with 3-8GB RAM, so I'd suggest upgrading to atleast 2GB RAM. And as Zinus said, try to find a graphics card for it.

If none of it comes out well, then it may be time to get a new computer.

A quick safe way to determine how much RAM your motherboard is designed for is to go to Crucial.com and let them scan your sytem. They will tell you how much memory your motherboard is designed for. The only thing you will need to do is to allow Crucial to load their Active X.

You are just doing basic web browsing and e-mailing and maybe a few documents here and there right?

If so, 1 GB of RAM for Windows XP SP3 will be sufficient, and 2GB RAM for Windows Vista. Your processor is on the low end at this point but for basic tasks it will do just fine.

Many thanks. That's really helpful.

You are welcome.