Processor speed versus memory
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From: Sara on 16 Feb 2010 11:19 A colleague is buying a new machine mainly to be used for gaming (I shall not sully your eyes with his choice, but it's from Aldi) and said the following: "I'm working on the assumption that fast DDR3 memory is marginally more important than a slightly faster processor with slower DDR2 memory" I've no idea - is that true or is it bollocks? -- Sara Wishing the weather would cheer up
From: Jaimie Vandenbergh on 16 Feb 2010 13:42 On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:19:26 +0000, Sara <saramerriman(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > >A colleague is buying a new machine mainly to be used for gaming (I >shall not sully your eyes with his choice, but it's from Aldi) and said >the following: > >"I'm working on the assumption that fast DDR3 memory is marginally more >important than a slightly faster processor with slower DDR2 memory" > >I've no idea - is that true or is it bollocks? It depends on what you're doing. Larger data sets (eg Photoshopping large images) = fast access to memory is probably better. Small data operations (video/audio encoding) = faster CPU is probably better. But there's little enough in it that really it doesn't matter. More memory is *far* more useful than faster versions of either CPU or RAM, IMO. Cheers - Jaimie -- Real Daleks don't climb the stairs - real Daleks level the building.
From: James Jolley on 16 Feb 2010 14:57 On 2010-02-16 18:42:31 +0000, Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie(a)sometimes.sessile.org> said: > On Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:19:26 +0000, Sara > <saramerriman(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > >> >> A colleague is buying a new machine mainly to be used for gaming (I >> shall not sully your eyes with his choice, but it's from Aldi) and said >> the following: >> >> "I'm working on the assumption that fast DDR3 memory is marginally more >> important than a slightly faster processor with slower DDR2 memory" >> >> I've no idea - is that true or is it bollocks? > > It depends on what you're doing. Larger data sets (eg Photoshopping > large images) = fast access to memory is probably better. Small data > operations (video/audio encoding) = faster CPU is probably better. > > But there's little enough in it that really it doesn't matter. More > memory is *far* more useful than faster versions of either CPU or RAM, > IMO. > > Cheers - Jaimie I have to agree with this. I can say that when I was using windows, I always had 2GB or so RAM installed in any machine. The screen readers would take a fair amount up, the software TTS especially. Best -James-
From: Rowland McDonnell on 16 Feb 2010 21:19 Sara <saramerriman(a)blueyonder.co.uk> wrote: > A colleague is buying a new machine mainly to be used for gaming (I > shall not sully your eyes with his choice, but it's from Aldi) and said > the following: > > "I'm working on the assumption that fast DDR3 memory is marginally more > important than a slightly faster processor with slower DDR2 memory" > > I've no idea - is that true or is it bollocks? There are too many variables. It all depends on the particular application. If I were wanting to find out the details, I'd read the gaming Websites because their readers know from practical experience. I'm inclined to the idea that since video games have always used the most efficient processing methods and all the short-cuts that the programmers can think of, that the CPU load will be `lower than average per word of code'. (think: integer not floating point, etc) Which idea - if true - would back up the idea that faster memory is better than the most whizzy CPU available. (btw, the fact that the PPCs were super at floating point and vector work but not so hot at integer is why the dark side thought that Macs were slow in those days, and also why it took so long for Apple to replace the G5: until the Mac Pros came out, a CPU better than the G5 wasn't really available, not for the floating point and vector jobs that are so important in video editing and so on.) Rowland. -- Remove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell(a)dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking
From: Arthur on 17 Feb 2010 05:58
On 16/02/2010 16:19, Sara wrote: > A colleague is buying a new machine mainly to be used for gaming (I > shall not sully your eyes with his choice, but it's from Aldi) and said > the following: > > "I'm working on the assumption that fast DDR3 memory is marginally more > important than a slightly faster processor with slower DDR2 memory" > > I've no idea - is that true or is it bollocks? For gaming I'd expect the graphics chip to be more important than either. Arthur |