# Want to use all memory slots - can/should I?



## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

I built this system (configuration below) in Nov 2009 with the help of wrehch97 and others on this forum. It's been running great - I have not done any overclocking. However I "only" have 4GB of memory and just booting up I'm running at 52% usage. And running my normal applications I'm up at 70% to 85% usage. I think when I get up at that level I'm doing some swapping. I was thinking of getting another 4 GB of the same memory and fill the other two memory slots. BUT - one of the things wrehch97 said when he was helping me with this build - is making me wonder if I should.
He said:
11-27-2009, 08:29 AM: _Motherboards don't always like having all the slots full, with the memory controller moved to the CPU on the i5/i7 systems the jury is still out on the effect however bumping voltages as we did in the past does not have the same effect now as it once did_.

So the question is - would it be OK to add 2 more GB of memory and fill the slots?

Thanks... Dave


All equipment purchased around the end of November 2009

Case	
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 

Motherboard
ASUS P7P55D EVO LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail 

CPU
Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail 

Memory
G.SKILL Trident 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBTD - Retail 

Video Card
EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail 

Power Supply
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail 

Disk Drives
(3) Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive (All have 1 partition each) System drive and 2 data drives 

DVD Burner
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM 

Monitor
ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

O/S
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium – 64 bit


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

more than 4g would be a waste win 32x will not see it

your ram is doing fine


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## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

O/S
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium – 64 bit


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

If the computer was running good and the performance degraded over time, slapping in more memory will not really help.

Sounds like the system has gotten cluttered over time and just needs windows cleaned out. 

Also open up the case if you haven't already and make sure all the fans and heatsinks are clean and all the fans are working properly.

Some people even opt for backing up all their important files and just reinstalling windows fresh.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

If you are not doing very serious graphics or data work your 4GB is more than sufficient.


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## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

KD5EEJ350 said:


> Sounds like the system has gotten cluttered over time and just needs windows cleaned out.
> 
> Also open up the case if you haven't already and make sure all the fans and heatsinks are clean and all the fans are working properly.
> 
> Some people even opt for backing up all their important files and just reinstalling windows fresh.


I assume by 'cluttered' you mean things that start-up automatically (since just having lots of data on a storage disk would bot take system memory - just disk space - right? I do check my start-up programs to make sure I'm not running anything I don't need.

Yes, I have cleaned out the inside of the case a few times - it does get pretty dusty in there.

I've been careful with what I install on this machine so I don't feel a re-install is needed.


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## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

Tyree said:


> If you are not doing very serious graphics or data work your 4GB is more than sufficient.


Actually I am doing some serious graphics. It's mostly my business machine, Outlook, Quicken, QuickBooks, Firefox, Word, Excel (all of which are generally be open at the same time). But then as needed I could be editing video on this machine, editing a big Photoshop file, or doing some web design with Dreamweaver / Bridge / Adobe Media Encoder (all CS5).

So aside from the cost, is there any downside in installing the additional memory? Could it somehow negatively effect the system hardware or performance?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Filling all the RAM can cause Voltage problems but that is not so common on newer Mobo's. If you feel you need the 8GB I would go with the two matched pairs of the 2X2GB.


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

Cluttered does not only mean things on startup, but over time you will accumulate system services, installs/uninstalls etc will clutter the registry and cause each and every function to require a fraction more cpu/memory all these things can compound into a serious performance loss.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

To get back on track- Your original post says you are using 52% of your RAM and you inquired about adding 4 more GB. Having established you're doing work that requires more RAM then I would suggest adding another 2X2GB pair. Preferably identical to the 2X2GB pair you are currently using.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The good news is the price of the ram has really come down form what it was when you built it > Newegg.com - G.SKILL Trident 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBTD

I'm a little concerned your using more then 2gig just after start up without any open programs?

Mine in that state is using less then 1gig.


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

Tyree said:


> To get back on track- Your original post says you are using 52% of your RAM and you inquired about adding 4 more GB. Having established you're doing work that requires more RAM then I would suggest adding another 2X2GB pair. Preferably identical to the 2X2GB pair you are currently using.


"Back on track" as in not addressing the actual problem but a quick fix?

If his PC is gobbling up ram that it previously didn't before then the problem at hand is not necessarily "how much ram he has". But thanks for implying that I was taking the issue off track, my bad.

@OP go ahead and spent a few hundred $ on ram, that will fix all the problems you will ever have with your PC.


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## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

Actually it's been like this from the start - it has not appreciably changed.
The memory was more expensive in 2009 but now it's only $60
Thanks.


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

nhvideoguy said:


> Actually it's been like this from the start - it has not appreciably changed.
> The memory was more expensive in 2009 but now it's only $60
> Thanks.


Booting up and using 52% right out of the gate would indicate something else going on, in my opinion.

I am on a fairly junky PC with 2GB ram watching a 1080p movie with all my normal apps open including photoshop CS5 in the background since I was using it a couple hours ago and never closed it.

System Up Time: 6 Days, 2 Hours, 57 Minutes, 55 Seconds

And my memory usage is 25%.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Lets see a screen shot of the performance tab in task manager.


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## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

I was about to - but even after looking at help, I can't figure out how to post a 'photo'. Looks like I can provide a link to a photo - what is the easiest place to upload it to. Is there a standard place everyone uses?
Thanks.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Click on the Go Advanced button below the message box ↓
On the advanced page at the top of the message box is a button with a paperclip on it click that to open the upload window browse to select the 2 image files click up load once selected and then close the dialog box, that will post them as a attachment.


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## nhvideoguy (Jan 15, 2008)

wrench97 said:


> Click on the Go Advanced button below the message box ↓
> On the advanced page at the top of the message box is a button with a paperclip on it click that to open the upload window browse to select the 2 image files click up load once selected and then close the dialog box, that will post them as a attachment.


Strange, I did see a 'Go Advanced' button before - but didn't see it today. I did see a 'manage attachments' that worked for me however.

You should see two attachments, one just after boot-up and one after running programs typical for my day. Not that there are times I don't have more or fewer programs running than this. I included the icons of the running programs...

Thanks for the help...


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

A lot of that usage is from Windows "Prefetch" Win7(And Vista) will retain or load commonly used programs into unused memory to allow them to load faster, if the ram is actually needed Windows will free it up for use, the more ram you install the more windows will use for prefetch. 
Adding additional ram will speed up the opening of programs when you have a few open already and will also speed up large image file manipulation.


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## KD5EEJ350 (Apr 19, 2011)

Looks like you already have a ton of programs loaded at the bottom so 73% usage isn't that out of the ordinary, also 91 processes? Is that like the worse case scenario or do you usually have all that stuff running in the background?


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