RAM - How much?

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

Hello Everyone,

I'll be getting my laptop that I'm bringing with me to college soon, which will come with 2GB of ram. Here are the other specs that the school posts on their website.

College Website wrote:

Intel Core2Duo T7500 (2.2GHz)
15.4" WSXGA+
2GB RAM—2 Dimm
160GB HDD 5400rpm
10/100/1000 Ethernet
ThinkPad a/b/g Wireless
Super MultiBurner Drive
9-Cell Battery
Bluetooth
Vista Business OS
nVidia NB8P-GL 256MB Video
4in1 Media Card Reader
Fingerprint Reader
3-Year Warranty
(Service Center on Campus)

This will hopefully last me all 4 (or more) years I will be there, and it will be my primary computer during this time. The company that makes the laptops sells optional 2GB ram cards that fit the laptop for about $250 per card. Should I try to buy these, or possibly ask for them for Christmas, or will the 2GB that I have be enough for me to do whatever I'll be doing? (I will have to run engineering programs at some point, though I don't know how much system resources will be taken up via this)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Adbot · **Posted:** August 13th, 2007, 4:32 pm

Shane · **Posted:** August 13th, 2007, 4:50 pm

I'd wait and see. Most modern applications don't need more than 2GB of RAM unless you're doing heavy photoshop or video work. See what your engineering applications need then take it from there. For a start 2GB is more than enough.

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

I have been hearing that Vista itself will work best with 4GB + ram, leaving plenty extra for other applications. To me, an operating system using that much RAM is a bit excessive, but I think I heard it on a TWiT podcast :roll:

I'll have the laptop for 4+ years, so I may end up upgrading it as I go along.

Chief Snake · **Posted:** August 13th, 2007, 6:28 pm

That's a very powerful laptop, I'd say it would last you that long quite easily... Although it is Vista. They may bring out something to drain the resources even more in that time. Right now, 2GB will be perfectly fine.

jrdgames · **Posted:** August 13th, 2007, 6:47 pm

2GB is plenty enough for vista to run, I was working on a vista laptop today and it ran perfectly fine with 2GB. Besides that, Crucial may have the same ram for less.

Mikhail · **Posted:** August 13th, 2007, 6:51 pm

Downgrade it to XP and you'll be fine. but 2gb is enough for vista to run on. Its one of the IBM thinkpad series right.I've found them reliable.

Adbot · **Posted:** August 13th, 2007, 6:51 pm

MattVortex · **Posted:** August 14th, 2007, 3:16 am

I do some pretty huge Photoshop work (images of 6000x1500 pixels or more) and 2GB is plenty for me. I'm only using about half of mine at the moment, and I have iTunes, Opera, Adium, Skype, Mail, Vienna, iCal, iGTD, iBackup, Dreamwaver, Acrobat Pro and various widgets running.

Even doing engineering and stuff, 2GB will be just fine for you, probably.

Pfkninenines · Global Moderator 12/4/08

The Beatles wrote:

Downgrade it to XP and you'll be fine. but 2gb is enough for vista to run on. Its one of the IBM thinkpad series right.I've found them reliable.

It is an IBM thinkpad, though the exact model name is unique...I can't find it anywhere except in someone's mention of their computer model's name :roll:

The exact thinkpad model is a ThinkPad T61p.

I probably won't go back to XP due to possible constraints with network/programs at the school, but since they DO offer an XP package on a lower model, it is still an alternative I could probably move to.

Christopher · **Posted:** August 14th, 2007, 9:29 am

pfkninenines wrote:

The Beatles wrote:

Downgrade it to XP and you'll be fine. but 2gb is enough for vista to run on. Its one of the IBM thinkpad series right.I've found them reliable.

It is an IBM thinkpad, though the exact model name is unique...I can't find it anywhere except in someone's mention of their computer model's name :roll:

The exact thinkpad model is a ThinkPad T61p.

I probably won't go back to XP due to possible constraints with network/programs at the school, but since they DO offer an XP package on a lower model, it is still an alternative I could probably move to.

I was running the full version of AutoCad 2006 with 1gb of ram and a 2.66 ghz processor...ya those values are often overstated. With 2gb of ram and vista I think you will be fine. I would stick with vista is it is likely you will need the compatibility for the programs to run. The key here is to get in the computer and shut down some of the options that Vista comes standard with. It doesn't have to consumer so much RAM all the time and if you are going to have other heavy programs running you should probably go out on the internet a little and get cozy with the workings of vista. But 2gb...that will be fine.