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Hi. I have 256 MB of DDR ram and a Pentium 4 2.4. Programs seem to run well. Is their that much of a speed increase adding another 256 MB DDR? I also have the Geforce 4 440 MX 8x 64 MB DDR ram video card. Thanks, Craig.

Get 512MB if you multi-task or do video editing,gaming fps won't change though.

Extra memory is the cheapest effective puter upgrade - just go for 512mb !

I have a gig, 512 seemd to load things a tiny bit slower. I also have XP Pro and it needs all the memory it can get.

Cannot compare 256MB with 512MB, with 512MB everything runs as smooth as possible. With 1GB it's even better, that's why I upgraded to 2x512MB modules

I agree; it's really nice to have 512 MB or more. I have 1 GB of RAM in my main computer now, and that really helps with multitasking (which I do frequently) and audio editing.

I agree:
I have 768 MB and 512 MB in my two PCs respectively.
I couldn't be happier with the performance.
Combined with XP, they are solid as a rock - in terms of stability.
No lockups, no BSOD, no performance issues

Considering the prices, you can't go wrong.
I paid about $57 shipped inc tax for 512 MB of Crucial DDR RAM back in January
2003.
I remember buying 32KB for $159 in the early 80s for my first "PC".
That is 48,000 times more expensive!!!!!

Hard drives are the same:
I remember seeing hard drives in Computer Shopper in the early 90s
for about $2,000 / gig or $1,000 for 2 gigs.
Now you can get $180 GB for $99 after rebate, (even better if you got in on a Hot Deal, but I won't use those for comparison purposes).

I heard blank CD-Rs were $70 per disc when they first came out!!!
Talk about expensive coasters...
Now you get 100 CD-Rs for $8 after rebate....

OK, I'll stop now

Got 512 Mushkin 3+ in my rig (TUSL2-c limit )' and 768MB Samsung 266/2100 in my new laptop (64MB shared IGP320m/ATI).

Definitely go for 512, especially if you're running Windows XP. In fact, when using certain applications (Photoshop and In Design, among others) I noticed a performance delta with 1024MB of RAM! However, 512MB is sufficient for most users, and 256MB is the bare minimum; 128MB of RAM is really limiting. The more RAM the merrier, I say!

I'm also like VEFF. I have 768MB DDR in this PC, 1GB in another, and 512MB in still another. Some machines have only 64MB to 256MB each though.

Considering the prices of DDR memory in the US market, I recommend 1GB DDR3200 (maybe 2 x 512MB modules).