readyboost vs additional memory

My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:

My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

The USB thumbdrives are more cost effective. However, I'm not sure about performance. I did plan on buying a flash drive to test this feature but as yet do not have one. If money is an issue buy the thumb drive and give it a whirl. My guess is that actual memory will probably be faster but will cost you about twice as much or even more at higher Gigs.
"Evan Platt" wrote in message

My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

"gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:

Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message

"gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Then, I Say, Microsoft Has Got "Serious" Problems!
...."SERIOUS PROBLEMS"!!!
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:

He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message "gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Why is that? Just about everybody wants a faster OS, 3D GUI, and really nifty searches. That takes more and more resources. Surely this is no surprise.
"The View Master" wrote in message

Then, I Say, Microsoft Has Got "Serious" Problems!
..."SERIOUS PROBLEMS"!!!
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message "gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

I would go with another gig ram, you know it will work well. With the usb drive, there are too many unknowns, will it work well, how much performance will you gain etc etc In my area you can pick up a gig of pc2700 or pc3200 for about $100, not sure how much a 1G flash drive would cost
"Steve Lange" wrote in message

The USB thumbdrives are more cost effective. However, I'm not sure about performance. I did plan on buying a flash drive to test this feature but as yet do not have one. If money is an issue buy the thumb drive and give it a whirl. My guess is that actual memory will probably be faster but will cost you about twice as much or even more at higher Gigs.
"Evan Platt" wrote in message My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Technology Enthusiasts, Hobbyist, Gamers WANT "...a faster OS, 3D GUI..."!
Your Own Research Shows That, The Vast Majority of Users Just WANT To Read Their E-Mail & SEARCH!
U DO NOT NEED a "Hot Rod"/Tricked-Out OS/System To Read Your E-Mail & Search!!!
Re: Vista requires too much hardware say users
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4606/53/

"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:

Why is that? Just about everybody wants a faster OS, 3D GUI, and really nifty searches. That takes more and more resources. Surely this is no surprise.
"The View Master" wrote in message
Then, I Say, Microsoft Has Got "Serious" Problems!
..."SERIOUS PROBLEMS"!!!
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message "gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Memory these days is extremely cheap (getting 1gig of ram cost less than a 100 bucks)..
Apparenly many people havn't dealt with Macs before or they wouldn't think anything of Vista's requirements. Its not unheard of for a Mac owner to have 2+ gig of ram in their machines.
I consider 512min and 1 Gig suggested as an extremely low memory needs considering what we get. I mean for what its worth Windows XP 'in reality' had the same needs once you actually started to use it for more than just browsing the internet or using notepad. ;)
"The View Master" wrote:

Technology Enthusiasts, Hobbyist, Gamers WANT "...a faster OS, 3D GUI..."!
Your Own Research Shows That, The Vast Majority of Users Just WANT To Read Their E-Mail & SEARCH!
U DO NOT NEED a "Hot Rod"/Tricked-Out OS/System To Read Your E-Mail & Search!!!
Re: Vista requires too much hardware say users
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4606/53/

"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
Why is that? Just about everybody wants a faster OS, 3D GUI, and really nifty searches. That takes more and more resources. Surely this is no surprise.
"The View Master" wrote in message
Then, I Say, Microsoft Has Got "Serious" Problems!
..."SERIOUS PROBLEMS"!!!
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message "gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

The View Master wrote:

"gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???

Dead serious! Vista is a pig! A resource hog, esp. if you run all of the visual effects. The public beta certainly seems better than build 5308 was, so at least it is improving and they are moving in the right direction with it.
-- Person who run in front of car get tired. Person who run behind car get exhausted.

try setting the PAGE FILE to SYSTEM MANAGED, might help, 1500 meg is a little restrictive with your memory.

mikeyhsd@sport.rr.com

"Evan Platt" wrote in message My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Then perhaps people should not be using a Hot Rod"/Tricked-Out OS/System" if they do not need it. It's need versus want. I don't need a car capable of top speeds over 150 mph, but I surely want one...
If you relly want to open it up, the average home user needs no more power than I have in my cell phone for computing needs.
Is Microsoft (or Adobe, or Corel for that matter) to blame because people lack common sense? Should they implement a "common sense" test before allowing access to their respective products?
Just my humble opinion, but as mom used to say, "You can't fix stupid."
"The View Master" wrote:

Technology Enthusiasts, Hobbyist, Gamers WANT "...a faster OS, 3D GUI..."!
Your Own Research Shows That, The Vast Majority of Users Just WANT To Read Their E-Mail & SEARCH!
U DO NOT NEED a "Hot Rod"/Tricked-Out OS/System To Read Your E-Mail & Search!!!
Re: Vista requires too much hardware say users
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4606/53/

I don't do research for a company. I am not employed by MS. All of this is going to be pretty moot in half a year. 95% of all installations of Vista will ship preinstalled on new computers anyway, just like XP does today.
"The View Master" wrote in message

Technology Enthusiasts, Hobbyist, Gamers WANT "...a faster OS, 3D GUI..."!
Your Own Research Shows That, The Vast Majority of Users Just WANT To Read Their E-Mail & SEARCH!
U DO NOT NEED a "Hot Rod"/Tricked-Out OS/System To Read Your E-Mail & Search!!!
Re: Vista requires too much hardware say users
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4606/53/

"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
Why is that? Just about everybody wants a faster OS, 3D GUI, and really nifty searches. That takes more and more resources. Surely this is no surprise.
"The View Master" wrote in message
Then, I Say, Microsoft Has Got "Serious" Problems!
..."SERIOUS PROBLEMS"!!!
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message "gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Well, I can get 1GB of RAM for about $100 but I can get a 4GB flash drive for $115. So it's cost vs. performance. Is a 4GB flash drive equal to or greater than 1GB of RAM?
"Bones" wrote in message

I would go with another gig ram, you know it will work well. With the usb drive, there are too many unknowns, will it work well, how much performance will you gain etc etc In my area you can pick up a gig of pc2700 or pc3200 for about $100, not sure how much a 1G flash drive would cost
"Steve Lange" wrote in message The USB thumbdrives are more cost effective. However, I'm not sure about performance. I did plan on buying a flash drive to test this feature but as yet do not have one. If money is an issue buy the thumb drive and give it a whirl. My guess is that actual memory will probably be faster but will cost you about twice as much or even more at higher Gigs.
"Evan Platt" wrote in message My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

RAM count isn't directly comparable. One is on the System bus the other must communicate via USB. Better to add physical RAM.
"Steve Lange" wrote in message

Well, I can get 1GB of RAM for about $100 but I can get a 4GB flash drive for $115. So it's cost vs. performance. Is a 4GB flash drive equal to or greater than 1GB of RAM?
"Bones" wrote in message I would go with another gig ram, you know it will work well. With the usb drive, there are too many unknowns, will it work well, how much performance will you gain etc etc In my area you can pick up a gig of pc2700 or pc3200 for about $100, not sure how much a 1G flash drive would cost
"Steve Lange" wrote in message The USB thumbdrives are more cost effective. However, I'm not sure about performance. I did plan on buying a flash drive to test this feature but as yet do not have one. If money is an issue buy the thumb drive and give it a whirl. My guess is that actual memory will probably be faster but will cost you about twice as much or even more at higher Gigs.
"Evan Platt" wrote in message My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

I bought a Sony Vaio Vault 8GB flash drive last month and it cost me about $170. It still is no competitor to the onboard ram.
"Steve Lange" wrote in message

Well, I can get 1GB of RAM for about $100 but I can get a 4GB flash drive for $115. So it's cost vs. performance. Is a 4GB flash drive equal to or greater than 1GB of RAM?
"Bones" wrote in message I would go with another gig ram, you know it will work well. With the usb drive, there are too many unknowns, will it work well, how much performance will you gain etc etc In my area you can pick up a gig of pc2700 or pc3200 for about $100, not sure how much a 1G flash drive would cost
"Steve Lange" wrote in message The USB thumbdrives are more cost effective. However, I'm not sure about performance. I did plan on buying a flash drive to test this feature but as yet do not have one. If money is an issue buy the thumb drive and give it a whirl. My guess is that actual memory will probably be faster but will cost you about twice as much or even more at higher Gigs.
"Evan Platt" wrote in message My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

Thanks. I guess I'll buy the RAM then.
"Steve Lange" wrote in message

Well, I can get 1GB of RAM for about $100 but I can get a 4GB flash drive for $115. So it's cost vs. performance. Is a 4GB flash drive equal to or greater than 1GB of RAM?
"Bones" wrote in message I would go with another gig ram, you know it will work well. With the usb drive, there are too many unknowns, will it work well, how much performance will you gain etc etc In my area you can pick up a gig of pc2700 or pc3200 for about $100, not sure how much a 1G flash drive would cost
"Steve Lange" wrote in message The USB thumbdrives are more cost effective. However, I'm not sure about performance. I did plan on buying a flash drive to test this feature but as yet do not have one. If money is an issue buy the thumb drive and give it a whirl. My guess is that actual memory will probably be faster but will cost you about twice as much or even more at higher Gigs.
"Evan Platt" wrote in message My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

I'm sure you're happy with Linux. Microsoft is trying to something different with Vista Ultimate. Why would that lead you to be critical of the effort? I imagine that the base version will run with 512MB if that' more appealing to you, but Beta 2 is not that version. That's not too difficult to understand.
On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 02:21:02 -0700, The View Master wrote:

Technology Enthusiasts, Hobbyist, Gamers WANT "...a faster OS, 3D GUI..."!
Your Own Research Shows That, The Vast Majority of Users Just WANT To Read Their E-Mail & SEARCH!
U DO NOT NEED a "Hot Rod"/Tricked-Out OS/System To Read Your E-Mail & Search!!!
Re: Vista requires too much hardware say users
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/4606/53/

"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
Why is that? Just about everybody wants a faster OS, 3D GUI, and really nifty searches. That takes more and more resources. Surely this is no surprise.
"The View Master" wrote in message
Then, I Say, Microsoft Has Got "Serious" Problems!
..."SERIOUS PROBLEMS"!!!
"Colin Barnhorst" wrote:
He's serious.
"The View Master" wrote in message "gautam" wrote: "I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it."
R U "Serious"?
???
"gautam" wrote:
Evan -
I am assuming that you think Ready Boost of 2GB would be like 512mb RAM?
Definitely not.
IF you are looking to spend on upgrading your computer, get RAM for the inside. First off, its internal so you dont need to worry about it. Readyboost is only a prefetch - its not going to help you on most things...its a nitroboost for windows.
I highly reccomend spending to upgrade to 1-2GBs of ram. Vista needs it.
"Evan Platt" wrote:
My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700
Vista runs OK.. I can hear every once in a while what sounds like either a fan kicking on, or a hard drive spinning up for a few seconds. It seems to be when I access 'fresh' data - ie open a file on my hard drive. I don't think it's hard drive, as I can see the file I opened before I hear the whir.
One peeve is swapping. I did set a 1500 meg swap file on my primary drive, but very often, Vista will hang, and I can see the hard drive light going crazy.
I can sometimes alt-tab, but often, once I select the app to switch to, the drive just goes crazy.
So my question is, what's a better investment, 1 gb of memory (I now have 1 gig in 2 512 sticks and 2 slots total on my machine, so I could get 1.5 gigs total, the new 1 gig stick and 512 in the other slot) or say a USB thumbdrive?
I'm looking at a 1 GB stick for about $50 or a 2 gb thumb drive ( http://www.pricewatch.com/h/info.aspx?i=226&z=3516&ro=27&aid=12003991 )
Any tips / suggestions?
Thanks.
Evan -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:06:01 -0700, S8ER wrote:

Memory these days is extremely cheap (getting 1gig of ram cost less than a 100 bucks)..
Apparenly many people havn't dealt with Macs before or they wouldn't think anything of Vista's requirements. Its not unheard of for a Mac owner to have 2+ gig of ram in their machines.
I consider 512min and 1 Gig suggested as an extremely low memory needs considering what we get. I mean for what its worth Windows XP 'in reality' had the same needs once you actually started to use it for more than just browsing the internet or using notepad. ;)

I have a G4 'server' sitting on my desk with 512..
Granted, it's in console mode (shell only) so no GUI.. But even in Aqua mode, it runs fine with 512. -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.

On Tue, 13 Jun 2006 21:43:38 -0700, Evan Platt wrote:

My specs are a Compaq Presario S6000Z desktop, AMD 3000 Athlon, 1 GB memory, DDR 2700

Well just thought I'd follow up... Bought a 1 gig stick today. Put the 1 GB stick and 1 of the 512's in. Boot up - get a beeep (pause) beeeep (pause) etc. Ok... Re-insert sticks, same thing. Ok, maybe 1 GB stick isn't compatible. Insert 2 old memory sticks. Same beeping. WTF? Remove 2 old sticks, reseat. Same beeping. At this point, my BP is about 400 over 300. Take out both sticks. Put in just one. Same beeping. Try in other slot (can't see SLOT 1 /2 label on M/B). Same beeping. About to make my computer the first computer to go 0-60 into the atmosphere. Try other old memory stick - boots up. Ok... So, put in new stick and GOOD 512 stick - my computers happy.
So that's probably why Windoze was freezing up randomly and seeming like it was caching to disk often. :-D -- To reply, remove TheObvious from my e-mail address.