Thanks for the Memory.

Lum

If the video conversion software you are using is 32bit (most of it is) then going from 6 -> 8GB probably isn't going to help. Most 32bit software can only make use of 2GB RAM. Some specially written software can use 4GB if the developer went to the effort of making it Large Address Aware.

As for which speed of memory to get, if you are adding this alongside your existing memory then you're only going to get the speed of the slowest stick. CPU-Z can tell you what your current memory is (check the SPD tab) and you'd be best to match that, both in terms of speed and timings.

Video encoding generally hammers the CPU and hard disk. You already have a nice CPU, so an SSD would be the way to go now.

If you do upgrade the RAM, check if you have a system that uses dual channel or triple channel RAM, if so you need to install matched pairs into each bank for best performance.

It's also worth noting that that CPU has Quick Sync video encoding, which may be of use to you.

50Twuncle

Lum wrote: »

If the video conversion software you are using is 32bit (most of it is) then going from 6 -> 8GB probably isn't going to help. Most 32bit software can only make use of 2GB RAM. Some specially written software can use 4GB if the developer went to the effort of making it Large Address Aware.

As for which speed of memory to get, if you are adding this alongside your existing memory then you're only going to get the speed of the slowest stick. CPU-Z can tell you what your current memory is (check the SPD tab) and you'd be best to match that, both in terms of speed and timings.

Video encoding generally hammers the CPU and hard disk. You already have a nice CPU, so an SSD would be the way to go now.

If you do upgrade the RAM, check if you have a system that uses dual channel or triple channel RAM, if so you need to install matched pairs into each bank for best performance.

It's also worth noting that that CPU has Quick Sync video encoding, which may be of use to you.

Thanks - Crucial memory configurator came up with http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=D09A89FDA5CA7304 - which, supposedly matches my existing memory.

Lum

I forgot to add, there is one exception to my saying you should match speeds. If you plan to replace the other stick of memory later (to bring you up to 16GB) then go for the faster memory. It will run below its rated speed to begin with but once the other one is in they will both run at the higher speed.

Likewise if the price for the faster memory is the same (as it often is) then go for the faster.

Edit: Here's an 8gb 12800 stick for only 20p more: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-corsair-ddr3-desktop-pc3-12800-%281600%29-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-11-11-11-30-15v

50Twuncle

Lum wrote: »

I forgot to add, there is one exception to my saying you should match speeds. If you plan to replace the other stick of memory later (to bring you up to 16GB) then go for the faster memory. It will run below its rated speed to begin with but once the other one is in they will both run at the higher speed.

Likewise if the price for the faster memory is the same (as it often is) then go for the faster.

Edit: Here's an 8gb 12800 stick for only 20p more: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-corsair-ddr3-desktop-pc3-12800-%281600%29-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-11-11-11-30-15v

That same stick (12800) is available from crucial at the same price as the slower 10060 stick - £44.99
Wonder why crucial recommended the slower to me ?

What ever - memory is S0OOOoooo cheap nowadays - I used to pay £20 for 8Mb and here we are talking about 1000 times as much for only double the cost !!

Lum

Ahh, here's why. Looks like the H61 chipset can't make use of it

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/mainstream-chipsets/h61-express-chipset.html

That's actually quite annoying as your CPU can make use of it.

In that case I'd go for whichever one has the lower timings, which looks like the one you linked, but hard to tell since the Crucial site doesn't give the full info on that.

50Twuncle

Lum wrote: »

Ahh, here's why. Looks like the H61 chipset can't make use of it

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/mainstream-chipsets/h61-express-chipset.html

That's actually quite annoying as your CPU can make use of it.

In that case I'd go for whichever one has the lower timings, which looks like the one you linked, but hard to tell since the Crucial site doesn't give the full info on that.

Thanks for that - could have saved me from making an expensive mistake !

Lum

21Twinkle wrote: »

Thanks for that - could have saved me from making an expensive mistake !

Wouldn't have been a huge problem. The memory will just run at the lower speed. May even be possible to persuade the chipset to run at the higher speed, but that's a much more involved topic for another forum, and Medion probably don't add any features to let you do that anyway.

50Twuncle

Lum wrote: »

Wouldn't have been a huge problem. The memory will just run at the lower speed. May even be possible to persuade the chipset to run at the higher speed, but that's a much more involved topic for another forum, and Medion probably don't add any features to let you do that anyway.

Next question - SSD's - what size should I get ?
60Gb appears plenty for the OS and a few programs (data to be saved to normal 1.5Tb hdd) - but the cost of a 120Gb is so little more (eg http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/components-upgrades/internal-hard-drives/solid-state-drives/samsung-840-mz-7td120bw-2-5-sata-iii-ssd-120-gb-19719652-pdt.html) - that this appears to be the way to go...... ???

50Twuncle

Also - what about http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/components-upgrades/memory/desktop-memory-dimm/integral-pc3-10600-ddr3-pc-memory-8gb-dimm-ram-19713392-pdt.html - would I REALLY notice the difference between Corsair and integral memory ?

Lum

21Twinkle wrote: »

Next question - SSD's - what size should I get ?
60Gb appears plenty for the OS and a few programs (data to be saved to normal 1.5Tb hdd) - but the cost of a 120Gb is so little more (eg http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/components-upgrades/internal-hard-drives/solid-state-drives/samsung-840-mz-7td120bw-2-5-sata-iii-ssd-120-gb-19719652-pdt.html) - that this appears to be the way to go...... ???

60GB is about the absolute bare minimum for Windows 7 and will eventually give you a frustrating experience of trying to free up disk space or bodging it by using symlinks to relocate less important parts of Windows onto the mechanical disk. My GF has recently run into this problem with her 80GB SSD.

You certainly wont be putting your video files on that 60GB SSD but that's ok as that process is CPU bound anyway!

It's also worth noting that the larger size SSDs are faster as they have more memory chips and your data is scattered evenly between them ready to be read from all chips at once and reassembled.

Honestly I'd make a separate thread for your SSD questions.

Edit: Despite the URL, the first post in this thread has some really good advice.

21Twinkle wrote: »

Also - what about http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/components-upgrades/memory/desktop-memory-dimm/integral-pc3-10600-ddr3-pc-memory-8gb-dimm-ram-19713392-pdt.html - would I REALLY notice the difference between Corsair and integral memory ?

That one doesn't state what the memory timings are which is annoying, but it is possible that the no-name stuff uses lower quality chips. There's only about 5 or so companies in the world that actually make memory chips and they tend to hoard the top performing stuff for their own brands (Corsair and Crucial are both owned by Micron, with Corsair generally getting the better stuff)