RAM

[DGFone]

4 RAM slots? How many do you need? I have a mobo with only 2 slots. And that's another thing: when you know what you need, you can afford to go minimum. For example, many mobos are over $100. Gaming ones are for $200.

Because I know that I will only use one GPU, and will only really need 8 GB of RAM, I was able to get a good motherboard for 50. The more you save in one section, the more you can spend on another.

[SnowyCheetah]

Mine didn't exceed 90, but we're veering offtopic again lol

[DGFone]

That's the problem with computers - you can't split them up into individual parts. You have to look at the big picture.
You may have asked about RAM, but the proper answer will always have other components mentioned as well.

[SnowyCheetah]

I don't mind you mentioning other components as they relate to the subject matter, but you were getting into motherboard prices and the necessity of various expenditures in the way of motherboards.

[Woeler]

8 is more than enough. I have 8GB on my pc and it works great. 16 would also be an option but 32 is a waste of money.

I have this
Processor:
AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1090T Processor (6 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory:
8192MB RAM
Hard Drive:
1 TB Total
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470

Works great with all games.
Skyrim, FSX, Xplane 10, HAWX, Call of duty, Battlefield 3 etc.

so don't worry 8gb is more than enough

[Regulus]

If we're only going by what you absolutely need, then you're better off going to a generic retail store and buying a cheap basic prebuilt PC. Just add a PCI-e graphics card (but make sure the cheap power supply can handle it), and you're good to go.

Even for most games, you can get moderate frame rates with an $80 dual core and 4GB of ram. That's all you really need.

But if you have the extra money, I'd say you're better off spending an extra $20 on 4 more GB of RAM, than having a CPU that's 200MHz faster, especially when overclocking is possible.

[SnowyCheetah]

The reason I went for the 2600 is because I really don't want to mess with overclocking. And are you suggesting I go to 12GB? I would, except then the dual-channel won't work with anything other than 2 or 4 chips installed.

[DGFone]

For gaming, the best CPU is the Intel i5 2500k. Yes, the i7 2600 looks better by specs, but all the tests show that the i5 is better. And seeing as it's cheaper as well...

And RAM, really, just go with 8GB. With 2 sticks of 4GB each, it's a very easy setup to find and install. It's not 4GB, where you might (keyword being might) get issues, and it's not a weird number like 12 GB where you have to juggle different sticks, proper ports... etc. And you really don't need more than 8 GB.

So go with the 2500k and 8 GB.

[SnowyCheetah]

I'm still going with the i7 2600, mostly because it's better by specs and because gaming isn't the only thing I am after. Don't worry, RAM is the only thing I haven't yet thought through all the way and made a decision on

[Regulus]

I'm not sure what problems you're referring to. In my previous computer, I had two 512MB sticks, and added in two 1GB sticks, for a total of 3GB without any issues.

Just a few days ago, I had two 2GB sticks, and I added in two 4GB sticks to my computer, for a total of 12GB. Once again, no problems. Just make sure the memory sticks are tested to work with your motherboard of choice.