How much memory ?

There was a time I was working on a very complex modeling task in SolidWorks and my 1 GB system became very slow. Every step would take a full minute to complete. In an attempt to improve performance, I added a second GB bringing my total memory to 2 GB. The result was a pronounced increase in performance for the task that was slowing down my machine. I suspect that for most of the work I do 2 GB is overkill, but its very helpful for those particularly demanding tasks.

When I ordered a new machine, I ordered it with 2 GB. For an additional cost of $72 adding the second GB is probably a good idea for you unless all of your work is fairly simple.

My experience is to stuff the machine with as much memory as you can afford. That way it is there when it is needed. While the machine may be used mainly as a CAD workstation, you will find that the saying "nature abhors a vacuum" is true. While you don't currently bog it down, chances are you will begin to bog it down.

Thank you both. I decided to get it and will advise if there is any improvement.

I have two points:

1. Make sure you read the motherboard's manual. Many of the higher performance mobo's require at least the same make and model of ram to work correctly. Some require matched sets.

1. Run some benchmarks on your system before and after. You do this to make sure the ram made a difference and also to make sure the ram works well with the system. You can find some good benchmarks at
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   Set up your 3GB switch and pay particular attention to the results of Patbench at 12 iterations.

And I would be very interested in your results for STAR2.1 and Ship in a Bottle. Be sure to follwo directions.