DDR3 in budget build?

[Ditto1958]

Do you think it's time for DDR3 memory in budget systems yet?

I have an Antec Sonata III that I will be using for a system. I am trying to keep the rest of what goes in it under $500.

People are recommending that I get a motherboard that uses DDR3. Why? Because of upgradeability. DDR2 will soon get more expensive and then disappear.

I can get a nice motherboard/cpu/ddr2 memory setup for a lot cheaper than one running DDR3, though. This combo with a Gibabyte board and an AMD Kuma can be had right now for $135 with a $10 MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211621

A 2x2gb DDR3 kit for Corsair is $47 with free shipping: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

Meanwhile, a similar setup with a Gibabyte board, but DDR3 is more.

Motherboard $80: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

CPU $100: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680

Memory $62: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148262

So, I would be saving about $50 by going with DDR2. I could spend that on another 4 gigs of RAM, though, and then not have to worry about upgrading that any time soon.

Is it worth it to spend the $50 on the DDR3 setup?

[The Wise Monkey]

Spend the extra $50 on the DDR3 setup - I doubt you will even use 4GB of RAM, let alone 8. :)

[Ditto1958]

I guess that's the question, how much RAM is needed these days? When XP first came out, lots of machines were made that had 256mb. That was a little on the short side, but certainly not unacceptable. I had a couple of those that I upgradd to 512mb. Most folks who still have XP machines now have at least 1gb in them. Dont' know if they really need it, but they have it.

Lots of Vista machines in the beginning shipped with 1gb in them, but that turned out to not work very well at all, so most folks had to upgrade to 2gb.

Now people are building their Vista and 7 machines with 4gb. As you say, it's probably not really needed, but what about a couple of years from now? Will people be saying that if you don't have 8 or 16gb your system will simply grind to a halt?

P.S. I think I'm going to go with the DDR3.

[The Wise Monkey]

I don't think that OS RAM usage is going to rise that much in the near future, as motherboards are still limited as to how much RAM will fit in them.

Anyhoo, if you buy 2x2GB of DDR3 now, then you can always buy more later if you need it, whereas DDR2 is on the way out and if you need the extra RAM in 2-3 years time, it might be difficult to get hold of.

[RickyTick]

After a little research, I think the Budget Build can upgrade to DDR3 and stay around that $500 mark. I'll try to update it over the next day or so.
Thanks :)