Which RAM should I buy?

I’ve never been much of a hardware enthusiast, so a few years back, I just handed my money over to a local shop and let them assemble a PC for me.
It feels like my RAM is the bottleneck causing these sluggish performance issues in certain games, so before I go out and drop cash on an upgrade, I figured I’d seek some counsel from people who actually know their way around a motherboard—and this forum seems like the right place for that kind of expertise.
Here is what I'm currently running:

Two random 2GB sticks of RAM

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT 730 4GB DDR3

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.16GHz 3.17GHz

I’m planning to pick up two 4GB sticks; which brands can I actually trust, and what else should I be looking out for when I make the purchase?

That CPU is ancient and weak, plus that GPU is basically just there to output a picture, so I seriously doubt your RAM is the culprit (even if those 2GB are pretty meager)... what kind of games are you even trying to run on that rig?

He mentioned he’s running two 2GB sticks of RAM, so he's got plenty of memory. There's no way that's the bottleneck here.

Honestly, you're probably expecting way too much from that CPU and GPU combo. You could try hunting down a better used graphics card, though let's be real—that processor (guessing it's an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500) isn't exactly a powerhouse by modern standards. Still, it should handle a card that's a notch or two above what he's using now.

Honestly, you’re better off saving up for some higher-end components instead... Adding more RAM will definitely help stop your computer from feeling so sluggish, but don't expect it to be a magic fix for gaming performance—it's more about making everything in Windows feel a bit "smoother" during everyday tasks, you know?

Jeffrey Chavez6 said:He mentioned he’s running two 2GB sticks of RAM, so he's got plenty of memory. There's no way that's the bottleneck here.

Honestly, you're probably expecting way too much from that CPU and GPU combo. You could try hunting down a better used graphics card, though let's be real—that processor (guessing it's an Intel Core 2 Duo E8500) isn't exactly a powerhouse by modern standards. Still, it should handle a card that's a notch or two above what he's using now.

Fair point. I missed the fact that there are two sticks.

And you should definitely check the maximum RAM capacity supported by your motherboard first. I actually ran into that exact issue when I was planning to upgrade my work computer from 4GB to 8GB, only to realize the board maxed out at 4GB.

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to give you all a heads-up—I ran some benchmarks on my rig yesterday and the results were honestly pretty Poor.

DDR4 8GB (1x8) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL17 Crucial, CT8G4DFS824A

Anyway, here's what I'm stuck on. After running a scan with Speccy, this is what shows up:

Type Type Unknown size 8192 MB Dual Channel
Size 8192 MB
Chanels # Single
DRAM Frequency 1200.1 MHz
CAS# Latency (CL) 17 clocks
RAS# to CAS# Delay (tRCD) 17 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 17 clocks
Cycle time (tRAS) 39 clocks
Command Rate (CR) Command rate 2T

So, looking at that DRAM frequency of 1200.1 MHz... is that actually okay?! I was browsing some US forums and saw people saying you have to multiply that number by 2 to get the 2400 MHz speed.
Also, regarding the Command rate 2T—some folks say 1T is better, while others swear by 2T. I'd love to hear what you guys think... Thanks!

You read those foreign forums right—DDR stands for Double Data Rate, where "Double" just means twice as fast.

What do you mean by bad benchmark results?

my bad, I meant RAM result, not results... it almost fell into "Poor"
If benchmark tests can actually be trusted (personally, I do), I'd love to see if anyone with more experience could confirm or debunk this.

Wait, what benchmark are we even talking about here? I guess you shouldn't really sweat the RAM speed all that much anyway.

http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/...M-D3H-CF/46420

Crucial CT8G4DFS824A.C8FBR1 1x8GB
59 User benchmarks - Average bench 40%
1 of 4 slots used
8GB DIMM DDR4 clocked @ 2400 MHz
Performing way below expectations (10th percentile)
35.4% Below average

MC Read 14.5
MC Write 12.6
MC Mixed 9.3
35% 12.1 GB/s

SC Read 9.3
SC Write 9.6
SC Mixed 9.6
27% 9.5 GB/s

Latency 85
47% 85 ns
Poor: 35% ↑
This bench: 35.4%
Great: 45%

Full results here!
http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/3498777

Don't sweat it too much; those kinds of benchmarks are usually pretty useless... just like PassMark, SYSMark, and all that other stuff.

Thanks! So, which benchmark should I run...

Why do you even care about RAM benchmark scores? These synthetic tests don't mean a thing. Your RAM is working just fine, so there's really no reason to stress over it at all.

Larry Ortiz5 said:Honestly, you’re better off saving up for some higher-end components instead... Adding more RAM will definitely help stop your computer from feeling so sluggish, but don't expect it to be a magic fix for gaming performance—it's more about making everything in Windows feel a bit "smoother" during everyday tasks, you know?

I appreciate everyone chiming in, but a special thanks goes out to you.