Summary: There is no one answer on how much memory you really need for Windows XP, but we'll look at a few things to consider when deciding.
I am thinking of buying a cheap computer system with a 1.8 ghz Intel Celeron processor, 256 MB RAM, and an 80 GB hard drive. This does not come with Windows XP. My main concern is installing Windows XP. If the computer has 256 MB RAM will Windows XP install without using every bit of it, or will it use only a certain amount leaving extra.
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As is so often the case, "it depends". Windows XP will work with as little as 96 megabytes of memory - I know, because I have such a machine.
The real question is will it work well, and that ... depends.
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My 96 Meg machine works 'ok' because I don't ask it to do a lot. It's an older machine running Windows XP Pro that I've dedicated to being a glorified MP3 player, and nothing else.
I wouldn't think of installing Office on it, for example.
But I could.
And therein lies the difficulty in answering your question with absolutes: Windows will happily pretend it has more memory than it really does by using your hard disk as virtual memory. Office would install and run, but it would run very slowly.
The problem is that the more you try to do, the slower Windows becomes as it spends more and more of it's time dealing with virtual memory and less and less time running the application you're attempting to run.
Now 256 Meg is a fine machine that will run most applications without much problem. Office, for example. But I wouldn't expect it to be able to run a lot of applications simultaneously and still remain speedy. So if your demands aren't too high, the answer is certainly, go for it.
I will tell you this, however: if I were to purchase a new machine, which I did recently, I would start with 1 gigabyte of memory and make sure it was expandable to 2. Today 1 gigabyte is plenty of room - probably more room than most people need. But applications grow. Operating systems get bigger. Heck, most people's own usage grows as they discover more and more things to use their PC's for. Making sure that you have lots of memory and the potential for lots more is perhaps the single biggest thing you can do to increase the usable life of your computer.
Similarly, as I've said before, Windows loves memory. It's by far the most cost effective investment to speed up a slow machine.
Article C2303 - March 12, 2005
hi guys i guess ibm pentium 4 would be fine if you wanna buy a good desktop this is one of the best brand iam great fan of ibm.
Posted by: keresztesi zoltan at February 23, 2009 11:02 PMhow much sapce required of installation of window operating syes of 98, xp & win2000
Posted by: asif at May 31, 2009 6:34 AM256 MB is way too little for XP if you want to get anything done. It is the MS MINIMUM after all, and that is the minimum. I had a laptop with 512MB RAM and it spent more time (when running an app) using the PF than anything else. I'd recommend at least 1GB for XP, preferably 2. After all, RAM is so cheap nowadays (about £10 per GB)
Posted by: JH at June 30, 2009 2:38 PMRam is cheap but not for sdram or older types of ram.
Posted by: Neohom at December 11, 2009 11:01 PMMy system looks like this: Dell desktop w/ 1.7 ghz proc., 1.5 TB storage, and 768 MB Ram. Has room for 256 MB more RAM - how much difference do you think that would make? I don't run games but do play music and video files. I'm thinking $30 is cheap to try but would like your opinion. Thx!
Posted by: Phil at December 18, 2009 7:50 AM