After running all these benchmarks and test results, we feel that we can come up with a safe conclusion regarding the performance benefits of increased memory in modern, resource-hungry PC games.

Generally, upgrading your system from 2x1GB to 2x2GB will significantly increase the minimum frame rate at 3D person shooter games like Crysis, under both Windows Vista x32 and x64 OS. A 64bit system may also give you a slightly higher performance in terms of average FPS, but still this will be lower than your expectations.

Summarizing our findings with Crysis, Far Cry 2 and Company of Heroes game titles we say:

Windows Vista x32

• Adding 4GB of memory did not affect minimum or average FPS on Company of Heroes, Far Cry 2 games
• 4GB of memory significantly increase the minimum FPS of Crysis especially under Gamer and Mainstream quality settings when the 1280x1024 and 1980x 1200 resolution are selected
• 4GB of memory also increases the average FPS @ Mainstream quality settings under 1680 x 1050
• 4GB of memory will only offer you 1~2 additional FPS

Windows Vista x64

• Adding 4GB of memory did not affect minimum or average FPS on Company of Heroes, Far Cry 2 games
• Adding 4GB of memory significantly boosts performance (minimum FPS) of Crysis under the Gamer and Enthusiast quality settings, especially as resolutions getting higher
• Adding 4GB of memory has no impact on the average FPS of of Crysis
• Adding 8GB of memory has no impact on the average FPS of any game we tested

The latest game titles are optimized for 1 or 2x1GB memory setups. Of course, 64bit operating systems like Vista 64bit will be benefited from the increased memory, especially in the upcoming games. Using 4GB of system memory allows your PC’s other components perform better by reducing the need to access data from the page file stored on the hard disk drive, which is typically the slowest component in a PC.

What we did not test today is how the increased memory affects the multi-tasking on a PC as well as the game loading times; some secondary benefits of the increased memory setups.The more memory you add, the better the minimum frame/second becomes. You shouldn't expect miracle at least with the current motherboard/processor designs and of course, games.