Video Card and RAM

[Computer Dude]

Hi All,

I'm about to purchase a new laptop but before I did, I wanted to ask a few questions:

1. I will be running Windows Vista Home Premium. Would it be worth spending an extra $120 to upgrade from 3GB to 4GB of RAM? I've heard 4GB isn't even recognized in Vista Home Premium because it's built on 32bit architecture and you need 64bit to recognize 4GB of RAM? Is this true? And would this mean the upgrade is completely pointless?

2. What is a really good video card review website? Somewhere you can compare side-by-side the specs on the cards? At the moment I'm looking at the nVidia 8600M GT card. But my friend, for instance, has a Radeon 2600 HD and I wanted to know which card would perform better. Obviously, I'd like to compare other cards as well and this is why I wanted to know of a website that did that.

Any help will be appreciated greatly!

Cheers all!

[fdjc4]

I think the nVidia's have better power management under battery power.

More RAM is good but 3gb should do ok for Vista like, good CPU, decent GFX card and that amount of RAM will definielty help running the resource hogger Vista.

At the 4GB thing, I tihnk your right but I am not 100% sure, somebody with more knowledge and experience with Vista will aid you I am sure

[limpkorn]

If you run the 32bit version it will only recognize 3.5Gb so I think it would be a waste. Now there is a work around for vista to recognize over 3.5Gb of ram, but I don't know that it will use it.