is 12GB RAM overkill?

Friends, I am a hardcore power user. Usually I open about 20 or above windows together. Some of them are high memory application like Photoshop, sonyvegas, etc. Sometimes my Firefox window has 50 plus tab opened. I need to close all these while playing games. It will be very good for me is I had a RAM of such capacity which can load all the things together. My task manager shows 3.71gb of memory in use on normal use.

I am planning to upgrade the PC with a core i7 930. I am looking for a RAM of 6-8gbs which is very close to 12 GB. I would like to know that is 12 GB RAM overkills. Waiting for your suggestion. Thank you.

I think its a good idea to increase your RAM. This will definitely improve your computer's performance and it can load more applications together. But I will suggest you not to directly on 12 GB. You should start with 6 GB and see the result. If you found that it improves the performance to some extends and you need to increase it more then you can go for 9 and then 12. RAM is pretty expensive now so it comes down to money.

Now a days more of 64 bit games are releasing and it is better option to go for 12 GB. Normally I use above 50% of the system RAM. But when I perform multitasking like doing other things and playing games it goes to 65 %. So I think in your case 8 GB will be sufficient for you. There is very little difference between dual and triple channel. I bought 12 GB only because 6 GB kit was for $80 and I wanted to experiment with multiple VM's for work.

Hey I am agree with Amd Athlon. He is right that you should buy 6 GB first and use it. After that if you feel that you it is not enough for you and you want more then you can buy one more 6 GB RAM. By the time you buy the other one, price will be also be cheaper.

I am having 12 GB RAM but it is none of use. I have never seen more than 4.5 GB of RAM in use. It is just a waste of money and memory. I have given my suggestion bun at last the choice is your's.

You can go for 12 GB RAM and will not overkill. If you have money for it and the most important that you need it then you an buy it. If you are a averag gamer then 4 to 6 GB will be fine for you and if you are the user of the type who use rendering, photoshop, and etc along with the game then you should buy a 12 GB of RAM. If you plug 12 GB RAM then it will not going to harm your computer. In future if your RAM use increases then you don't have to change the RAM.

If you are doing video editing and the videos are too long and consumes more space than 12 GB of REM will be good for you. I am not using 12 BG of Ram because I don’t need it. I have a 6 BG of RAM and on the normal use of the PC when I see the RAM uses then it hardly show me over 50 % of use. I just bought it because the price was quite good at that time around $110. The same kit of mine is now selling for $160 - $170. So the demand for it going higher.

Yes, 12 GB RAM overkills but it is only for games. Now a day’s games which I play takes 500 MB to 3.5 BG of RAM. I have 6 GB of Ram assembled in the computer. If you are using photo and video editing software then it will be good for you to have RAM memory more than needed because file size of the video that you will upload to these software is not fixed. Therefore my suggestion to you is to have 12 GB of RAM without any fear.