With the requirements of the software we run, I thought I would post this tid bit of information just for reference. Up until now I've been running with 256m ram. I recently bought 1gig (sdram 2-512's). I did all the homework prior to purchase to make sure everything was compatible. Memory comes in the mail, I pop it in, windows starts popping up weird errors. I researched the problem till my eyes bled. Then just to cover all bases I checked the Microsoft knowledge base. BINGO... Windows-98, and Windows-ME do not support 1gig and above. So at this point I'm running with 640m and in the process of clearing out a 40gig drive to load NT or XP. If you're interested in any of the particulars IM me. Oh yeah, this is PC, I'm not savvy with MAC. Hope this helps anyone thinking of an upgrade for a "Self-Xmas Gift". Happy Holidays Everyone ICM

ICM, sometimes it's cheaper just to buy a new computer - might wanna compare prices before you start upgrading. - TJ

Yup I agree. I gradually upgrade as time goes on. Memory was 150.00(US) from Crucial. To do a system wide UG that would make noticable dif would cost 700 to 1500. At present I have: K7 board/w AMD 1700 (1.7 G) which clocks in somewhere around 1400. 640ram soon to be 1G Radeon VE/w 64m video 80 gigs HD space(2 40's) SB pro w/surround I've found if you UG everytime something new comes out 6 months later your system is worth 20% of what you paid, and you could become very broke trying to stay shiny and new. I'm going to spend the near future putting together a small network render farm to boost overall speed. Can't wait till the future when top end will be: Bio-board w/25 ZHZ memory 24 million Jigs of hard drive space VR suit and head set so we can walk around in our Bryce scenes. ;)

IMC, Since we're dreaming, The Enterprise computer would work for me, especially if the starship were still attached. Even so, Byrce renders would still probably be too slow. right now my slow 1.6 P4(Genuine Intel) 512 is getting by but I'm gonna have to get another 80g HD sometime next year amazing how fast this one's filling up. - TJ

I have commented on this issue previously. It usually has to do with a recognized design flaw in VCache which cannot hold enough addresses for RAM in excess of 512 Mb (especially in machines with AGP video cards). Win 98 was designed for 1Gb max but without much consideration for the combo effect of the video cards memory address needs. Microsofts recommended solutions: get rid of the extra RAM, instruct the OS that it is not accessable and/or does not exist or buy XP. If, as we suspect B6 abandons 98 that may be the way to go until WINE/Linux can take over.

Clearing out a drive would not even be necessary. Dont use Xp but both winnt and win2000 can install alongside 98 and you make it dual boot. Id stay away from nt, though i used it for years; IF for some reason you mess up the install, you can potentially lose the 98 as well. For the graphics side, youll never look back to 98 or ME once youve got 2000 or XP. You might have a issue with some very old games but hey, in the end its the graphic programs that win out.

ICM, thank goodness you posted, I was toying with the idea of expanding the pc's memory. I'll concentrate on upgrading to 2000 or XP, although I know it will probably wreck some of my programs. I wish microsoft would stop pretending you can just buy a computer, plug it and be good to go. Nobody I know has ever been able to do that, not even people who just want to play solitare and type letters. Lin

FYI - I am running XP Home Edition, Intel P4 1.4 Ghz, 512 Mb RAM, 40G Hard Drive, 15" LCD flat panel, and it runs great and I have never had a single problem with it. The upgrades I have done since purchase: GeForce4 Ti 4200 128Mb Graphics Card (birthday gift), Sound Blaster Live! sound card. Upgrades I am presently doing (only possible because my present employer refunds half the cost of these items): additional 512 Mb RAM (Christmas gift), External USB 80G Hard Drive, Wacom Intuos2 6x8 USB Graphics Tablet (Christmas gift)and a 15" CRT to take advantage of the nView technology of the GeForce4 card when using Photoshop and Maya. After that, no more. This will have to last me for quite awhile, because I don't plan on spending more money when the technology keeps changing so fast.