You don't really need an excessive amount of RAM. I use two systems both with high speed processors running under Windows XP. One has 256K the other 512K of RAM. Aside from the speed difference between the two processors, there is no preceived "kick" from the extra RAM. However a faster CPU will make a noticeable difference. Invest your money in a faster CPU, not in buying more RAM. In my experience, more RAM only benefits the editing process especially if you have complex projects with many tracks and make use of extensive filters, adding volume envelopes, etc.. This assumes you prefer to get as close as possible to "real time" in the preview window. The rendering process in my experience does not benefit from more RAM. In fact my fastest PC is reserved for editing, not rendering because to my thinking the rendering step is automatic and does not need human intervention, I don't care if it takes a little longer to render out a file. I'm busy on the 2nd PC working on the next project. :-)