DDR2 is not Dual Channel. DDR2 refers to the way the memory data is transferred (electrically), and Dual Channel means there are TWO physical memory controllers (most PCs only have one) operating in tandem (simultaneously), each carrying "half the load". This allows faster throughput at a given memory bus frequency. There are other technologies that speed up memory access/transfer, too.
memory leak?? how did that happen!!
PS. whats a memory leak?!?!
A memory leak occurs when a programmer fails to properly account for using and releasing RAM during program operation. This is a hallmark of poorly programmed code and/or badly (inadequately) tested code. Patch 1.3, unfortunately, has memory leaks. And Patch 1.3 was improperly tested before release (as far as I have seen commented from the developers, patch 1.3 was only tested "in-house", then unleased upon the RTW gaming world).
At any rate, in the programming and software project management world, this is a major screw-up.
How did this happen? Likely this way (speculation, based on my experience in software development): "They" programmed the game, in-house users who were (or had become) very familiar (and bored) with gameplay, "tested" the specific errors fixed and refixed in the development cycle, and eventually, time "constraints" caused the "testers" (not typical users anymore) to play for short periods, on top-flight test machines (e.g., fast CPUs and 512MB or more of RAM, with little or no "typical" real-world user applications (and the attendant codecs, drivers, DLLs, registry entries, etc.) installed.... and guess what? They never noticed things like Scipii and Brutii AI defects, or the absurd memory leaks. The memory leaks manifest themselves over a long continious play period. The more RAM, the longer it takes to "notice." So a "quick" 30 or 45 minute "playtest" of the latest "fix" will not reveal it.
In effect, the public who bought the BI or whom use the 1.3 patch (e.g., me) *are* the playtesters, and "we" are doing the job that the retail price of the game pays "them" to do.
Hopefully, "they" will announce the 1.4 patch development, and create it using modern methods (e.g., meeting the needs of users, testing with users!) of software test, such as taught at universities like Stanford in America and KTH in Sweden today. What we got in the 1.3 patch was, in essence, a "beta" or "pre-beta" version, *not* an acceptable final release software product.
The bottom line is that with the 1.3 patch and 1GB of RAM & all other applications on your XP machine closed (nothing running in the background), you should close RTW and reboot XP about every 6 hours, as a rough rule. If you don't, nothing catastophic is likely, but you will, over time, notice growth of your swapfile and a slowdown, eventually impeding or even paralyzing your system.
Hope this explanation didn't get too technical, but you can do several things to minimize (but you cannot cure) the effect of the memory leak issue in Patch 1.3:
1. Ensure you have (or can grow) a large swapfile.
2. Have a lot of RAM (your 1GB is good).
3. Close all unnecessary background services and programs while playing RTW.
4. Pagefile (called swapfile in Win9x):
4.a. Keep your pagefile drive defragmented
4.b. Put your pagefile on its OWN, exclusive partition
4.c. Put your pagefile on a separate physical drive (in first 1/3 of drive).
Oh, maybe you can write to Acitvision, Sega, and The Creative Assembly and tell them if you pay for a retail product, you expect it to be fully *user* tested and debugged! And get working on Patch 1.4 as soon as possible.
BTW, Patch 1.2 has no leaks that I know of.