RAM recommendations.. need advice

[SterlingErnie]

Hello everyone,

Since there has always been alot of expertise floating around, I did have a simple question on recommending what I should do for a Ram upgrade.

I currently have a 1 g stick of Kingston V RAM and was wondering if I should:

-just get any 1 g module that is DDR400 (or do I have to....)
-match it up with another identical stick for timing etc,
-or sell the module, and just buy a 2 gig dual channel kit from someone

Should I get two kits of 2 x 512 or 2 x 1 gig modules?

Cheers
SE

[buffet boy]

to be clear, it depends on what your current motherboard/cpu set is.

if you have a dual channel motherboard with a cpu that can benefit from dual channel (i.e. single stick ram speed = 1/2 system bus speed) then going dual channel will yield real benefits. For example, 2 x DDR400 ~ 800Mhz, filling the bus speeds of current Hyperthreading P4 cpu's.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily need identical sticks to run dual channel memory, however you're likely to have a more stable system if you do. I've run pairs of non-identical memory in an intel board and the board will allow dual channel mode, but at DDR333, not the DDR400 speeds the dimms were rated at.


post what cpu/mobo combination you have, then good advice will flood in :)

[SterlingErnie]

Thanks Buffet.

I'm have been trying to decide what to do and I appreciate the input. I currently have a Athlon 64 3700+ on an ASUS A8V SLI Premium with one gig stick of Kingston PC3200 Value Ram.

Does anyone else have a similar setup that can recommend a ram upgrade?

I appreciate any input and thanks!

[llbeanburrito]

With Kingston the actual DRAM chips that they use change over time. There is no assurance you would get an identical module if you were to purchase another one now. (You could try though)

I guess it depends how much of a hassle you want to go through, what you want to spend, and if you are an overclocker.

Personally I would sell or use the module in another system and buy a set of matched 1GB modules. (They don't have to be a dual channel kit, you can just buy two modules from the same production run). Try and get memory with lower timing settings but don't spend a fortune on super high performance stuff. Benchmarks prove that even the fastest memory modules will only give you a few percent higher performance. However they do allow you to overclock with more stability.

Its usually better to have 2 sticks of 1 GB rather than 4 sticks of 512 MB, especially for future expansion or resaleability.

[SterlingErnie]

Hey Bean and gang,

I suppose that even if i get the same module, you were mentioning that the chips may not necessarily be the same. I'm not really going to be overclocking , I'll be spending in the ballpark of the $200 range.

Is the purchase of dual channel kits vs. single channel worth the difference in price?

I won't mind spending a bit more knowing the difference is worth it, but like you mentioned, the benefits are only seen when overclocking for stability correct?

Cheers!




With Kingston the actual DRAM chips that they use change over time. There is no assurance you would get an identical module if you were to purchase another one now. (You could try though)

I guess it depends how much of a hassle you want to go through, what you want to spend, and if you are an overclocker.

Personally I would sell or use the module in another system and buy a set of matched 1GB modules. (They don't have to be a dual channel kit, you can just buy two modules from the same production run). Try and get memory with lower timing settings but don't spend a fortune on super high performance stuff. Benchmarks prove that even the fastest memory modules will only give you a few percent higher performance. However they do allow you to overclock with more stability.

Its usually better to have 2 sticks of 1 GB rather than 4 sticks of 512 MB, especially for future expansion or resaleability.

[llbeanburrito]

Yes don't spend a whole lot more to get a dual channel kit. Some brands have the dual channel kits around the same price as two singles but others charge more for them. There really isn't much of a reason to justify it.

[yuri35434]

If you have dual channel you don't need matched pair if you put only one 1gig chip on each pair of slots. In that case just find the same latency (With kingston it would be either CL-2.5 or CL-3) and it should work.

[SterlingErnie]

Well As Buffet Boy mentioned about the Bus speed and since i do have a mobo that supports dual channel, this again wouldn't apply a big enough benefit to purchase dual channel?

I'm leaning towards just getting another 1 gig stick to match my current DDR400 Ram. Would that be the best thing for me?

Cheers

[champ91]

to be clear, it depends on what your current motherboard/cpu set is.

if you have a dual channel motherboard with a cpu that can benefit from dual channel (i.e. single stick ram speed = 1/2 system bus speed) then going dual channel will yield real benefits. For example, 2 x DDR400 ~ 800Mhz, filling the bus speeds of current Hyperthreading P4 cpu's.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily need identical sticks to run dual channel memory, however you're likely to have a more stable system if you do. I've run pairs of non-identical memory in an intel board and the board will allow dual channel mode, but at DDR333, not the DDR400 speeds the dimms were rated at.


post what cpu/mobo combination you have, then good advice will flood in :)

did you mean they can be non-identical speeds? however, I believe they have to be the same size.

[SterlingErnie]

That would definately help since I'm not necessarily sure on the timings..