yes, it's another dual-channel question

[desolationw]

In my current rig i have 1x1gb stick of Corsair Value Ram DDR-400. I bought it when ram was cheap(£50) but now it has risen to near £90 so i ain't able to afford a second stick.

I mainly use the system for gaming, but do multi-task often.

What i need advice on is whether i should:

1. buy a second 1gb stick of DDR-400 from a different(cheaper) brand. this means no dual-channel but is it really worth it?

2. buy a 1gb(2x512mb) dual channel kit of cheaper ram, dual-channel them and stick the 1gb stick in the 3rd slot.

Thank you.

 

[sailormonz]

with most motherboards your option 2 is not possible. You can use 512x2 for dual channel but if u put in an additional stick itll turn all the dimms to single channel. Also if you buy the same speed and latency ram it IS possible to make two different manufacturer sticks to be dual channel.

To tell you the truth 1 GB of DDR1 is a sweet spot for gamming, when you add more your performance might actually go down.

 

[Mondoman]

...
1. buy a second 1gb stick of DDR-400 from a different(cheaper) brand. this means no dual-channel but is it really worth it?...

Not sure why you say it means no dual-channel. Does your MB manual say that?

 

[desolationw]

for dual-channel, you need to indentical sticks, does this not include the brand? if this is not so, then you have cheered me up!

 

[Mondoman]

Whether you need identical sticks or not, or even just the same total (e.g. 2x512MB in one channel, 1x1GB in 2nd channel), depends on your MB chipset and design. Newer MBs, especially w/Intel chipsets, tend to be much more flexible in allowing dual channel mode to work.

 

[locky28]

RTFM

 

[stephen1960]

In my current rig i have 1x1gb stick of Corsair Value Ram DDR-400. I bought it when ram was cheap(£50) but now it has risen to near £90 so i ain't able to afford a second stick.

I mainly use the system for gaming, but do multi-task often.

What i need advice on is whether i should:

1. buy a second 1gb stick of DDR-400 from a different(cheaper) brand. this means no dual-channel but is it really worth it?

2. buy a 1gb(2x512mb) dual channel kit of cheaper ram, dual-channel them and stick the 1gb stick in the 3rd slot.

Thank you.

What I would tell you is that if your next motherboard will be using DDR 400 then maybe, maybe get another 1gb module of same spec, probably should go with same exact module since Corsair is good stuff.

However, if your next motherboard will be using DDR2, then I say leave it as is and use your 1gb DDR 400. Yeah, you should have bought 512mbx2 probably but it's fine.

Myself, my next motherboard will be a socket 939 Asus board so I may be buying some 1gb modules so I can run 1gbx2.

Whatever you do, though, try to buy only good quality hardware.

Good luck.

 

[Mondoman]

In my current rig i have 1x1gb stick of Corsair Value Ram DDR-400. ...

...probably should go with same exact module since Corsair is good stuff.

....
While Corsair's main lines are excellent, their "value" line, ValueSelect, is junk - no better than generic RAM. It's just contracted out to the lowest bidder, and then they stick a Corsair ValueSelect label on it.

 

[desolationw]

Thanks everyone for your advice, it has helped me decide that i will get a 2nd gig of ram, cheapest brand i can find which matches as i am willing to take the risk.

Well everyone except locky28. As with every topic, there is always someone whose advice is a necessary as David Hasselhoff growing an afro(i prefer him in tight leather pants)