husky mctarflash :
Scotteq, would you mind explaining the last 2 points?
I had always been told to leave well enough alone, with 2 GB for a XP 32 system--ie., that 2 GB is enough for today's games, etc. But I have never been good at leaving well enough alone, and now that my OCZ RAM is $29 after rebate, I am tempted to round out my 2 x 1 GB to 4 x 1 GB.
I'm a "Because I Can" kind of guy, myself...
Currently running 4 x 2GB for that very reason. Hobbyist here, so I'm sure an engineer will be happy to step in and educate me/us should I miss~state something... I will give my general understanding, and will keep my notebook on my desk and ready.
For very specific information, I direct you to the support forums at your favorite maker - I have used Corsair's and OCZ's with very good results. Other companies I haven't bothered with because between C and O, I've always gotten what I needed. And you are correct if you use this to make presumptions on what lives inside my case. The best place for information is always the source.
Electrically, 4 'objects' are different/harder to drive than two - This is common sense, and you can look up "Ohm's Law" if you need the math behind it. Even if you have a nice beefy PSU (which certainly helps lots!), your motherboard still has to drive everything you have installed - including the DIMMS in this case. One of the lesser advertised reasons people pay a premium for boards aimed at overclockers/enthusiasts is the quality/design of the boards power management and distribution. There's not usually much information on this, unfortunately.
Now - Historically, most everyone only used 2 slots. So many makers test and certify their boards with that in mind. The same goes for many of the memory makers - The timings and voltages programmed into the SPD chip are designed and tested with 2 DIMMS in mind. Basically in the last year after the release of DDR3, and the (thank you!) fall of DDR2 prices, we're seeing more and more enthusiasts and casual users filling all 4. In the cases where a given mobo may not have been designed with driving that much, the standard settings might be insufficient when you're playing with a full rack.
Things that may need changed from standard. And please keep in mind these are generalities.
(1) Due to the extra voltage drop from running twice the components, you may need to raise the vDIMM higher than you otherwise would in order to compensate.
(2) Some motherboards/Bios' have a setting for 'vdroop' or 'vdrop' which is for this purpose. In that case, the standard approach is to use the appropriate settings: Set your vDIMM to the recommended and compensate with the vDroop setting.
(3) Performance RAM is obviously more stressful on your system than modules designed to run at standard speeds. So if your motherboard does not like running 4 x 1066, you may need to downclock to get them stable. In my case, my motherboard (rated for DDR2 800), does not like driving four dimms to 1066. If I pushed, it'd run stably at 1000. But going farther than that with 4 chips required pushing stupidly hard. But it will (and does) drive to 800 on standard voltages and settings. In the end, this is what I did.
(4) You might need to loosen timings - But read the forums at the OCZ site. There's some sticky's there that give much much better guidance than I could on this. Keep in mind that if you reference the OCZ site, but are using another brand, the support team at your maker are likely to politely refuse to help you. And then they will ridicule you in cruel and unusual ways once you are off the phone. Some locations are rumored to have cases of voodoo dolls on hand for just this occasion. So if you feel a sharp pain in your side after getting off the phone, you'll need a knife, a live chicken, a bottle of rum, and..... :lol:
(5) You might need to bump the voltage to your Front Side Buss a hair as well. Not much - Just one or two notches. In my limited experience, this was more effective than changing timings.
What are the symptoms that will come up?
Simply won't be stable - Freezing, Random crashes, Blue Screens of Gates... All that peace, happiness, love, and joy you get from angry DIMMS.
Is it my MSI P35 Mobo that will have the trouble driving 4 sticks, or is it my power supply, or a function of both?
I cannot answer this question directly, as I have no experience with your motherboard. Check your respective maker's forums. As a general rule - I overbuild with a better motherboard, and MUCH better PSU than I "need". Especially the PSU, since you can continue to use those for build after build.
How much more difficult will 4 x 1 be, compared to 2 x 2?
On a good quality board - a 10th or 100th of a volt here or there. Plus a little patience. On a hunk?? You'd be better off not bothering with 4 DIMMS. Of course, YMMV.
Does the voltage make a difference? I.e., mine is running at 2.1 volts, so will it be difficult to add 2 more sticks at 2.1 volts?
As stated above.
Am I better off adding 2 more 512 mb sticks for a total of 3 GB? (ie., is that easier to drive/more likely to require less tweaking)
I wouldn't necessarily say "better". I dont' see how it could hurt. I'd just make sure to match timings and voltages.
If 4 GB is so much better, yet 4 x 1 is so much trouble, am I better off selling my current 2 x 1, and buying 2 x 2?
In my experience, it's been a matter of a few 10ths/100ths, and a little patience. But I also make it a point to buy superior componentry, too.
Should I care about future upgradability?
"Future~Proofing" a PC pretty much is, and has been, an oxymoron.
(I hear 4 GB is worthless for Vista 64--really need to go 6 or 8 GB, which means I need 2 GB sticks and my current 1 GB sticks will be worthless)
From personal experience - Vista 64 runs perfectly well on 2GB. It likes 4 and was (just) noticably snappier when I went from 2 to 4. Going from 4GB to 8, I haven't noticed any difference. Gaming frame rates are the same, but once you have "enough" RAM, that's more or less a graphics issue anyhow.
Should I be migrating to 1066 or 1333 or stay with 800 since DDR3 will make all of those obsolete?
IMHO, DDR3 is for "The Next Build", and not something a gamer/enthusiast building a computer today should seriously consider. The advantage is still slim and only at the highest clock speeds. Factor in the cost, and it's pretty self explanatory. Some will simply have to have the latest and greatest. And as always, benchmarkers will absolutely demand the best of the best of the best and are willing to pay the big bucks it takes to see how far they can push the envelope before the thing blows up.
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