About dual channel and 3GB

edd722

Distinguished
Sep 3, 2008
12
0
18,510
My question is simple, which would be better 2GB in dual channel or 3GB single channel, don't say buy 4GB I'm gonna use 32bits vista and I don't want 1GB of wasted ram, and besides I already have the 1GB stick.
 

tomasf

Distinguished
Sep 13, 2006
160
1
18,680
it increases transfer speed
But if you are not a gamer or do any heavy photo or video editing its not something you are going to miss. for general purposes you can go0 without dual channel
 

Nik_I

Distinguished
Oct 12, 2007
1,139
0
19,290
dual channel ram does increase the overall speed, but im not sure if more ram in single channel would be any faster. but really it does depend on what you're doing. some programs and games are more sensitive to ram speed than others.
 

knotknut

Distinguished
Aug 13, 2007
1,218
1
19,310
Dual Channel is a function of the motherboard. There is no such thing as Dual Channel Ram. You need matched Ram for the Motherboard to properly operate in Dual Channel. Provided your MB is Dual Channel capable.
 

Nik_I

Distinguished
Oct 12, 2007
1,139
0
19,290


except that the OP said he already had the 1GB stick. really since he already has it, trying the system with and without shouldnt be too hard. then he can decide which way is better.
 
I say get one 1GB stick and a 2x512 dual channel kit. Try and get them the same speed as your current stick as well as the same, or at least close to it, timings. Just don't try and throw in sticks with radically different timings and then try and run them in dual channel mode or you're just asking for it. :pt1cable:
 

Nik_I

Distinguished
Oct 12, 2007
1,139
0
19,290



from what i understand, the whole point of this thread is whether 3GB single channel is faster than 2GB dual channel. i dont think the OP wants to buy anything.
 

kamel5547

Distinguished
Jan 4, 2006
585
0
18,990


Have any benches that show much of an improvement? I've never seen more than a negligible difference.... double bandwidth doesn't translate to double performance... in fact it seems to translate to a big nothing.

To quote Tom's:

"As expected, the performance difference between single channel and dual channel DDR2-800 memory using an up-to-date Core 2 Duo system is little to nil, depending on the benchmark - most tests show differences, but they are really small."

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/PARALLEL-PROCESSING,1705-15.html

Another technology thats been a bit overhyped... just get 1 GB (or 2 x 512 if you want). THe reality is that most of the time having more memory is mroe important than every other factor surrounding memory (well, other than having the correct type ;) ).
 

knotknut

Distinguished
Aug 13, 2007
1,218
1
19,310
This is the next sentence after your quote,

and I Quote:
For games and enthusiast PCs, we recommend sticking to high-performance dual channel RAM, because the memory is one of those components that you want to perform best for a smooth experience