4GB or 6GB ram for Windows 7 32bit

Hello,

I am building a new computer and I was looking at DDR 3 ram 1600. I noticed alot of the choices is for 6Gb (3 x 2gb) sticks.

My questions are,

What is the max amount of memory win 7 32bit can run?
On a 4 slot motherboard, would 4 gb dual channel setup be better than 6gb setup, (3 of 4 slots filled) for access time, or usage?
Does CAS latency really matter any more when comparing DDR 3 memory such as 7, 8, or 9?

Thanks

^^^^^ exactly what sminlal said..... unless you are going 64bit there is no point to 4+gb of ram

the real question is

why are you using windows 7 32 bit???

A 32 bit OS of any kind can use at most 4gb.

With a 64 bit OS, the more ram the better. It will use extra ram to cache the stuff you use the most. The 4 slot motherboards may actually run the 3 of 4 slots in triple channel mode.

The cas latency has a minor effect on real application performance. Perhaps 1-3%. Actually, ram speed does not matter much either(same 1-3%), unless you are going for record overclocks. If DDR3-1333 ram was significantly cheaper than 1600, it would be OK.

Do plan on using Windows-7 64 bit.
Download and run the windows-7 upgrade advisor to check for any incompatibilities:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads [...] laylang=en
The only programs that will not run are 16 bit dos based.

You need to do some more research, as you have a few wrong ideas about running a 64 bit OS.
While you MIGHT have some problems with very old games, it will not be because the OS is 64 bit.
If a game will not run on Windows 7 64 bit, it very likely won't run on Windows 7 32 bit either. It will be a Windows issue,
but not for the reasons you are thinking.
"Programs" written for 32 bit code will run perfectly fine on a 64 bit OS.
The problem you might have is with certain older hardware and drivers, but.....
Driver issues will NOT be a problem if you are building a new computer, using new hardware.
Anything "Adobe" will work perfectly fine on a 64 bit OS.
Adobe's programs, like most design and graphic programs, have been running on 64 bit OS's for a over a decade.
Today, if you are going to spend money on a new OS, you would be foolish not to buy 64 bit.
If you use Adobe products, I would think that breaking the 4 gig memory barrier of a 32 bit OS would be a desired benefit.
Remember, it's not application programs that have a problem with 64 bit, it is hardware their drivers that were written for
32 bit that have a problem with a 64 bit OS. And, as I said, if unless you are going to be using some very dated hardware,
you don't have to worry about that either. Probably the worst thing people have problems with is peripherials, like old printers,
scanners, etc. These are the kind of things you have to look at, if you have them, and see if there are 64 bit drivers available.
To that end, if there are Windows 7 32 bit drivers available, they will have Windows 7 64 bit drivers available as well.
So take a good long study before you buy Windows 7 32 bit instead of 64.

And yes, latencies are important. More important than most of the time than bus speed.
You will notice a speed difference more in memory latencies of say....9 to 7, than you will a bus speed difference of say...1333 to 1600.

OP, the retail outlet where I pre-ordered Win7 says specifically that the package will include BOTH 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7. So you can install whichever you choose when you get it.

Mikrev007, it appears that in the most advanced version, Superspeed Plus 10, they are using special memory management software outside of 32-bit Windows to access the address space above 4 GB.

jitpublisher, I am enlightening people on what is possible.

And don't forget that this is an it forum where people come to learn how stuff works. And that statement about 4GB being the mathematical limitation of 32bit OSes is still false.