About RAM upgrade in the future

[crowz9]

Hi,

I currently have 2x2GB GSkill Ripjaws

I have Win 7 x64 and I'm feeling the lack of memory in my computer.

I was thinking of selling my current kit and getting a single 4gb stick, since that gives me upgrade path to 8GB dual channel.

Is the difference between single and dual channel very noticeable when it comes to gaming(not hardcore)?

 

[Guest]

yes there is a slight ~5% difference that shows up in benchmarking but not really noticeable in gaming.

though it is better to get a kit with two sticks that have been tested to work in dual channel mode. though it is unlikely that you will have a problem with your strategy but why spend money and keep it at 4gbs instead of waiting to afford 8 gbs?

 

[crowz9]

yes there is a slight ~5% difference that shows up in benchmarking but not really noticeable in gaming.

though it is better to get a kit with two sticks that have been tested to work in dual channel mode. though it is unlikely that you will have a problem with your strategy but why spend money and keep it at 4gbs instead of waiting to afford 8 gbs?

Actually I have two brands in mind: Kingston HyperX and Gskill Ripjaws. Kingston 4gb stick is about half the price of the other and I've read that different brands make no difference in performance, the only thing that changes is reliability.
If I sell my current kit, I can buy 2x4gb Hyperx for the same price.

The reason why I want 8GB is because it's a long term investment and I won't need to upgrade in at least 2 or 3 years from now. Plus, games like Skyrim require 4GB, as well as BF3.

 

[Guest]

Actually I have two brands in mind: Kingston HyperX and Gskill Ripjaws. Kingston 4gb stick is about half the price of the other and I've read that different brands make no difference in performance, the only thing that changes is reliability.
If I sell my current kit, I can buy 2x4gb Hyperx for the same price.

The reason why I want 8GB is because it's a long term investment and I won't need to upgrade in at least 2 or 3 years from now. Plus, games like Skyrim require 4GB, as well as BF3.

if you can do that why ask about running 4gbs to upgrade to 8gbs later?

or did i misunderstand:

I was thinking of selling my current kit and getting a single 4gb stick, since that gives me upgrade path to 8GB dual channel.

but let me put it this way; your best choice is to upgrade to a 8gb dual channel kit (2x4gb) that is supported by your motherboard/cpu. getting 1.65 volt ram when your system is specc'd for 1.5 volt is a no no and common error. getting faster than 1600 for a sandy/ivy set up is rather pointless but AMD set ups depend on the cpu.

though you would know better as how much ram you need; 8 gb for a gaming rig is getting to be average anymore.

hope this helped and good luck.

 

[crowz9]

if you can do that why ask about running 4gbs to upgrade to 8gbs later?

or did i misunderstand:

I was thinking of selling my current kit and getting a single 4gb stick, since that gives me upgrade path to 8GB dual channel.

but let me put it this way; your best choice is to upgrade to a 8gb dual channel kit (2x4gb) that is supported by your motherboard/cpu. getting 1.65 volt ram when your system is specc'd for 1.5 volt is a no no and common error. getting faster than 1600 for a sandy/ivy set up is rather pointless but AMD set ups depend on the cpu.

though you would know better as how much ram you need; 8 gb for a gaming rig is getting to be average anymore.

hope this helped and good luck.

I can do what you said, I was just asking if it was a wise decision.

My Mobo is Asus m5a88m.