pc3200 512 stick or 2x 256

[chupathingy]

I have 4 ram slots in my motherboard. Two of them are dual channel 256 pc3200 that came with the computer. Should i get a single 512 stick or get 2 dual channel 256 sticks? Also what is the best manufacturer? Right now im looking at crucial and corsair. Thanx in advance.

 

[RichPLS]

if you get one stick, you loose dual channell, I would get two sticks of 512mb additional.
but at min, get 2x256

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[Crashman]

That depends on your motherboard/chipset. Some systems offer significant performance gains with dual channel enabled, others don't.

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[chupathingy]

I have a p4 3.0ghz and a msi-7046 pci-e mobo. The chipset is intel i915p/i915g. Does this help at all with the decision? Also i had a question about the dual channel. Do i have to buy the 2 sticks in the same package or can i buy them seperately but at the same time? This is for the dual channel.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by chupathingy on 11/13/04 04:07 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[RichPLS]

Your board is dual channel, and by buying a matched pair together, you are more likely to get them working at their rated speed and timings.


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And the sign says "You got to have a membership card to get inside" Huh
So I got me a pen and paper And I made up my own little sign</pre><p></font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

You should by a matched pair because your board supports a large increase in performance from that configuration. Buying 2 at the same time means they're more likely to be a close match, but today's memory is good enough that you usually don't have to.

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