Why is my memory benchmark lower after upgrading from 4gb to 6gb?

[regrebner]

I have a dell xps 410 and have a moderate understanding of components. I recently decided that i would upgrade my system because it is near its EOL. Before i get flamed for upgrading, i know it is a waste of money for a little boost.

Here are my specs...

current:

Dell XPS 410
Intel e6600
4x1GB 667mhz 1.8v DDR2 memory
Nvidea GT 520 (old 7950 GX2 took a dump, but was a beast for 6 years)
Windows 8.1 x-64
250GB HDD

Surprising this computer still works for minimal gaming.
Ex. I can play Eve online at Max settings without any lag.
I know its an old game...

Here's what i want to do:

Upgrade proc to Q6700
have 6-8GB ram @ 800 mhz
i think i want the Radeon 7950
upgrade the PSU to 750
PCI-E AC-gigabit wireless adapter if the video card doesnt take up all the room.

I think this system will play all games at reasonable FR with medium settings at1080p

Heres the problem...

I just bought 2 x 2GB 800 Mhz 1.9v DDR2 DIMMS

I ran passmark on the memory before installing and got a 780 on the 4x1 setup

i installed the 2 x 2gb setup and got a 781... well its not a huge improvement....

in installed 2 x 2GB and 2 x 1GB cards to = 6GB

I know the Frequency of the 2gb cards will lower to 667, but when i ran the benchmark on the 6gb set up i was getting consistantly lower ratings. between 735 - 762 with an average of 755 on 5 tests.

What could be causing this and what would be the best way to set up the memory? Even though i was getting lower scores the computer seemed to run a lot smoother. I also need at least 6 GB for the latest gaming requirements...

should i buy 2 more sticks at 800mhz? or just say f it and leave it where it is... The benchmark on my memory was very low imo...

 

[gaborbarla]

Hi,
I think your PC is outdated and you should not think about upgrading, but getting a new PC all together. I know how this sounds, but even if you upgrade to the core 2 quad and get that 8 gigs of faster RAM, you will still be about 5 CPU generations behind the latest i5s and i7s. Similarly your RAM is ancient by todays standards and for $50 you can get decent RAM that is much faster. Your 6 gigs is okay for now, but I would save up and sell that PC for some money to towards my new PC.