Ram Question

[ACIDDROPPER]

right now i have 2 sticks of 256mb ddr ram. i want to get more ram. which would have better performance. 2 sticks of 256mb ddr or a stick 512 ddr

 

[Apokalipse]

you'd get better performance if you had the RAM working in dual channel
get 2x512 sticks if you really crave performance, or just get whichever is less expensive (2x256 or 1x512) if you're worried more about price
although sometimes you get errors if you mix 2 brands of RAM

 

[OIDanTheManIO]

most motherboards only have 3 ram slots, urs maybe has 4? i dunno, i would go with the 512 just to be sure

 

[Yon]

I thought that if you had 2 sticks of 256MB, they would work at the same time and be faster than 1 stick of 512MB?

 

[lavenderAC]

When I want to get a new stick for the dual channel, should I buy the exact same brand and model as the one I already have?

Or just they have to have the same latency?

 

[crazybeans]

OK, if I understood your question, you get the same "performance" from 2x256 as you do 2x512. RAM stands for Random Access Memory meaning it can access any data located on the stick at the same speed as any other data located anywhere else on the same stick. If your looking for "performance" you should check the "CAS latency" of the ram you intend on purchasing and make your decision based on the use of your computer. If your into playing graphic intensive games like Far Cry I would recommend purchasing something with a "low" CAS latency and would go with 2x512 and set them up to use Dual Channel if your motherboard supports it (to answer another question, use the same brand, model number, therefor the same latency when using Dual Channel). If your motherboard doesn't support dual channel install like you normally would.

If money is not an option I would recommend buying the following (remember to check your motherboard QVL for information on supported RAM before purchasing):

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Pro Series, Low Latency (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200PRO
or
Kingston HyperX (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200

If money IS a problem, I'd purchase one of the following (remember to check your motherboard QVL for information on supported RAM before purchasing)

Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200
or
Kingston ValueRAM Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200

Hope that helps

 

[CrucialLabs]

If your motherboard does not support dual channel go with one stick of 512MBs, takes up fewer slots and it would just the same as 2x256MB modules. The system sees the memory as a whole and not as individual modules. If the system runs in dual channel mode then 2 more 256MB modules would be good or 2x512s. Sure lower CAS latency will help with speed but not much as people are led to believe. The difference between CL-2.5 and 3 is about 8 nanoseconds, can you see the difference?? If you can see a difference of 8ns, I will call you superman.

http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/

http://www.crucial.com/

 

[didi]

If u mobo can run dual channel, just get a pair of 256MB ram, else just get a stick of 512MB. ( save slot to upgrade later )