2 sticks of RAM vs 4 on an AMD system?

[Zurtex]

Hi all,

I'm currently looking at building a new computer, I was planning to go with AMD and grab a motherboard with AMDs latest chipset.

I'm a bit surprised that 4 GB sticks aren't that common, I really feel that 2 x 2 GB of RAM isn't a big enough upgrade from my 4.5 year old PC which has 2 x 1 GB of RAM (and I've never upgraded that).

Is there much penalty these days to upgrading to 4 sticks? Will dual channel still work fine? My current PC is an old socket 939 using nForce 4 and it did NOT like actually have 4 sticks in it, in fact it fried one of my sticks of RAM when I tried...

 

[Vincent]

I have 4x2GB in my AMD system and it works fine.

 

[LtGoonRush]

See if the motherboard you're looking at offers a list of memory validated to work in 4-slot configurations. It puts substantially more stress on the memory controller and requires more precise timing, so it's possible you may need to lower the memory clock, back off on the memory timings, or increase the voltage slightly for it to work well. Ideally it just works perfectly out of the box, however.

 

[c0balt]

From what I gather 2 sticks of low voltage RAM is best for AMD. Check that it has AM3 support specifially, and check NewEgg user reviews or the mfg's forum to make sure others are using it too, on AM3. (I recently learned this lesson the hard way.)

 

[Yellowbeard]

You would have a VERY hard time finding any 2GB modules of DDR for a 939 system. If you find them, you'll likely end up spending as much or more than a new CPU+MOBO+RAM setup would cost so the new system is very good idea.

If you go with DDR2, most likely with 4 modules you need to run DDR800. If you go with a DDR3 setup, you probably be limited to 1333 or even 1066.

 

[Zurtex]

Thanks guys, I'll check in to it.

My current thinking on the motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, I'll see what other people have tried and what their tested RAM is.