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Adding a single 512MB ram to a system with DUAL-Channel?

S

Shaitan00

Member
I've got a 3.0GHz P4 w/ P4C800-E Deluxe Motherboard currently loaded w/ 2x 512megs of OCZ PC3200 (DDR400 2.5-3-3-7) RAM (1gig in Dual-channel).
I was looking to add some RAM and had a spare 512meg DDR PC3200 (DDR400) RAM from an old DELL PC (not the same manufacturer, not OCZ)

So, the question is, what is best? Add the extra 512megs of RAM or not?

Do I loose performance by adding a single stick of RAM to a system currenly running dual-channel?
Is the performance drop (if there is one) to such an extend that it would be be st to remain with my 1gig DUAL-CHANNEL instead of 1.5gigs?

What about the difference in speed & quality, the 512megs is something I pulled off an old used DELL PC whereas the OCZ is something I bought a while back, would it be best to NOT include the RAM and stay with my dual-channel?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
 
You will lose some performance, plus you would have to run at the speed/timings of the slowest stick.
 
Zap: Well given that they are both PC3200 shouldn't it be the same?

So, just so that I am sure, by adding the single-channel 512megs do I somehow "kill" the dual-channel of my 2x512 OCZ? How does this affect what I had previously? Do they now act as 3 single-channels ram sticks?

What do you recommend?
Better 1gig dual-channel or 1.5gigs?

Thanks,
 
Are you simply wanting to run memory benchmarks or do you actually use this PC for other tasks?
All this talk about "performance", yet we don't know what you're using your PC for.



 
For most applications there is a 1-5% decrease in performance going from dual to single channel memory mode.

If you run out of available memory at 1GB and the system has to access "virtual memory" (ie, using the harddrive as memory) you will experience an 80-90% or more decrease in performance (system grinds to a near halt if you have to access the disk instead of actual memory).

So if you consistently run out of available memory and hear the hard drive chugging along in there, adding the 512MB could make a large improvement in overall performance.
 
System is pretty much only used for basic web browsing, watching shows, and gaming (at lowest possible settings). But it is running VISTA now ... so I thought the extra 512 would be worth it.

Thanks.
 
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