Mixing RAM: one stick with two sticks

kbray

Junior Member
Jan 17, 2005
9
0
0
Hello!

I have an ABIT IS7-E with a p4 2.4 800fsb.

I currently have two sticks of 256 ddr400 kingston.

I got ahold of one stick of 512 ddr400 crutial.

Can I add the one stick of 512 alongside my two 256 sticks? Will I lose performance?

What would you fine folks recommend?

Thanks!
 

ts3433

Platinum Member
Jun 29, 2004
2,731
0
0
The loss of dual channel can mean a significant loss of performance with a P4. Memory bandwidth is a big factor in performance with those chips. It may be better to sell the two sticks of Kingston and get another Crucial.
 

kbray

Junior Member
Jan 17, 2005
9
0
0
What if I added two more 256 sticks instead of the 512?

Would I still have dual channel?
 

ts3433

Platinum Member
Jun 29, 2004
2,731
0
0
You would, but running 4 memory modules isn't ideal. You'll go down to DDR333 by default (as dictated by JEDEC specifications), and sometimes the added modules can give you instability.
 

kbray

Junior Member
Jan 17, 2005
9
0
0
ive heard that p4 boards will still run four sticks dual channel at 400, is this correct?
 

ts3433

Platinum Member
Jun 29, 2004
2,731
0
0
Some will; it's just out of spec to run that way (I believe DDR400 is meant for only one DIMM per channel).
 

kbray

Junior Member
Jan 17, 2005
9
0
0
what would you recommend in my situation:

I have two 256 sticks, should I buy one 512 or two 256?

I dont have enough money to replace the ram I already have

Thanks for all the help!
 

TStep

Platinum Member
Feb 16, 2003
2,460
10
81
I've run mixed 2x256 + 2x256 before on an AI7, IC7, and IC7G. They ran fine even when overclocked. Highest stable overclock is reduced somewhat, but only by a few mhz. Memory used was 2x256 PC3500 Mushkin Level I and 2x256 OCZ PC3200 EL.
 

kbray

Junior Member
Jan 17, 2005
9
0
0
Thanks a lot for the help, if you like Ill post before and after benchmarks from sandra