Questions about Dual Channel RAM

[boozie]

So right now I have two 1 gig sticks 800 Mhz DDR2 in my computer and I believe them to be running in "dual channel". If I want to add RAM what are my restrictions?

I know the limitations on the OS and that the motherboard has two extra slots. What I'm unsure about is how dual channel will affect extra ram. Do I have to buy two more dual channel sticks? Will any addition mess up the current dual channel?

Is there any reason to get faster than 800 Mhz DDR2 if I will be bottlenecked by the old sticks anyways?

 

[sub.mesa]

Add two other to still run dual channel; but i believe that if you insert one (so 3 total) that dual channel (128-bit) wouldn't work.

 

[boozie]

So for best performance, I just need to get another Dual Channel Kit and match the speed of the current ones (PC2-6400)?

It's not bad if I run 2 x 1 GB and 2 x 2 GB?

Do I need to worry about matching brand or anything like that?

 

[ch33zw1z]

So for best performance, I just need to get another Dual Channel Kit and match the speed of the current ones (PC2-6400)?

It's not bad if I run 2 x 1 GB and 2 x 2 GB?

Do I need to worry about matching brand or anything like that?

1. You need to match ALL of the following for best stability: speed, voltage, timings.
2. No. assuming you follow the above
3. It's always a good idea to try and get as close to what you already have as possible, but that's not always the case.

 

[fffblackmage]

If it helps, I'm running two sets of DDR2 ram without issues.

2x1GB GeIL DDR2-800 (rated for 4-4-4-12 at 2.2V)

2x2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 (rated for 4-4-4-12 at 2.0V)

I don't use those timings though. I use JEDEC standard timings for DDR2-800, 5-5-5-15 (or is it 18?) at 1.8V.

 

[boozie]

So what i have are 2 x Corsair "CM2x1024-6400C4DHX" running at what i think is 400 Mhz 5-5-5-18 (tRAS is 18, tRC is 22) at 1.8. The question I have now is 6 gig neccesary for gaming anytime in the near future or should i just get 4 gigs?

 

[ch33zw1z]

So what i have are 2 x Corsair "CM2x1024-6400C4DHX" running at what i think is 400 Mhz 5-5-5-18 (tRAS is 18, tRC is 22) at 1.8. The question I have now is 6 gig neccesary for gaming anytime in the near future or should i just get 4 gigs?

4 gigs would probably suffice. By the time 6 gigs is required, you'll have upgraded or will have to maybe

 

[dfuze]

So what i have are 2 x Corsair "CM2x1024-6400C4DHX" running at what i think is 400 Mhz 5-5-5-18 (tRAS is 18, tRC is 22) at 1.8. The question I have now is 6 gig neccesary for gaming anytime in the near future or should i just get 4 gigs?

I think it depends on what you are doing with your machine. For basic computing my machine is just fine with 4gb, but when I play SC2 and BC2 and leave the browser open on the other screen, etc I often run into error popups saying Windows is just about out of memory so I am installing another 2gb today.

 

[fffblackmage]

I think it depends on what you are doing with your machine. For basic computing my machine is just fine with 4gb, but when I play SC2 and BC2 and leave the browser open on the other screen, etc I often run into error popups saying Windows is just about out of memory so I am installing another 2gb today.

Or you could close that browser and save a few $$$.

 

[boozie]

I'm starting to think I want to stay 32-bit with XP after realizing my GPU is falling behind faster than I thought.

Because of this I'm not sure the best way to upgrade my RAM. It appears 2 x 512 MB for PC2-6400 (Dual channel) is just not buyable anymore. If I buy another 2x 1 GB giving me more memory than my system can handle (I have 512 MB GPU), I think only 3.5 GB will register. Because it's not the full four GB will I lose the Dual Channel?

What's the best way to upgrade my 2 GB dual channel ram if I stay 32-bit?

[e]I don’t think I understand the 32-bit Xp Pro RAM capacity so ignore my logic above if it’s conflicting.

 

[alaricljs]

The hardware is what determines dual-channel, not how the software chooses to use it.

What does your GPU have to do with staying on XP?

 

[boozie]

I'd rather not format my HD and reinstall all my apps if my GPU and CPU won't hit recommended specs for the games I play in another year. Instead of getting Win7 64-bit/formatting, possibly getting an SSD and 4 gigs of RAM I'm leaning towards just staying in XP for 1-2 more years and getting a new computer.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2103807

If you want to see my terrible indecisiveness.

I can get the ram (2 x 1 GB) I need for ~$40-50 it looks like. Now I just have to figure out the best match that I can find.

 

[dfuze]

Or you could close that browser and save a few $$$.

I could, but that would defeat the purpose of multi monitor and being able to multi task while I game. I only spent $20 anyway.

 

[alaricljs]

boozie, I run Win7 x64 on my Dell D820 laptop with 4GB RAM, T7400 CPU (2.16Ghz) and the nvidia quadro 120m (not impressive by any means). There was no performance hit moving from XP, the positives of Win7 outweighed my disgust with MS over Vista.

As for re-installing... with XP I was doing that so often it was sad. I'm impressed it's stable enough for you that you aren't doing it out of necessity every 6-8 months.

If you're looking at a new computer in 2 years I'd honestly try not spending anything except maybe on the RAM. The RAM is cheap enough it doesn't matter. I wouldn't do the SSD since new tech is right around the corner. If you're gonna build it yourself, you might get Win7 now.

 

[fffblackmage]

If you're looking at a new computer in 2 years I'd honestly try not spending anything except maybe on the RAM. The RAM is cheap enough it doesn't matter. I wouldn't do the SSD since new tech is right around the corner. If you're gonna build it yourself, you might get Win7 now.

New tech is always around the corner.

It's expensive, but an SSD brings snappiness to a computer like nothing else. It was expensive for me, but I definitely don't regret buying one. Heck, I even bought a second, because what it did for my computers was just so profound.