RAM for nForce 2 boards

[WobbleWobble]

I'm thinking of building a new system based using a Gigabyte 7N400 Pro (I want PATA RAID) with a Athlon XP 2500+ with a Radeon 9500/9600 Pro.

I was thinking of only buying 1 stick of 512MB and running it in single channel mode because the performance loss over dual-channel mode is only 2-3% max. This would allow me to stick in another 512MB and run dual channel in the future. Cost is an issue and I don't think I have the need for 1GB yet, or ever (with this system). I still play old school games like Counter-Strike, Warcraft and Starcraft but I'm looking forward to CS: Condition Zero and NHL 2004. I don't ever plan on playing Simcity 4 or BF1942 though.

So do you think it's a smart idea to just stick with 1 stick of 512MB and possibly get another stick of 512MB or just get 2x256MB and forget about upgrading in the future? Getting 1GB now isn't really something I want to spend that much money on.

Another thing is RAM brands/types. I see on the AT Hardware Leaderboard that Samsung Original is number 3 on the Top 3 Cutting Edge DDR Memory Modules. I know that post is old, but I don't think quality of their RAM has gone down over the past couple months. I was thinking of getting the Samsung Original PC3200. I'm also looking at other nicer modules but I find that the Kingston Hyper-X and Corsair PC3200 are twice the price of the Samsung. Is it that much better to spend that much more money on the RAM? I don't think CAS 2 gives THAT much of an advantage over CAS 2.5. I'm not serious about overclocking, but maybe I'll try to run the XP2500+ on a 400MHz FSB.

Any thoughts on what I just wrote?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Schadenfroh]

this is what i use in my asus a7n8x deluxe. runs sweet

 

[newuser]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
this is what i use in my asus a7n8x deluxe. runs sweet

Same RAM here on my 8RDA+ (nForce2)

I'd get the 512mb single channel now, when you upgrade get the exact same model RAM as your first stick

 

[WobbleWobble]

Y'see, I live in Vancouver, Canada and shipping here can get expensive. That's one reason why I won't order from Crucial.com. NewEgg won't ship to Canada. I'd prefer to get my parts locally.

I can get that RAM for $175 Canadian, so add in shipping and stuff and most US online stores are around the same price.

Also, does anyone know the difference between Samsung OEM and Samsung Original? Samsung OEM 512MB PC3200 stick is only $120 Canadian. That's a lot cheaper than $175. So that's why I'm debating the more value RAM with the nicer RAM.