[THINK FAST!] Better to use two sticks of RAM or just one?

[StattlichPassat]

I see several higher-end OEMs offering their new systems with 512MB DDR- two 256MB sticks. Is there a performance benefit from this or are they just being cheap? Which nets higher performance; 2 sticks or 1? TIA!

-Chris

 

[flood]

2 sticks
enable 4-way interleave in your bios.

 

[microAmp]

I voted 1 stick and didn't read the post or what flood said. I'll agree too. Only reason I voted for 1 was for o/c, but then you said OEM. *DOH*

So 2 sticks.....

 

[BChico]

Agree with flood, two sticks.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Ok thanks- can you explain what interleave is please?

 

[StattlichPassat]

Yeah, not concerned with overclocking whatsoever here... I'm thinking about something that would be used in a professional enviroment.

 

[flood]

<< Ok thanks- can you explain what interleave is please? >>




EDIT: (to make it simpler)
you can access more than one stick at a time, or something like that.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Awesome- thanks for the info!

 

[zzzz]

no interleving for intel chipsets though

 

[Bozo Galora]

voltage is supplied, say, on a 4 slot DIMM moboard, in pairs - 1&2 and 3&4. If you run one 512, you have a
greater chance of overloading mobo power capability for that pair. Remember every bit is a transistor with
an attatched capacitor. If you run a 256MB stick in 1 and 3 or 2 and 4, you double the available wattage
available for the sticks, over a single 512.

 

[StattlichPassat]

This would be for VIA, AMD and nVidia-based chipsets only. So does that render his infomation unnecessary to me now?

 

[StattlichPassat]

In your 1&2, 3&4 references, are you referring to slots?



<< If you run a 256MB stick in 1 and 3 or 2 and 4, you double the available wattage
available for the sticks, over a single 512. >>



So that's good? Sorry for the ignorance..

 

[Maggotry]

I like using 2 sticks simply because if one goes bad, I'm still up and running. If you only have 1 stick and it goes bad, you're dead until you buy a new stick or wait for an RMA.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Good thinking- redundancy...

Side note: what is more attractive to customers buying a new computer? One DIMM slot filled and two open, or two slots filled and one open (think future upgrades)? Should this even matter versus the system designer's performance issues? Most OEM configurators will charge you more for just a single stick of RAM.

 

[Maggotry]

<< Good thinking- redundancy...

Side note: what is more attractive to customers buying a new computer? One DIMM slot filled and two open, or two slots filled and one open (think future upgrades)? Should this even matter versus the system designer's performance issues? Most OEM configurators will charge you more for just a single stick of RAM. >>


I wouldn't even consider building a pc with less than 256M RAM regardless of whether it's a business pc or a game system (well, if it were used as a firewall, then I might......I guess there are a few exceptions....but I digress). Anyway, when I build a pc, for myself or others, I install RAM in 256M increments. So the amount of free DIMM slots depends on the mobo and how much memory I'm installing, which is almost always either 256M or 512M.

 

[StattlichPassat]

I agree- my minimum is 256MB as well under any circumstances (haven't had to do a firewall for anyone yet), but I'm thinking about making 512MB standard, as it seems to be a real sweetspot for Windows2000 and XP.

 

[Spaceloaf]

Wow, I never knew that the power distribution would be different for 2 DIMMs as opposed to one. But then, what about MBs with only 3 DIMM slots? Is one of the slots always unbalanced or something? Also, can you still have 4-way intereleaving (I guess it would be 3-way?)?

 

[Bozo Galora]

rammalammadingdong!

 

[Kingofcomputer]

this bank is not that bank.

from 64Mbit sdram chip, it already supports 4-bank interleaving,
one such chip already can do 4-bank interleaving,
so 1 stick of ram, doesn't matter single side or double side, how many chips, already can do 4-bank interleaving.
you don't need 2 ram both of double side to get 4-bank interleaving.

64Mbit chip is built by either
4 banks x 2Mbit x 8
or 4 banks x 4Mbit x 4
or 4 banks x 1Mbit x 16

32Mbit chip is 2 banks, so you need 2 sticks of ram (if they're using 32Mbit chips) to get 4-bank interleaving.

If the ram uses 1 bank chips, you need 4 sticks of such ram to get 4-bank interleaving.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Arrrgh, ok- it comes down to this:

I'm a system builder. Should I put two sticks of RAM in the computers I build, or one stick of RAM, *based on performance and stability concerns?

 

[Kingofcomputer]

higher density chip is faster,
so 1 stick of 512MB ram using 16 x 256Mbit chips is faster than 2 sticks of 256MB ram each using 16 x 128Mbit chips.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Awesome- ok that's what I needed to know. Thanks!

 

[StattlichPassat]

Is 64x64 considered high density in a 512MB chip? I'm just looking at the Crucial offerings on NewEgg.com- none seem to be as high of a density as 16x256...

 

[herbage11]

I have the same concerns as you and look at it like this. go 512mb 1 stick and take away 1 potential problem. my 2 cents

 

[Kingofcomputer]

64x64 means 512MB non-ecc DIMM.

this number is not that number.

those so-called high density 256MB DIMM uses 32x4 chips while normal 256MB DIMM uses 16x8 chips, any 256MB non-ecc DIMM is 32x64.

to be more precise, 32x4 means 4 banks x 8Mbit x 4.
16x8 means 4 banks x 4Mbit x 8.
8Mbit vs 4Mbit, that's why those "don't know much about computer" pricewatch vendors call it high density - which is not right.

the correct definition of high density should be a 256MB DIMM using 8 * 32x8 chips vs a 256MB DIMM using 16 * 16x8 chips.

256MB ECC DIMM is 32x72, 512MB ECC DIMM is 64x72.