Upgrading memory

[shilala]

I'd like to upgrade my ram. I've got 3 dimm slots. I have 512mb in slot one, and was thinking of adding 256 mb in each of the other two slots. Would that be okay, or should I use one 512mb stick?

 

[Aleksandar]

nah dont waste money on 256Mb get one512Mb
when its time to upgrade next time what you gonna do with all the slots full

 

[oldman420]

Actualy in dual channel mode that is a good idea.
dual channel setups like that config with the 512 in the middle slot.
And Alec a gig of ram is plenty if you have a gig and need to upgrade to more than you have got some serious memory holes.
i have 3 x 256 and this works perfect.

 

[shilala]

The memory configuration table in the motherboard manual doesn't show a 256/512/256 configuration for 400 ddr. As a matter of fact, it doesn't show any ddr 400 anything if you're using 3 sticks. There's 3 dimm slots on this board (k8vse dx). Why the hackin wouldn't it allow 3 sticks to run at ddr 400?
And the big question I've been dying to ask...
What's dual channel?

 

[Aleksandar]

I dont think there will ever be a motherboard thet supports dual channel with only 3 memory slots
so that mobo you are using is not dual channel so it dosent matter.
Dual channel means you gotta get to stiks of the same amount of memory lets say 512X2 now one stick operates at 64b when dual channel kicks in they become 128b so duble the speed

 

[shilala]

Is there any advantage to using 2x512 rather than 1x512 and 2x256 to fill the three dimm slots? I used this board because it supports all the mods in my rig. It'd probably look better with al three slots filled with blue heat spreaders on all the sticks. It'd probably breathe better with just two sticks.
If there's no advantage to using one configuration or the other, I'll either toss a coin or buy whatever's cheaper.
Thanks for the help, I sure appreciate it!!!

 

[mechBgon]

Use a pair of 512's so you don't have a loss of memory speed. Or a single 1GB module

I dont think there will ever be a motherboard thet supports dual channel with only 3 memory slots

nForce2 does dual-channel with three modules. But you're right in saying that this motherboard (like all Socket754) doesn't, since S754 CPUs have only one memory controller in them.

 

[Machine350]

It would be better to go with one more stick of 512, it should perform a little better and it will leave one free slot in case you wanna add more later on. Also, that board is not dual channel if it has 3 dimm slots. Most dual channel boards will have 4 slots.

 

[shilala]

Got ya guys. I'll go with another stick of 512.
Being that the board is not dual channel, does it matter if I buy the same make/model of stick? I can order the same stuff I got at mwave, or pick something up here at the FS/WTB board if the stick's specs don't have to be critical. The stuff I'm using is PC 3200 DDR 400 512MB Mwave branded. I think it's marked up with vdata stickers.