A little RAM question :D

[MrMan16]

Ok everyone, I have 512 megs of ram....which is fine to run H-L2, but I want a gig to help with loads, and choppiness and the sorts...should I just add another 512, or wait and buy a Dual Channel Gig? Will It be plenty fast enough just to add the 512? Sorry if I worded it confusingly.....plz tell me to rephrase it if yo dont understand, and thanks for the help :cheers:

 

[Asus]

Dual Channel is not in the memory. It's in the memory controller.
If your board supports dual channel memory then all you need is to have 2 sticks of memory the same size and in the right slots.

Adding a 512MB stick with your current 512MB stick would also be running in dual channel memory as if you bought a 2x512MB Kit...if your board supports dual channel memory.

 

[MrMan16]

Well, I am running dual channel right now, 2x256....So I guess I should jst buy another stick of 512 to make it a Gig, then?

 

[MrMan16]

WHat I mean is, I am already using dual channel: 2x256-which makes 512. Should I just add a stick of 512, or take out the memory I have, and put in a Dual 2x512? Would it be that much faster?

 

[Ecthe|ioN]

If you still want to run in Dual channel you would need 2 more sticks of 256MB (if there's room for it). Or at least I think so. Dual channel demands 2 or 4 stick.

If you still want to run DC, get a 2 x 512 kit.

 

[[Matt]]

.... or 2x256 in one channel and 1x512 in the other...

 

[Asus]

What system do you have? And what board or chipset.

2 sticks of 512MB sounds like it might be the best option here. Either a kit or individual sticks, check prices.

Depending on your system, you may or may not be able to use your 256MB sticks and a 512MB stick while keeping it in dual channel mode.

 

[destrukt]

Dual Channel won't help with games very much, it's mainly for incredibly cpu/memory intensive like 3DSM, Maya etc.

 

[Asus]

It helps the Pentium 4 a lot. Athlons don't really need dual channel memory to perform.

 

[[Matt]]

2x512 is the best option here but check your motherboard as it might support the option i've mentioned.