Is Dual Channel worth it?

M

Murder Face

New Member
I have a macbook with 2 slots. Currently have 2 x 1gb 667 MHz PC2-5300. I am considering either 2 x 2g for $50 vs. 2 x 4gb dual channel for $100. I would rather save money but might be inclined to spring for the dual channel if its worth it. I know it will be faster, but does anyone know if it will make that much more of a difference?
 
Somewhere else someone mentioned this wouldn't make much of a difference because i have a dedicated video card.

I have a late 2008 macbook 4.1 by the way
 
That has nothing to do with it. Dual channel ram will increase the memory bandwidth and improve performance. If you're going to upgrade, its better to do it in dual channel.
 
thanks for the help. one more quick, stupid question.

For 4gb dual channel, do I get 2 x 4gb sticks or 2 x 2gb sticks?
basically does dual channel just mean having two identical sticks?
 
Check your system specs to see how much memory it can actually take, there may be a limitation such as only 4 gb. For 4gb to run in dual channel you would need 2 x 2gb sticks.
 
Dual channel essentially just creates more lanes between the CPU and RAM - think of going from a 4 lane highway to an 8 lane highway. Double the throughput but only in specific circumstances.
 
Ok I have another question. Say I put 2 x 2g sticks in my laptop. Does it automatically enable dual channel or do I need to do something additionally to do that?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top