timebomb24
New Member
i want to get new ram but only have enough money for one gig right now. Would it be better to go with 2x512mb 1x1 gig on a motherboard that supports dual channel.
memory help
- Thread starter timebomb24
- Start date
It will make a difference mainly on what the system is used for as well as the system you are running. A little system information provided here along the type of programs you plan to run can be better advised on with that. For a gaming system you can easily decide to go with a pair of 512mb performance dimms that offer faster speeds or simply run a good 1gb dimm in single mode to simply run large multimedia applications without too many problems.
If you are planning to run the latest games with intense graphics that eat memory avoiding what is termed "memory holes" when data jumps from the first dimm filled over to the next channel the gamers prefer a good pair of 1gb performance dimms over the lesser 512s. For a budget system for browsing the web, running a few games on occasion, and playing some dvds or other types of video files a good pair of dual sided 512mb dimms will easily work there. Finding a good deal on a well known brand of memory will be a plus.
If you are planning to run the latest games with intense graphics that eat memory avoiding what is termed "memory holes" when data jumps from the first dimm filled over to the next channel the gamers prefer a good pair of 1gb performance dimms over the lesser 512s. For a budget system for browsing the web, running a few games on occasion, and playing some dvds or other types of video files a good pair of dual sided 512mb dimms will easily work there. Finding a good deal on a well known brand of memory will be a plus.
Geoff
VIP Member
Since your saying that you dont have money for more than 1GB right now, im assuming that you mean your temporarily only using 1GB, however you will add another gig once you get more money, correct?
If thats true, then I would go with 1x1GB now, and then add another identical 1GB stick later on. Because if you end up with 4x 512MB sticks, there will be a performance decrease over 2x 1GB sticks.
If thats true, then I would go with 1x1GB now, and then add another identical 1GB stick later on. Because if you end up with 4x 512MB sticks, there will be a performance decrease over 2x 1GB sticks.
For the basic system with no plans on running demanding games with intense graphics or other types of applications like CAD engineering programs many will go with a good pair of 512mb dimms to have the dual channel mode enabled. For overall system performance in the long run you want to buy memory if not by matched pairs but within the same time frame like the same batch of memory to see the best results. That is supposed to avoid later issues with incompatabilty between dimms.
The first matched pair of dimms used on the board here(Corsair xms series performance dimms) saw faults develope where you could no longer run them on the same board while separately no faults could be found. The replacement pair of 1gb Kingston dimms while not being a matched set have been spotless for being from the same batch from the manufacturer. Obviously costs on good memory can be high at times where buying a single dimm to have capacity to later complement that may work for the better. If you plan on running demanding apps the wait for buying two 1gb dimms that will work best together in dual channel mode would be your choice there. A single 1gb dimm now will still get your system running with some memory leftover when running small programs to avoid system locks and other issues. If going with a single dimm now don't wait too long for the other from the same vendor. That will see the best results getting them both from the same batch.
Despite the problem seen with a pair of Corsair dimms here it is one brand that rivels Kingston, Crucial, OCZ, and a few others. Besides brand name when buying memory one dimm at a time remember that the next dimm has to be the same type as well. If you order a single sided dimm and later go for the second it will also have to be a single not dual sided dimm. If you want to see the best performance simply buy one good 1gb dual sided dimm to add a second one later of the same type. For dual channel immediately a pair of 512mb dimms will see that but leave you limited for high end programs.
The first matched pair of dimms used on the board here(Corsair xms series performance dimms) saw faults develope where you could no longer run them on the same board while separately no faults could be found. The replacement pair of 1gb Kingston dimms while not being a matched set have been spotless for being from the same batch from the manufacturer. Obviously costs on good memory can be high at times where buying a single dimm to have capacity to later complement that may work for the better. If you plan on running demanding apps the wait for buying two 1gb dimms that will work best together in dual channel mode would be your choice there. A single 1gb dimm now will still get your system running with some memory leftover when running small programs to avoid system locks and other issues. If going with a single dimm now don't wait too long for the other from the same vendor. That will see the best results getting them both from the same batch.
Despite the problem seen with a pair of Corsair dimms here it is one brand that rivels Kingston, Crucial, OCZ, and a few others. Besides brand name when buying memory one dimm at a time remember that the next dimm has to be the same type as well. If you order a single sided dimm and later go for the second it will also have to be a single not dual sided dimm. If you want to see the best performance simply buy one good 1gb dual sided dimm to add a second one later of the same type. For dual channel immediately a pair of 512mb dimms will see that but leave you limited for high end programs.