1GB Single Channel or 2x512 MB Dual Channel?

[drago865]

I currently have a 1 GB stick of ram in my computer and am thinking about getting dual channel. I have two questions. Is it better to have 2x512 MB Dual channel, or a 1GB stick of ram? And can i keep my 1GB stick in DIMM slot 3 and put the 2 512 sticks in DIMM slots 1 and 2 and still run dual channel? Thanks

[dcc]

Welcome to Dani web.

You can run one or the other, not both. Here's an excerpt form an article you might want to read.

http://www.tcmagazine.info/articles.php?action=show&id=128&perpage=1&pagenum=13

The Verdict: Single Channel or Dual Channel?

The ambiguity in most of the benchmark results we saw today sends a very clear message: on today’s systems, the advantages of Dual Channel memory setups are negligible for average users.

While some memory specific benchmarks, those designed to saturate bus bandwidth, demonstrated the Dual Channel system’s superiority, very few real-life applications took advantage of it, and some games even managed to perform better on the Single Channel setup.

[Coconut Monkey]

What system do you have there drago865?

[Stevie Wonder]

Ok, can i ask a quick question... i have 3 sticks of 512mb RAM and 4 slots in which to put them in... would 3 512mb single channels be better than 2 running on dual channel? I play alot of graphically demanding games (COD2, CS:S etc...) and do the occaisional bit of image editing, and have recently found a liking for having a voice chat on msn whilst listening to music and playing CS:S. XD