Member Avatar for jacklindsay

Hello everyone,

I am shortly building a new rig, consisting of:
abit IL9 pro - motherboard
core 2 duo e4300 - cpu
x850xt - g-card
250gb sata seagate barracuda - hdd
and some other bits and pieces

I was wondering if there was any difference is performance between a 1gb stick of DDR2-800 or 2x512mb sticks of DDR2-800?

Thanks
Jack Lindsay

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Following and , here are practical, job‑ready points to help choose between a single 1GB module or a matched pair of 512MB modules.

Real world tradeoffs are simple: one stick gives you the full capacity now and the easiest upgrade path later. A matched pair gives higher usable memory throughput on systems that support multiple channels, which can help memory‑heavy workloads. The size of the benefit depends on the application; synthetic bandwidth tests show the clearest gains, while many games and desktop apps see only modest differences.

Quick checklist and steps to minimize headaches:

  • Check the motherboard manual for the correct slot population order and any notes about mixed sizes. Follow the manual exactly when installing modules.
  • Buy a kit marketed as a matched pair when you want maximum compatibility. Identical frequency, voltages and timings matter more than brand.
  • Avoid mixing different sizes or speeds if you want consistent channel operation; some boards run the overlapped portion in multi‑channel and the remainder in single‑channel.
  • After installation, confirm SPD/timings and frequency in BIOS, then run a memory tester such as memtest86+ to rule out faults.
  • If you plan to overclock or use tighter timings, choose modules rated for the higher voltage or pretested kits.

If immediate capacity is the priority, a single 1GB is fine and upgradeable. If you want the best out‑of‑the‑box throughput for memory‑bound tasks, go with a tested matched pair.

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Member Avatar for dcc

Hi Jack, and welcome to Dani Web.

Two 512MB modules running in dual channel will be faster than one 1GB module.

You didn't mention what OS you plan on using, so toward that end let me point out that M$ is suggesting that if you are going to use Vista that you should have at least 1gb of RAM. There are those that from past experience realize that M$ has consistently under rated the RAM requirements necessary to make the OS operate properly. I would also gusset staying away from value RAM.

Member Avatar for jacklindsay

thanks for the quick reply dcc,

I will be using a combination of XP Pro and various linux distro's, as Vista still has too many bugs for me to get it yet. i will either be getting crucial ram or some OCZ.

Member Avatar for jacklindsay

Has anyone heard of a brand called GeIL? are they just a value brand or are they good?

Thank
Jack Lindsay

Member Avatar for dcc

GeIl is one of the better ones as well.

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