Hi i have a Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R motherboard with 2 times PC2-8500 memory dual channel (interleaaved) 2 gig altogether.

i just wanted to know if it was better to have dual chanell memory which means having only two sticks of ram or having more ram? should i go for 3gig?

i do a lot of video converting and also play a lot of games although i dont get many problems sometimes multitasking during converting is a problem.

Thanks,

You should take advantage of dual channel mode. If you already have 2 x 1GB but want 3GB, simply add 2 x 512MB.

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/ar...

PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) was unnecessary unless you plan on overclocking. Core 2 Duo's perform best with a CPU:DRAM frequency ratio of 1:1. If you have a 1066MHz FSB CPU (266MHz freq), you should be running DDR2-533 (266MHz freq)...if you have a 1333MHz FSB CPU (333MHz freq), you should be running DR2-667 (333MHz freq). Either that, or your higher rated RAM should be underclocked to match the CPU freq. And by doing so, you *should* be able to tighten up on the memory timings.

You're not hurting anything by running your DDR2-1066 at it's default freq (533MHz). You probably paid a premium for the RAM though when you could have gotten off much cheaper.

Hi Jam,

i have Core 2 Duo 3.0ghz E6850 1333 fsb, i had underclocked my RAM to match my cpu as i didnt want to overclock my cpu. As saod om yjay article is isnt worth me getting 4gig as it wont be recognised asi have winxp pro 32bit, but i were to get another 1gig (2 * 512) would that mean that the dual channel will be disabled? and would this then mean that the computer will be slower than before?

also one final thing how do i check my RAM timings, can you recomend any timings for me that i should tighen them up to?

oh and by the way the cpu:ram ratio is 1:1 i checked using cpu-z

Thanks,

If you add 2 x 512MB to the 2 x 1GB, you'll retain dual channel mode...if you add a 3rd 1GB stick, you will not. As for the timings, CPU-Z will provide that info. I believe the memory tab will give you your current timings & the SPD tab will give you the programmed timings based on the which freq the RAM is run at. The timings would still have to be manually configured in the BIOS though....

Hi Jam,

ok so this is what i have right now

Module Size: 2GB kit (1GBx2)
Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
Feature: DDR2 PC2-8500
Specs: DDR2 PC2-8500 • 5-5-5-15 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-1066 • 2.2V • 128Meg x 64

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpa...

and this is what i am thinking of getting as a 2 x 512 kit

Module Size: 1GB kit (512MBx2)
Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
Feature: DDR2 PC2-6400
Specs: DDR2 PC2-6400 • 4-4-4-12 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-800 • 2.2V • SLI-Ready • 64Meg x 64

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpa...

Do you see any reason why i shouldt get the additional 1 gig (2x512)? it just seems that the timings are way different would this cause me a problem?

Thanks,