512MB or 2 x 256MB?

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LeftCoaster

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Jul 4, 2002
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I'll soon be a first time computer builder. I plan to build a P4 PC with an AsusP4S533 motherboard. It has 3 memory sockets and it'll work with DDR 333. I want to start with 512MB of memory. Not sure if I'll add any more in the future.

Is there any speed advantage to using one 512mb module over using two 256mb modules? Or one the other way around?

When I check NewEgg.com the price is almost the same for 2 Samsung DDR 2700 256 (2x$72=$144) modules as 1 Samsung 512mb DDR 2700 ($150) module.

I'm looking for advice on whether to get one 512mb module or two 256mb ones.


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Leftcoaster on 07/07/02 03:36 PM.</EM></FONT></P>
 
Personally I would choose the 512Mb module as long as each individual slot can handle 512 which should not be a problem with the MB you're looking into. The 512 from the start will leave you plenty of overhead expansion of RAM, if you're running an operating system that can support large amounts of RAM, and decide to increase the RAM at a later date you won't be left with only one slot.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm *building* my computer at NewEgg. Plan to order soon. It'll be for SOHO and web design using Dreamweaver.

I've never built a PC. Probably will be cautious about overclocking. Present computer is a Dell Inspiron 4000 notebook with a P3-750 so the new desktop will be a treat.

Antec mid tower case, Performance Plus 660, incl. 330 watt Antec power supply
2 Sunon fans (NewEgg sold out on Antecs)
Asus P4s533 mother board
Intel P4 1.6a processor and fan
Corsair CMX512-3000C2 512mb memory
Matrox G550 video card for dual monitor
Lite On 40x CDRW retail
Toshiba 16x DVD
Western Digital 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB cache #WD800JB
Zoom v.92 pci modem
Sony floppy
MS optical wheel mouse usb
MS Natural Keyboard Pro usb
MS Win XP Pro
MS Office XP small bus.
Altec Lansing AVS 300W speakers

I have a 19" monitor. Soon may add a LCD monitor too. One of the strong motivations to build a new PC is to have dual monitors to work with.


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by LeftCoaster on 07/04/02 05:31 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
 
Sounds like a jam up system. I do have a suggestion for you to consider getting a trackball mouse instead of what you're looking at they are so much better, especially with games. Just take a look at the Microsoft Explorer Trackball, or at least one that has a large Optical Ball.

You never know what you can do until you try.
 
I'd go for a slightly higher PSU too - 330W doesn't leave you much headroom. Is it an Antec PSU? Make sure you get a good quality unit.

For SoHo use you might want to consider getting a UPS too.

Sex is great but it's no substitute for the real thing.....
 
Yes, it is an Antec power supply. I edited my Antec case description to better describe the power supply after reading your post.

If I were to upgrade case and power supply most likely it'd be to Antec 880 case incl. Antec 430 watt power supply. $14 more + $15 shipping = $29 to upgrade. Not convinced it's needed.
 
one stick is always better than two.


<i> :smile: I like Interactive THG!</i>
 
definately 1 stick. like i did with my latest system upgrade.
512mb sticks are very affordable, and brands such as sambsung PC2700 offer excellent speed and overclocking headroom.

plus with one stick there is less to go wrong, and you have more room for future upgrades. Given how much memory current games, applications and operating systems use, this is a wise thing.

So I fixed my BIG PC problem by pressing the reset button. I'm not a moron am i? :lol:
 
<b><font color=purple>1 stick 512 MB Samsung PC2700</font color=purple></b>

<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>
 
ewwwwwwwwwww a trackball for games?????????/ You cant be serious!!!! I cant stand trackballs for gaming!! Oh well, to each his own.

<font color=blue> "If you dont have it, that's why you need it!" </font color=blue>
 
Back, late, from watching 4th of July fireworks at the beach. It felt especially good this year to celebrate.

I'm using Samsung pc 2700 as my benchmark memory. I read it's about the best.

In my PC parts list, above, I may order Corsair CMX512-3000C2. It's $168 from NewEgg. Samsung PC 2700 512mb cas 2.5 is $150 from NewEgg.

Sometimes when I don't understand what I really need I tend to overbuy. I want an affordably fast and stable SOHO PC that I can use and enjoy for a few years. I'm not a gamer trying to build am extreme system.

I read that at the same speed cas 2 memory is better and faster than cas 2.5. Is it worth paying $18 more to get the Corsair pc 3000 cas 2 memory rather than Samsung pc 2700 cas 2.5?

Would I be better off to use the Corsair vs. Samsung $ toward the Antec 880 case with a bigger 430 watt power supply. Trying to find the sweet spot.




<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by LeftCoaster on 07/05/02 03:08 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
 
Corsair PC3000 CAS 2: it guaranties CAS 2, so if you are not able to get CAS 2 you can claim for a new stick

Samsung CAS PC 2700 CAS 2.5: it guaranties CAS 2.5 so anything better is “free”. The point is that in all reviews this Samsung PC2700 has been able to run at CAS 2 up to 180-185 MHz. I think this memory will run at 166 MHz CAS 2 about 95% of the cases.

So if you want to be sure about 166 MHz CAS 2: Corsair.

BTW, I bought Samsung PC 2700 CAS 2.5 and it’s operating at CAS 2 without any problems


<b>(<font color=yellow>as good as it looks</font color=yellow>)</b>
 
512mb sticks are very affordable
Click to expand...
hmmffff. in europe 512MB Corsair XMS3200 costs 300€ ($295). it is yet rather expensive.


<i> :smile: I like THG Interactive, Inc.</i>
 
i never said that corsair was a low cost name!
specially if you want the highest yield.

if you want to save money, go get crucial or sambsung PC2700 @ 512mb.

So I fixed my BIG PC problem by pressing the reset button. I'm not a moron am i? :lol:
 
What's the differece between the Non-ECC and the Registered memory? I'm planning to get the PC2700 512MB for my new Abit KX7-333R. Also any quiet and cold heatsink recommendation?
Thanks!
 
Because of the higher yeild (and less chips/complexity on a module, and larger area for heat dissipation) statistically two 256mb modules will overclock better then one 512mb module.

Having said that there tends to be better quality control on memory these days so if you're not planning on serious overclocking it shouldn't matter.

Then again you could move two 256mb modules on to a dual channel motherboard at a later date... ...but by then you'd probably want 1gb and so could just get another 512mb module...

I'd agree with the others and get the single 512mb module.

[edit]
ECC/registered memory contains extra parity bits which allows checking for memory errors. Typically only servers bother with this. You don't need it.
[/edit]

- JW<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by JCLW on 07/07/02 00:14 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
 
Non ECC means it simply doesn't support error correcting, which doesn't help stability much anyways. Most systems use non ECC, but servers which are built for reliability, often use ECC or registered memory. A good quiet heatsink is the Noisecontrol Silverado, but Global Win (suprise!) also makes a good quiet heatsink, the Tak-68, with 2 80mm 3000 RPM fans.

"When there's a will, there's a way."
 
I'm a newbie. Trying not to ask stupid questions. But not afraid to ask anyway.

JCLW mentions a dual channel motherboard. What is that?

From what I read Rambus memory needs to be installed two sticks at a time to get the full advantage of it's memory speed potential. One stick by itself is slower. Is that what a dual channel is?

Are there dual channel motherboard out now for DDR memory? Or is it something coming up in the forseeable future?

One of my reasons for my asking 512mb vs 2 x 256mb is a review I read, on THG I think, that seemed to show a speed advantage to having two sticks of memory over one stick. Not sure how to find it again.
 
Multiple memory channels allow the memory to be "striped" together, much like two hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration. This allows for greater bandwidth and lower latency.

The only dual channel DDR chipsets currently in production (intel 7500 & ServerWorks GC) are both for P4 Xeons.

All rambus chipsets with the exception of the i820 are dual channel.

Older VIA based boards often allowed for memory interleaving if you used two or four memory sticks. Interleaving can reduce latency by alternately reading/writing between the two (or four) memory sticks.

- JW
 
I'm in over my head, again.

I think I get it that in theory a dual channel motherboard with two DDR sticks could provide a higher output of GB/seconds. THG "Unstoppable DDR vs. Rambus" dated May 2, 2002 lead me to wonder if it was a currently available technology. Hence I asked if it's better to buy one or two sticks of memory.

Am I right that in todays *real world* there are no dual channel P4 motherboards?

However, they may become available in the future?
 
The answer to my question of whether to get one or two sticks of memory to total 512mb on my new PC favors getting one 512mb stick. Preferably Samsung.

The Asus P4S533 motherboard has a 4 bank limitation for PC2700 memory. I think one 512mb stick of PC 2700 has 2 banks. Correct?

So even though this motherboard has three memory slots in reality you're limited to using two of them if they're filled with 512mb sticks of PC2700. I can easily live with that. 512mb seems seems generous for my current needs.

Later I could buy another 512mb stick and have 1024mb if there was a need for it.

JCLW memtions dual channel memory and motherboards. They're not available now for P4s. Maybe in the future. Anyone want to project when they think that future will become reality?

If they come along in the not too distant future then a change to a dual channel motherboard and another 512mb stick might provide a significant speed boost at moderate cost. That's an upgrade path I'd look forward to, if I ever felt the need for it.

Thanks, everyone, for your ideas.
 
Thanks again for the ideas. My order is in with NewEgg. I ordered one 512mb stick of Samsung PC2700. I upgraded the case to Antec's Performance Plus 880. It includes Antec's 430 watt power supply.

$121 Antec Performance Plus 880 case and 430 watt ps
$10 2 Sunon case fans
$116 Asus P4S533 motherboard
$100 Matrox G550 Video card
$142 Intel P4 1.6A retail processor
$150 Samsung PC-2700 512mb CAS 2.5 memory
$8 Sony floppy
$114 Western Digital 80GB WD800JB hard drive
$27 M.S. Natural Keyboard Pro
$26 Zoom V.92 PCI Modem
$31 M.S. Intelli-Mouse Explorer v3.0a
$69 Lite-On 40x12x48 CDRW retail
$39 Toshiba 16x DVD
$48 Creative Labs Inspire 4.1 4400 Speakers
$139 M.S. Windows Pro
$179 M.S. Office XP Small Business
$1,319 Total
 
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