Extra RAM or New Ram

[Gambler1971]

My specs:
- Core E6750 G0 @ 3.4Ghz (its hot where I live so dont wanna over do it) [temps about 30 degrees C idle]
- ASUS P5K motherboard
- 2 X 1GB Kingston KHX8500D2 ram (2Gb in total) [clocked to 531.3Mhz {x2 so its 1062.6}]
- nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS 512 video card [overclocked by 20% - temps ok as I upped the fan a tad]
- Windows Vista 32bit

I get a Benchmark06 rating of 13700, which is ok for a $1,000 14 month old comp.

I want to upgrade to Windows 7 (the 64bit version) when it is available in Oct. So my question is, do I buy another 2Gb of the Kingston RAM (my board does not support DDR3, it only supports up to DDR2 1066), which will give me 4Gb total, or do I buy some other RAM.

If I should get new ram, which is the best (some say Kingston, some Team Dark, some Corsair, so Im confused, any recommendations) and how much in Gb should I need for a Windows 7 64bit machine [I would use it for Office products and gaming].

Also, If I buy new ram, my younger brothers computer only takes DDR2 800, will my DDR2 1066 ram run in his computer, so we can still use the RAM somewhere, and would 4Gb be ok for Windows 7 64bit (he has an AMD 6000+ cpu [he cant afford any new ram]).

Also, to many opinions say yes or no to this question, does RAM cooling make a difference?

Any comments appreciated.

 

[jsc]

There is no such thing as DDR2-1066 RAM. Now that I have your attention ...

DDR2-1066 is just DDR2-800 RAM that has been tested at 1066 speeds, generally at a higher voltage and looser timings.

For some reason, two 2GB sticks run better than four 1 GB sticks. I would buy 2X2 GB RAM and pass the original RAM down to your brother. They will work just fine at the lower speed. You might need to raise the voltage a little or relax the timings to make them work together though.

Brand of new RAM? Ask 8 people and you will probably get 4 different answers. I like Crucial Ballistix. My last three builds used Patriot RAM (good price from Fry's when I was home on vacation) twice and OCZ once.

I have never used any RAM cooling. But then, I do not overclock RAM either.

 

[OvrClkr]

I agree,

As far as brands go I have used Patriot, Crucial, Mushkin, OCZ and G.Skill and the only modules I have had issues with is OCZ and Crucial.... Of course this does not mean that you will have the same outcome...

 

[SpidersWeb]

I'd go with 2 x 2Gb new sticks as well.
I've got Corsair XMS2 1066. If you get RAM at 1066, just get what has the lowest CAS, and ignore weither it has a heatsink or not. I've never got the feeling they were needed (even running 2.3V or at the full 1066 speed).

Where 1066 is handy is that you can run 1:1 FSB when overclocking at the rated CAS specs without worry. Mine is running at "DDR2-930" at lower CAS (5-4-4-12 rather than 5-5-5-15) where with genuine DDR2-800 I couldn't be guaranteed of that speed.

So yeah, don't let big heatsinks sway your decision. My 2c anyway.

 

[OvrClkr]

Well right now I am running 2x2Gb PC2-6400 @ 4-4-4-12-24-2T 1.9v (900Mhz) and it is faster than my OCZ PC2-8500 5-5-5-15-26-2T 1066Mhz @ 2.1/2.2v =)

So for me its the other way around.......

 

[jitpublisher]

I like Crucial, and Corsair. (not the Corsair Extreme or whatever, it is too high priced, too high voltage, has never ever impressed me at all, but the less expensive Corsair is pretty good stuff in my book) Never had an issue yet with either one, but I have had issues with Patriot.
When you buy ram, here is the secret. Look for RAM that has low timings AND low voltage. Higher voltage is a cure for less than perfect RAM. Ram that does not run stable at 1.8 volts for example, may run fine at 2.0 volts. So, if you can find memory that runs at 4-4-4-12-24 at 1.9v, as OvrClkr has pointed out above, ^ that is fast memory with a pretty low voltage. That tells me it is good quality memory.
And it is a fact that 800mhz memory with fast timings will perform better than 1066 memory with looser timings.