is 8gb ram ok with 3 sticks, for gaming.

[jjsjr01]

i have
1x4, 2x2
is that okay for gaming.

 

[TofuLion]

In general you would want either two or four modules to enable dual channel, but it's not a huge difference it should be fine. As long as they are compatible with the mobo and each other you shouldn't have a problem and won't notice too much of a difference.

 

[jjsjr01]

In general you would want either two or four modules to enable dual channel, but it's not a huge difference it should be fine. As long as they are compatible with the mobo and each other you shouldn't have a problem and won't notice too much of a difference.

i am new at pc building. what is dual channel?

 

[bmacsys]

In general you would want either two or four modules to enable dual channel, but it's not a huge difference it should be fine. As long as they are compatible with the mobo and each other you shouldn't have a problem and won't notice too much of a difference.

i am new at pc building. what is dual channel?

The ram is DDR 1600. The individual sticks are 800 . Paired it is 1600. You need either two or four matched sticks. Otherwise it won't run in dual channel. I would run only two matched sticks if I were you. 2x2. Then I would try to buy a second stick of whatever that four gig stick is. Once I got that I would put the pair of four gig sticks in and ditch the two gig sticks.

 

[TofuLion]

In general you would want either two or four modules to enable dual channel, but it's not a huge difference it should be fine. As long as they are compatible with the mobo and each other you shouldn't have a problem and won't notice too much of a difference.

i am new at pc building. what is dual channel?

dual channel allows for theoretically twice the bandwidth of single channel, meaning the cpu and ram can pass twice as much data back and forth.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-the-Dual-Triple-and-Quad-Channel-Memory-Architectures/133/3
however, this comes with limitations, since the modules each have their own channel they can't always perform in the most efficient way possible. if it's for gaming, the difference is minimal and single channel is sometimes more suited anyway
http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1349-ram-how-dual-channel-works-vs-single-channel/Page-3

so as long as the ram is compatible with the rest of the system, you're good.