ram ram ram

[ChoboSeki]

Asus P5Q Pro Turbo motherboard, DDR2

I'd like to have more memory in my computer but don't know which to get.

Option 1)
- 4 GB (2 GB x 2) @ 1066MHz (x2 for 8GB, 4 sticks)

Option 2)
- 8 GB (4 GB x 2) @ 800MHz

For gaming and photoshop, just all around random apps, which would be the best?



I currently have 4GB (2x2) 800MHz G Skill (F2-6400CL5-2GBPQ)

[ChoboSeki]

No reply yet, so let me simplify.

I want 8GB of RAM but not sure if 2 sticks of 800MHz is better than 4 sticks of 1066MHz.

[ChoboSeki]

I just realized this is in the wrong forum hahah

[glc]

The cheapest way is get another 4gb kit of the EXACT ram you have now.

[ChoboSeki]

Can't find exact, and mine don't come in kits. Some dude gave me the memory free.

I have F2-6400CL5-2GBPQ, would F2-6400CL5S-2GBPQ work? Newegg has for $35.

Same timings and voltage, I'd assume they will work.

[glc]

MATCHED pairs highly recommended, you may have stability issues if you have an oddball module in there.

[ChoboSeki]

That brings me back to my main question:

Would 4 sticks of 2 GB (8 GB) @ 1066 MHz perform better than 2 sticks of 4 GB (8 GB) @ 800 MHz?

[David M]

My guess is the faster RAM would make the computer quicker. This is because not all RAM is necessarily used. Applications will use the RAM that they need until all of the RAM is being used, which does not always happen especially if you are not running a bunch of applications.

You have two variables here, RAM speed and RAM amount. RAM speed matters if you are not using all the RAM. RAM amount matters depending on the sum of the amount of RAM the applications you have running need. Your computer only needs more RAM when your applications need more RAM and start resorting to accessing the hard drive which makes the applications you have booted run slower.

I don't think having more DIMM sticks, given everything else is equal, makes your computer faster or slower.

Pick the faster RAM, you still have the same amount as the slower RAM.

The reality is that you will not notice any difference between 800 and 1066 unless you run benchmarks to compare the two.

[glc]

Unless you are overclocking, you won't notice the difference between 800 and 1066, and if I had to choose between using 2 or 4 modules, I would choose 2 modules. Less load on the memory controller.

[ChoboSeki]

Originally Posted by David M Your computer only needs more RAM when your applications need more RAM and start resorting to accessing the hard drive which makes the applications you have booted run slower.

I have a SSD so I have paging and all that disabled. My RAM goes up to 97% sometimes. I multitask a LOT and 8GB is sufficient. I guess I'll look at some 1066 memory.