As of now I have a 2x 512 of Corsair ValueSelect and was wondering if I should get 2 more 512s or if I should just put this ram in my soon to be server and just get a gig stick of some higer quality ram
Depends on what you're using the machine for and what setup you're running. 2gb will improve smoothness if you're gaming and should make things run generally a little nicer. It wouldnt be a great idea to go from 2*512 to 1*1gb, as you're not gaining anything in capacity and you're probably loosing out on dual channel. Upgrading 2*512 for 2 branded/quality ram isnt really worth it either tbh, unless you plan to overclock
I recently invested in 2X Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC4000 512mb sticks... They've got a sexy blue glow round the bottom, which shines a blue haze on the motherboard, and a load of activity lights on the tops... The look sweet! These are the 2x512mb ones. Oh, and they overclock nicely too.. To quote hitman012 > "although it says 2.5-4-4-8 on the box, don't be fooled. Expect them to do at least 2.5-3-2-7 at 2.7V - probably lower. It should scale nicely (2.5-3-3-7, again maybe less) all the way up to 275+ Crucial are oddly conservative when rating their memory..."
As said, it depends what you do. Crucial Ballistix is a waste of time if you don't plan to overclock - either get some value Crucial/Kingston/Corsair/OCZ stuff or stretch to some lower-latency Corsair XMS sticks if this is the case. 2GB is becoming the norm for gaming, but if your computer isn't up to running newer games with everything on medium/high, then you won't notice any real benefit. Only replace your 2x512s with a single 1GB stick if you plan to get another gig pretty soon - you'll actually lose speed without dual-channel mode (assuming you have a system that supports it) and the 1GB sticks won't clock as well as your 512s.
would i notice any increase an performance if I got 2 more 512s or would i actually be losing performance
Avoid having 4 DIMM modules.... you'll probably end up having to use 2T timings and higher latencies. If you want 2Gb, then get 2x 1Gb instead of 4x 512. There's no point in getting low latency sticks if you're going to use 4 of them! At standard 200MHz speeds, the 1Gb Ballistix may well do 2.5-2-2-5 1T, and at least 2.5-3-3-7 1T, which will beat anything if you're going to use 4x sticks as you'll probably end up in 2T. You've also got room to overclock.. potentially all the way to 300MHz@ 3-3-3-8 1T if you have the right motherboard. Worth every penny, and right now, Overclockers.co.uk have a good deal.. £159+VAT I think... for 2x 1Gb Ballistix!! That's REALLY cheap!
thanks for the help Pookeyhead but unfortunately I am in the states and would like to get my ram a little closer to home so I can't take advantage of that deal p.s. how much does £159+VAT work out too?
I love Google calculator. It's probably cheaper over there, though. Change the $ to a £ and that's what we have to pay
the uber cheap ocuk sale price is about the same as waht crucial charge in the US http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.Asp?IMODULE=BL2KIT12864Z503 takes the piss that crucial sell it in the uk for what works out to about $440 and sells it in the us for $330 ish....
thanks for all the help, I plan on getting a 3800X2 and would my current ram be sufficient to overclock it without the ram becoming a barrier? or would I have to upgrade my ram for this purpose?
You should be able get those chips to 220MHz at least with fairly loose timings. You'll just have to see how it goes
