Deb It's more of a power consumption issue than a performance issue when you talk about filling up your RAM slots. There's only a negligible performance difference when running 2x2GB against 4x1GB, but having 4 slots in your motherboard will draw a little more power if green computing is something you're interested in.
The big performance issue is in regards to dual-channel mode that is part of today's multi-thread/multi-core processors, and this goes back to processors as far as Intel's Hyperthreaded Pentium 4s (so about 4 years). In order to run in dual-channel mode, i.e. run multiple processes in parallel for best performance, you must run matched pairs of RAM sticks. If you run an odd number of sticks, dual-channel mode will be disabled and you'll get a significant performance hit. Now, 32-bit Windows XP has the 4GB RAM limit because of the way 32-bit systems do their internal addressing. The upper limit of RAM you'll see is 3.6GB, so you will get some use of the 4th/2nd stick, but the key here is that you'll have to sacrifice this capacity in order to benefit from dual-channel mode when you run over 2GB of RAM. Truth be told, short of editing HD video footage or doing some crazy 3D rendering I don't think you need to increase your RAM from 2GB. Might be better to put the money into something else, like a new processor if your current system architecture will allow and upgrade. MOU ____ The WDVL Discussion List from WDVL.COM ____ To Join wdvltalk, Send An Email To: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] or use the web interface http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ Send Your Posts To: wdvltalk@lists.wdvl.com To change subscription settings, add a password or view the web interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=wdvltalk ________________ http://www.wdvl.com _______________________ You are currently subscribed to wdvltalk as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with.
