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**Jinjiro** · February 16th, 08:13 PM

Ok, can someone tell me what is faster...2 sticks of 256 RAM or 1 stick of 512? Or is there no difference, and all about the price?

Also, out of these which would you get?

120GB hard drive (current one is 20)
512 RAM (current is 256)
Better video card (current is on board)
Faster CPU (current is Athlon XP 1600+)
Or just save my money

-Jin

**CrazyWeasel** · February 16th, 08:15 PM

I'd say its preference...If you ened that extra space, get it. If you need games to go faster you have like 3 choices...Ram,vid, or CPu(although the Cpu might like not be compatible with Mobo or sumthin i'm not sure)

So i'd say whatever you need...As for the sticks of ram, I dont think 2x 256 is diff then 512...then again i'm no expert...

**SEAL-1** · February 16th, 08:21 PM

1X512. You'll have 768 MB (the same I'm running) which is a good draw between 512 and 1 GB. Plus you'll still be running two modules (1 512 & 1 256) so if one kicks it your computer will still function. Also, by getting the 512 over the 256 you'll leave one DIMM open if you ever decide to buy more RAM.

Upgrades are a case by case situation. In your case, you definetly need more RAM and a new hard drive, then get the video card and finally a new processor.

If money is an issue, make a compromise. Instead of buying 512 MB of RAM, get 256 in addition to the 256 you already have. 512 is perfect for gaming, web-browsing and the like. You only really need more if you're doing CAD, video editing, server applications or if you're a preformance user. 256 of PC-2100 is selling for less than $40 right now, and you could grab either a new hard drive (120 GB Western Digital SE w/8 MB cache) for about $90 ($130 total) or a GF4 Ti4200 for around $125 ($165 total.)

Whatever you do, RAM is your biggest priority, followed by either a HDD or video card (if you can afford all three, go for it.) If you need any help with anything, feel free to PM me.

**Jinjiro** · February 16th, 08:27 PM

Hmm, actually I'm running 2x 128's right now, so would you still say 1x 512? 640 sounds good to me. I'm still trying to decide on whether I want to upgrade my comp as a birthday present or not. Heh, it looks like I'm just getting a new system from the way I posted.

-Jin

***NYY*** · February 16th, 08:29 PM

if ur looking to play games, then a video card may be necessary first, but overall ram will be better for your computer

***Pierced*** · February 16th, 08:37 PM

i think the only thing is that some mobo wont support the high ram like for example if you put a 512 in a slot that will only support 256 it will only read 256 so you would need 2x256 chips to get 512 hope this helps

**Nabio** · February 16th, 08:37 PM

Yeah, 1x512 for sure. Plus I can guarentee you that you'll find a better deal on one 512 than 2 256s. Go on to www.pricewatch.com and check things out, if you haven't already.

edit: mods that is not a paintball related site and in no way competes with direct paintball, so no worries

**SEAL-1** · February 16th, 08:42 PM

I edited my post...go back and read again.

Quote:

think the only thing is that some mobo wont support the high ram like for example if you put a 512 in a slot that will only support 256 it will only read 256 so you would need 2x256 chips to get 512 hope this helps

There haven't been motherboards that don't support 512 MB modules since the days of the Pentium II/K6-2. That really isn't a problem. The only thing he needs to worry about is 1)processor support, and 2)prescence/abscence of a AGP slot. Often, motherboards with integrated graphics have AGP graphics but they don't have an AGP slot. Since he's running an XP1600+, I'm thinking he might have a CPU cap of XP 2000+ or so, so that would eliminate a new CPU as an upgrade.

***NYY*** · February 16th, 08:43 PM

newegg.com is best place for comp stuff

**CrazyWeasel** · February 16th, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by NYY
newegg.com is best place for comp stuff

Definately, you can build a kickin' computer for really cheap.

**SEAL-1** · February 16th, 08:46 PM

Quote:

newegg.com is best place for comp stuff

That's where I get all of my stuff from...decent prices, while they're not the lowest you'll find on pricewatch, they have rock-solid reliability and excellent customer support. I never recieve a DOA product from them, and when something does die, they don't even ask questions with RMA service.

I highly reccomend buying almost everything from newegg. They're great except for PC cases (if they can be obtained locally, as shipping on a case is $15+ for three day) and cooling equipment.

***Pierced*** · February 16th, 08:52 PM

well i was using my comp as an example and and it sucks ass

**Jinjiro** · February 16th, 09:03 PM

Yeah, I use/plan on using newegg.com for everything I do with computers. It's really a great site.

Umm, yeah I'm thinking I'll go with a stick of 512 if I decide to get something. Then I hope I can find the add for the 120gb hdd for $60...That was a good deal. Otherwise I'll have to settle for something else.

As for CPU speed & APG slots, I got an Asus A7N-266. I am pretty sure I got an open APG slot, and I don't remember anything about CPU caps or not. SEAL you can probably tell if I've got one or not, right?

Thanks for the help guys!

-Jin

**SEAL-1** · February 16th, 09:24 PM

Well lets see...

That board has a Nvidia N-force 420 chipset. You can run your RAM in dual channel mode, but you won't get too much of a gain. I'd say get the 512 module and keep the two 128's...that will give you a total of 768, which is, like I said, a nice compromise between 512 and 1 GB.

As far as CPU is concerned, Asus's website says "Athlon XP 1900+ and beyond." You might be able to run up to a 2100+ (after the 2100+ they drastically changed the architecture) but I'm not 100% sure about that. I can guarantee you that you cannot go above a 2100+...and considering that you would only gain a marginal amount of speed with the CPU's you can run, its not economical to upgrade your CPU with your current setup. Even if you can run a 2100, you'd only pick up 370 MHz over your XP 1600+ (1600=1.4 GHz base speed, 2100=1.73 GHz base speed) and that would cost you $60 or so....just save that and build a new system later.

Like I said, RAM is your first priority, and then hard drive and video card have equal priority. A full hard drive drastically reduces preformance, since it becomes harder to defrag a drive with less free space and longer to access data. Your onboard video isn't terrible but you could do much, much better than that. A GF2 isn't ancient, but its almost there. A hard drive or video card is about the same price...its a toss up: do you want faster boot/load times and more space, or better graphics? Ideally, you should get both at the same time.

**Pr0ph3t** · February 16th, 09:32 PM

Well, you can dual channel it if you have a mobo that supports it. that makes it fasteR.

**SEAL-1** · February 16th, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Well, you can dual channel it if you have a mobo that supports it. that makes it fasteR.

Yes, the RAM runs faster. Not the FSB. The CPU is still running at an external clock speed of 266 MHz (2.1 GB/s), while the RAM peaks at 532 MHz (4.2 GB/s.) All you're really doing with dual channel on an AMD setup is doubling the RAM bandwidth for little gain.

**Big Weapons** · February 17th, 04:04 AM

If your current RAM is slower than your new RAM, the overall speed will run at the rate of your slower RAM. Just something to keep in mind.

**swimboy987** · February 17th, 03:13 PM

u have a built in graphics card? make sure u have an AGP slot to put a graphics card in. my friend evan had a built-in dell graphics thing and bought a radeon 9800 128mb and we opened his pc up and it turned out he didnt have an AGP slot. inotherwords he bought a 300odd dollar card and couldnt put it in. damnit he was pissed.

**allstarunited** · February 17th, 03:36 PM

Running one module does and always will yield faster response time, however, running two will make for a more stable platform, as stated by SEAL-1. If one of your modules bites the big one, you've got a backup.

Like someone else said already, I buy all my computer equipment from newegg........... except RAM. www.crucial.com absolutely can not be beaten. Sometimes a little more $$$, but always a lot more quality in both the product and the c