Single or Dual DDR Ram

[hanged_man]

Im no RAM guru and this question may sound kind of stupid ...Im planning to buy new DDR 400 RAM Modules, so i was wondering whats the difference between a single and dual channel RAM ??? which one is better ?? by the way, my motherboard is MSI K8N Neo4 (939 Socket) and my CPU is AMD Athlon 3700+ SanDiego.
Anyway my plan is to get 2GB of RAM, so which of the following is better:
1GB Dual & 1GB Dual or
1GB Single & 1GB Single or
512MB Single & 512MB Single & 512MB Single & 512MB Single ?
By the way, these are the recommended memory combination list in my motherboard's manual ....so what do you say ??!
And one more thing, my current memory setup is awful, its something like this
2x512MB Dual (DDR 400)+ 2x256MB Single (DDR333)
So by getting the new RAM modules, would i see higher performance ??

[ZaphodB]

if cost sn't an issue I'd go 1gb dual 1gb dual (make sure the ram is of the same lot-batch though) It lessens the bottleneck on the buss between the cpu and ram.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_channel

wiki is your frieeeeeeeeeeeend :D

[hiob]

I have 2x512mb Ram (Dual-Channel) atm, I also plan to upgrade to 2x1gb, but the Ram prices are very high right now, so I´ll wait till they drop before I buy them. ;)

[Bludd]

Get a 2GB dual kit (2x1GB).

[avatar_58]

I had a 1x1GB going when I bought this PC and I upgraded to 2x1GB (Dual Channel now) and I saw quite a big difference with reduced loading times and less stuttering. I'd say go for it.

[Damien_Azreal]

Same here as avatar, it's worth it.

[Foxy]

It's free performance. Go dual-channel! :D

Buying a kit of 2 sticks should avoid the incompatability bullshit.

[Jiminator]

the 4 sticks are out, the amd boards may have issues with them. single/dual channel refers to the slots the memory is placed in, 2 sticks in the correct slots is dual, a single stick is single, the memory type does not matter as long as it is the same. there is also something called single/double sided memory. not sure how that all works, it has to do with the internal wiring in the memory and not the placement of the chips. some boards handle these slightly differently. generally not something you have to worry about.

[Phayzon]

I currently have 4x512MB, with 2 different pairs. Works pretty well, but Id strongly advise 2x1GB instead.

[hiob]

though i have to say again, the ram prices rocketed pretty high up the last few months, if you wanna save some money wait till after X-Mas

[hanged_man]

though i have to say again, the ram prices rocketed pretty high up the last few months, if you wanna save some money wait till after X-Mas

That's true ...i dont know why ...i guess ill just wait till christmas

[Jiminator]

I currently have 4x512MB, with 2 different pairs. Works pretty well, but Id strongly advise 2x1GB instead.
yeah, it sucks when you try to upgrade this configuration, expecially to higher speed memory.... :)

[Phayzon]

I intend for this system to die with its current RAM ;) (:()