RAM - One slot of RAM or two?

[Akashio]

Which is faster: 2 x 1GB PC3200 DDR RAM or 1 x 2GB PC3200 DDR RAM? Why?

[Akashio]

Which is faster: 2 x 1GB PC3200 DDR RAM or 1 x 2GB PC3200 DDR RAM? Why?

Please help me out...simple question...

[FurryCurry]

Not quite that simple.

What chipset does the motherboard in question use?

Does it support dual-channel access, like say, the Intel 865/875 series and a lot of others?

If your board supports dual channel operation, 2 sticks of matched memory will almost certainly be faster. If it doesn't, it shouldn't really make a difference either way.

Needs more brand/model/support chipset being posted for a definitive answer.

[Zero]

On average, two sticks can outdo one because of heat distribution.

-Zero

[bum]

On average, two sticks can outdo one because of heat distribution.

-Zero

RAM is generaly affected less by heat than any other system component. RAM heat sinks do little but look prety. If your runing a board that supports dual ddr, the two stick will double the bandwidth or something like that. But they must be the same sticks (speed, latency, etc). If your geting two sticks, its best to buy dual ddr packs which are basicaly 2 sticks in a fancy box designed to be run in dual ddr.

[kooda]

Generally 2 sticks will perform a little better because of dual channel like the other guy was saying. The 2 sticks will also be a little faster because their latency is generally lower i.e.: ram timings. But you probly won't notice much of a difference unless you're overclocking.