memory performance

[LaraCroftsLeftBoob]

my comp's got 1 gig of ram, 2x 512 (set up for dual channel) and i just ordered 2 more 1 gig sticks. how should they be installed to get the best performance out of them. add the 2 1 gig sticks to the 2 empty slots, or move the original ram there and put the 1 gig sticks in the default slots?

[zewone]

Do both sets of slots offer dual channel?

[spidey]

Depending on the chipset of your motherboard, filling in all the memory banks may have a slight decrease in performance because of timing changes. If you can do dual channel with with four sticks installed, have the larger stick on the outer banks. Check with your motherboard manual to see what the set up is for dual channel with four sticks.

[guyver2077]

yea if they are of different speed then you might lower the performance.

read the manual if you have it available. you should be fine using the 2 1 gig sticks in dualchannel

[LaraCroftsLeftBoob]

assume both slots are set up for dual channel. it's a dell dimension 9150, here's the link to the service manual:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim9150/en/sm/index.htm

it doesn't say how to set them up other than to install matching pairs of ram in slots 1 and2 and another matching pair in slots 3 and 4.

[Liquid 2]

For dual channel, you would put the sticks in every other slot (ie 1 and 3, 2 and 4). The slots are often colored to match as well.

[Dezuria]

Take out the original ram and replace them with the bigger ones. You could have issues combining the new ram with the old. (random crashes and such)