Hi all, which is faster: 2gb DDR400 or 4gb DDR333. I have xp x64 running on my pc, so i could use all 4gb, and I play a lot of memory-hungry games (Crysis, Bioshock, etc...) Sadly I'm stuck with DDR1 RAM, so I really want to get the best solution.

regards,

Oliver

If 2 GiB doesn't cut, then put 4 GiB in. If you aren't running into virtual memory with 2 GiB, there is no point in spending money on extra RAM.

Well, I have both of those options lying right in front of me, so I wouldn't be wasting any money... I just wanna know which option would be more effective: More but slower RAM or less but faster RAM!

regards,

Oliver

I think the speed matters little. DDR has kept pace with processor demands over the years. If you need 4 GiB of memory available, it is worth it no matter what speed it is running at.

You didn't state whether you were using 2 or 4 sticks.
I've had some difficulty with the ASUS A8N-SLI Premium using all 4 sticks and staying stable at DDR400 speeds. This was true of PC4800 and PC3200 DDR RAM. I had to kick the system back to DDR333 anyway, as well as going from 1T to 2T clocking.
More RAM is definately the preferable solution, especially if you're running a 64bit OS, but populating all 4 slots can cause difficulties, especially if you are OC'ing.

I didn't have any problems with my CPU OC (ran Orthos 12hr Blend to be sure[ish]) when going from 2x1GB to 4x1GB, all I really needed was to go from 1T to 2T (which was expected).

But like Ford said, if you're not using close to the limit of the 2GB you have now, then moving to 4GB of DDR333 is just going to slow things down. You'll just be using the same amount of (slower) memory. If you can use that much memory, then go for it -- I made a similar move -- from 2GB of DDR500 to 4GB of DDR400, and I'm much happier.

I have only 1GB sticks, so if I were to use the 4GB DDR333, I would be occupying all 4 slots. I have tried this for a few months now, no problems. I don't overclock either, after having some major stability problems overclocking my cpu and gpu. The DDR400 is also in 2GB sticks, so it would only be using 2 slots. But since I play a lot of games I guess I'll be using the 4GB DDR333?

regards,

Oliver

I would throw in the 4GB, then fire up your most demanding game. Then load Task Manager and see where your memory usage is at. If it's well under 2GB, then I would stick with the DDR400.