4 sticks of RAM vs. 2?

Having 4 sticks of RAM vs. 2 has no performance difference does it as long as they both equal 4gb?

 

Performance difference is negligible, if any, although a 4 stick configuration can generate more heat. It's a moot point, though; as far as I know there are no laptops with 4 memory slots.

 

I guess I should have mentioned that I was talking about desktop RAM.
Desktop review is too slow on answering. I was looking at RAM on Newegg and Ebay. I can get faster Ram on ebay for right now $50 (4 1gb sticks 1200mhz 5 timings) or $81 on Newegg for 2 2gb sticks that are 1066 with 5 timings.

I'm guessing that the 4 1gb stick would be the better option.

 

HP Envy 15. Max is 16 GB DDR3, and only way I can think of is 4x4 GB.

 

I'm pretty sure I've read on Tomshardware.com that memory timings are vastly over rated.

If your motherboard supports 8GB of RAM and you think you might take it there someday, I would get the the 2x2 sticks myself.

 

Hmm, you're right. Configuring one on the HP store, you can get 6GB in a 3x2GB setup, 8GB in a 2x4GB or 4x2GB, or 16GB in 4x4GB. It's not exactly a huge laptop either...curious.

 

They removed the optical drive and put in 3 fans, an extra HDD, and 2 extra slots for RAM.

 

The Dell Precision M6400 also has 4 memory slots. I think there is also a Clevo that has 3 memory slots.

 

I don't plan on needing more then 4gb until I upgrade the motherboard. Then I will have triple channel 6gb or what ever is out at the time.

 

sorry guys, desktop ram question here but i don't frequent desktop boards.

can you mix and match ram sticks? i currently have 2x2gigs in my desktop and 2x1gig sitting in the closet. they are all actually the same exact brand and timing sticks. can i use these for 6gigs of ram or is it a no-no?

 

Yes, you can, as long as the timings are all the same (if not, the RAM will all be set to the slowest stick's speed).

 

Where? I need that. Do tell...

 

Sorry, can't I need it for my senior project. I'm spending way too much money. More then I thought. Estimated $500, but ended up going to around $750. I just saved $26 buying a used 9800gt.

 

The memory timings as noted are practically meaningless. I have DDR2-800 in my desktop, and the difference between a CL of 4 and 5 is attributable to benchmarking error.

That said, I discourage the use of four sticks of memory for several reasons. If you have four sticks of RAM then you have a higher chance of encountering memory errors and it takes a lot of time to locate the bad stick (or even worse, the bad DIMM slot). Also, overclocking stability - if at some point you decide to overclock your processor, getting four sticks to go along with that is tricky . . . four sticks are not as stable as two.

 

Well with the FSB I'm going to be running (maybe 1600mhz overclocked) the Ram won't run much more then 800mhz any way, unless I want them clocked higher. So I guess I can keep the clocks lower if need be.

 

Stick with 2 sticks with high capacity... too many sticks isn't too good..