Is 1x512MB RAM "better" than 2x256MB

[Ron_Jeremy 0]

I am building my first AMD system & will be choosing a board outfitted with VIA's (I'm already in a panic) KT266a chipset.

I was wondering if there's an advantage/disadvantage to using more or fewer RAM slots. What I mean is, would this board perform better using a single 512MB DIMM, or 2x256MB DIMM's? Or is this a dumb friggin' question? My apologies if it is

I will be using Win2K/XP, 1600+ chip, & will not be doing any overclocking.

[Brian Frank 0]

The only advantage is that you'll use 1 less DIMM slot with a stick of 512 as opposed to 2x256, leaving you with more space to add an extra stick or two later on. That's it. Performance is irrelevent, things being equal.

[Ultrix 0]

I agree, performance will be the same. 1 512mb stick will take up one less slot leaving room for expansion. However, it is cheaper to get 2 sticks of 256 than one of 512. So do u want to spend less, or spend more and leave room for upgrades in the future???

[pbuckne 0]

Check out pcboost.com. Ram is middle of the road stuff, but requires a high end system to run it. I saw a stick of 512 PC133 for 32$