Upgrading ram 1066(O.C.) vs 800?

grok

grok

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I have an Asus P5QPL-VM motherboard currently running 2 x 1gig DDR2 800 memory in O.C. (1066) mode. I want to upgrade ram to 4gig but the manual says 'Only DIMM_A1 and DIMM_B1 support 1066 memory modules'. So what are my options?

Can I just add another 2 x 1gig DDR2 800 modules in the empty slots seeing they don't support 1066? Would the different speeds even work? Or would I be forced to revert the 1066 overclock in the bios back to 800 for all slots for this configuration to work?

Should I sell the 2 x 1gig and get 2 x 2gig that I can run at 1066? Is the overclock to 1066 even worth the trouble or should I stick to 800?

Memory experts, which would be the better solution?
 
Speed differences in memory hardly make a difference in real world work, and an even smaller difference in games. Just get a 2gb 800mhz stick and throw it in (literally throw ;) :D).
 
Are your dimms currently installed in Slot A1 and B1? If so, it is not running in dual channel mode.
If you install another 2x1GB set, and only above mentioned slots support DDR2 1066, then if will take it down to DDR2 800 on all 4 slots, or it won't work until you do it yourself.
Dual channel > DDR2 800 to DDR2 1066 imo.

I have found in the past that a pc runs slower with 4x1GB modules than with 2x2GB modules. Maybe it was just that once or whatever, but I don't and won't run
4x1GB modules in my pc. I will however run 4x2GB, but that would be because I need the amount of ram more than the speed and I am pretty sure that the
memory controller on the I5 and I7 cpus are better than the C2D's.
 
if you're gonna run your cpu stock then you wont really need 1066 over 800.... 1066 allows for much greater cpu overclocking
 
Thx for all the help guys, especially Sharky I never realized A1 & B1 wasn't running in dual channel mode. TBH I tried the overclocking for no other reason than I saw the option in the bios and wanted to see if my memory could do it. Best option it seems is just get another 2 x 1gig modules and run everything at 800.
 
Another question, what program do you recommend to test ram speed/performance? I would like to experiment with various options to see which is the better configuration.
 
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