ram upgrade question

[tone12]

hi,

im currently runnin xp and have 2gb of ram and want to upgrade. i reckon im gonna get windows 7 next year so with forward planning in mind i wanna get 6gb of ram. il only use 4gb of ram now but at least il have another 2gb to add on later.

the ram i was lookin at is this

GeIL Ultra Series 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-8500 1066MHz Triple Channel (GV36GB1066C7TC

it comes in around £50 from this website so it seems a decent price. i assume triple channel ram performs better than dual channel?

also, will my mobo be able to run it?

Gigabyte S775 Intel P35 Express ATX Audio Lan

Supports Intel Core 2 multi-core and 45nm processors
Supports both DDR2 and DDR3 memory for great flexibility
Features PCI Express x16 for outstanding graphics performance
Integrated SATA 3Gb/s with RAID function
Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet
Ultra Durable 2 motherboard design

 

[Plec]

EDIT: trying to find more details on your S775 MB... (interesting board)

If you can run DDR3 memory in the above MB you will only need a dual channel kit as it's still only a dual channel motherboard. As far as i can tell you have 4 x DDR2 slots and 2 x DDR3 (check your manual for confirmation of this).

You would be better off buying a 4gig dual channel set (2 x 2gig strips) as it's cheaper than buying a tri-channel set plus you couldn't use the thrid stick. From a quick google i think you will only be able to install a 1 x DDR3 dual channel set so you would be limited to a max of 4 gig DDR3. If you wanted more than 4gig you would have to use the DDR 2 slots which would enable you to upgrade to 8gig (4 x 2gig strips.) as there are 4 available slots.

If you're only gaming and light apps use then the 4gig set will serve your needs and you will notice a significant performance increase over 2gig.

EDITx2: i'm struggling to find info on your MB could you confirm the model - is it the GA-EP35C-DS3R link? (if it is the above applies)

 

[tone12]

that MB u posted is a slightly different model but the spec seems very similar. my MB has 2 ddr2 slots and 2 ddr3 slots so i reckon il just go for 4gb or ddr3 ram then. triple channel isnt supported so dual channel will have to do i guess.

 

[tone12]

one more question. i currently have 2gb of 667mhz ram (OC'd to 800mhz).

am i gonna see much of a performance increase by buyin ram thats 1033mhz or 1333mhz?
my understanding is that id only need ram that fast is if i had a much faster cpu. is this true?

 

[Plec]

if i had a much faster cpu.

What is your cpu?

 

[tone12]

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (OC'd to 3.2ghz). FSB set to 400mhz