Patriot 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Thats what i have but i want to upgrade what should i consider buying to match it?

To match it the best thing you can do is get another stick of the same kind by Patriot. When you say you want to upgrade what do you mean? More RAM? Faster RAM?

To upgrade you must know what your motherboard is designed for. A quick way you can test it is go to www,crucial.com and let them scan your system. It is free and totally safe. All you will need to do is let them install an Active X applet.

The scan will tell you how much maximum memory your motherboard can run/handle and what type. 2 gigs with XP is a good number for the operating system.

GIGABYTE GA-M61PM-S2

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=GA-M61PM-S2

PC2 6400 seems to be the highest speed i can run and since i am using 32bit maybe i should just get two 1gb sticks? if i bought the exact same ram i have can they run in dual channel?

Your motherboard is certainly designed for dual channel. Question: Is your current memory the Patriot Signature series or is it the Extreme Performance? Go to NewEgg.com and look up Patriot 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 and you'll see this memory is cheap! (not in design or manufacturing; just very inexpensive)

I'm pretty sure it's neither as this is the one i have...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220088

i'm looking at buying two extreme performance 1gb sticks to run in dual channel and still have my other 1gb for a total of 3gb of ram.

I was looking at that earlier today and it is a great buy. Please notice the system specs of the Extreme Performance: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220174

It requires a higher voltage than the current one you have so don't mix and match. You'll have to go into your BIOS to make sure that the motherboard sets the Extreme memory to 2.0v.

You can either run the Extreme in 2x1 or you can get another stick of what you have which is at a great price and you'll have a 2x1 configuration. Unless you plan to overclock I say you'll be fine with 2 gigs of what you have (and they even can be overclocked).

Can i use those and my current one or no?

No, because your current one has the voltage set at 1.8 and they take 2.0. Another gig will do you quite fine of what you have and they can even be overclocked.

Are you thinking from a gaming experience?

Yes i do have gaming in mind for them. Would it be better to get those ones or the exact type i have so i would have 3gb of ram?

Concerning gaming, looking at your system specs another gig of RAM plus a different video card is more of your need. The unwritten rule is 2 gigs of RAM for gaming under XP. But your main issue is your video card. Games are very GPU intensive. What games do you want to play?

You have a decent system. Is your case small or is a mid-tower case? The reason I ask is because some of the newer video cards are large. Also, give us your psu make, model, and wattage.

Alright here is my system....

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=5007846&WishListTitle=My PC

(glad i still have that link) Oh and i have the windows 7 beta on this machine. I still like the idea of more ram. I also like the idea of putting in a card reader mostly for SD cards that has a few usb slots. Maybe this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223108

From reviews i had there doeosn't seem to be a ood selection of card readers without flaws but this one is only i have to insert sd and micro sd cards upside down and use a molex connector. I'm not sure why it has a 5v DC jack though.

Just throwing this out there, you can have a pretty decent dual core athlon for like $50

I would recommend upgrading multiple parts instead of the RAM alone. The CPU, PSU, RAM and video card would be what you should be looking at replacing. If you cannot do that, replace the video card only with an HD 4670 or a 9600GT.

How much are you willing to spend (if at all) on a complete upgrade?

another one of the same type. ALWAYS match ram.
read my guide in the guides forum.