Dual channel help please

[al19]

I have a AMD Athlon 64, 1800 MHz (9 x 200) 3000+ and a mother board .... MSI K9N Platinum (MS-7250) (3 PCI, 2 PCI-E x1, 2 PCI-E x16, 4 DDR2 DIMM, Audio, Dual Gigabit LAN, IEEE-1394

At the moment the installed ram is:
DIMM3: Kingston 512 MB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM
DIMM4: Kingston 512 MB DDR2-667 DDR2 SDRAM

I have 2 free memory slots and I would like to increase the RAM by installing another 2 x 1GB kingston DDR2-667 without removing the 2 x 512 already installed. Is this a good solution? Will I still get dual channel performance with these 4 memories?

I'm usuing Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32bit and I've read that there's no point in installing more than 3GB. I'm not an expert and that's why I'm here seeking expert advice. What would be the best solution to get the max Ram possible on this PC?

Thanks

 

[STEALTH429]

hello al19, i think the usual config for using the dual system is to use slots #1 and #3 for identical memory such as 1 Gb and the other slots #2 and #4 for both 512gb memory ram.

But just to be sure, you can consult the motherboard catalog for further information.

 

[al19]

hello al19, i think the usual config for using the dual system is to use slots #1 and #3 for identical memory such as 1 Gb and the other slots #2 and #4 for both 512gb memory ram.

But just to be sure, you can consult the motherboard catalog for further information.

Thanks stealth429, So there's no problem in using 2 x 512mb and 2 x 1GB? The reason I'm asking is that the guy in the store told me that I would have to use 4 memories of the same size i.e. 4 x 512mb or 4 x 1GB.

 

[STEALTH429]

the guy is right, it is best to use 4 identical capacities for max performance. and it is also acceptable to use your current requirement so long as they are all identical DDR2-667, using 1 GB for slots #1 & #3 and 512MB for slots #2 & #4, to activate your dual system needs.

 

[al19]

Thanks STEALTH429 for clarifying that for me. Much appreciated.

 

[Tedster]

if you want dual channel performance you need to stick with 2 twin sticks of ram, anything more will bog the system down.

 

[al19]

Thanks Tedster.
Does that mean that I shouldn't fill the 4 slots? Then what would you recommend to get the max RAM. I do 3D modelling and CAD.