need advice

[RogueStar]

ok i was looking to upgrade my rig only to find out my POS MOBO's processor is "integrated" - yea for me - anyhow I can't afford to replace MOBO at this time so I'd like to optimize what I have

MY MOBO (http://www.ecsusa.com/products/k7sem_v3.html)

WHAT IM LOOKING AT BUYING (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?catalog=147&DEPA=1&submit=property&mfrcode=0&propertycode=&propertycodevalue=4189,2993)

out of these choices are there any brands I should stay away from - quality wise?

is it better to have one big stick or two equal size chips?

thanks

[sp00L]

Rule of thumb is that 2x256 is slightly slower than 1x512, but dual channel makes up for this and 2x256 will oc further than 2x512. Since you aren't exactly on the cutting edge, ie dual channel, DDR, tight timings, etc....I would suggest get something that fits your budget. You will probably be doing a massive upgrade later next year. Kingston, Corsair and Crucial are good names, and a few dollars more is better for the quality. I'm assuming you are looking to spend under $100.

The other alternative you have is to hold off until you can afford more. You can get one stick of DDR400 512M for $120-$140.

Let's do some math from NewEgg

N82E16820146296 $139.00 Mushkin Level 2, 1x512
N82E16813127166 $106.99 Abit NF7-S (great oc mobo)
N82E16819103379 $90.00 AMD Athlong XP 2500+

335.99 which includes shipping! (free shipping).

So, it's up to you. You are 1/3 of the way there and the $100 upgrade won't give you the performance that upgrading the mobo, mem, and cpu would. Maybe hold off until you can do a real upgrade. You can always scale back these prices. Maybe trim $20 off the mobo, $30 off the mem, CPU is as good as it gets. So, $50 brings you down to $285.99 aprroximately.


Anyways, sp00L out.....

[RogueStar]

sweet - that was darn good advice, thank you