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Dual-channel vs. Single-channel memory

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  JohnWill 
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My current computer, which I bought late 2004, came with 512MB dual-channel RAM. Because of the 70 updates to Win XP that have occurred since then, with their attendant security crap that burdens the system, I decided today to double my RAM to 1GB. I did that by buying a single 512MB PC 3200 DIMM.

However, my PC has 2 pairs of memory slots. The original 512MB were installed as two 256MB DIMMs, one in one slot in each pair of slots so it was accessed as "dual-channel" RAM. My ASUS MoBo book says that if you insert a SINGLE DIMM in any slot, the entire memory will be addressed as single-channel. So my question is, what's the difference in speed between dual- and single-channel memory? Am I cheating my computer out of higher memory speed by installing a single 512MB DIMM vs. using two 256MB DIMMs which would run as dual-channel memory?
 
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