I purchased a used HP computer for the Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q6600 and Asus motherboard that was in it and am rebuilding it to suit my needs. I need to purchase some memory for it. PC2 6400 DDR2 SDRAM.

I will purchase 8gb total but am not sure if it's better performance wise to purchase 4 2gb dimms or whether I'm ok with 2 4gb dimms. Does anyone have an answer for this question?

I purchased a used HP computer for the Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q6600 and Asus motherboard that was in it and am rebuilding it to suit my needs. I need to purchase some memory for it. PC2 6400 DDR2 SDRAM.

I will purchase 8gb total but am not sure if it's better performance wise to purchase 4 2gb dimms or whether I'm ok with 2 4gb dimms. Does anyone have an answer for this question?

Makes no difference either configuration, but if all things being equal I'd go with the 2 4gb config.

What makes a difference is the specs (such as latency) of the memory for the specific class. Most memory providers have high performance series of memory, such as Corsair Dominator series.

Makes no difference either configuration, but if all things being equal I'd go with the 2 4gb config.

What makes a difference is the specs (such as latency) of the memory for the specific class. Most memory providers have high performance series of memory, such as Corsair Dominator series.

Thanks, John. I was thinking it might be easier to sell down the road if I purchased 2 4gb pieces. I really don't want to spend a lot of money on this as I have several computers and can't use them all. Just wanted a quad core system and I got this one at the right price.

This is the memory I'm looking to purchase. It was the cheapest. Not sure if it's the fastest but I won't be gaming or rendering terabytes of video either. The most I'll do is run a filter on a large image file.

A-DATA Supreme Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model SU2U800C4G6-2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211486&cm_re=pc2_6400_8gb-_-20-211-486-_-Product)

Cas Latency 6
Timing 6-6-6-18
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-211-486-TS?$S300W$
For $10 more I can get this memory:
Patriot Gamer Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model PGS28G6400ELK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220409)

Cas Latency 5
Timing 5-5-5-12
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-220-409-TS?$S300W$

Oops. Make sure to check the operating system. Most of the 32 bit ones only support 4 gigs.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=6285161&sku=C13-6198

This little utility is excellent in thoroughly testing the memory once installed.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/gr/memtest86.htm

Oops. Make sure to check the operating system. Most of the 32 bit ones only support 4 gigs.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=6285161&sku=C13-6198

This little utility is excellent in thoroughly testing the memory once installed.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/gr/memtest86.htm

Probably true about the 32bit OS limitations, but why not install a 64bit OS?

You should be able to look up the max memory, which is limited by the motherboard. Which model is it?

I'll be running Windows 7 64bit on this machine once it's built. It's an Asus P5BW-LA (Basswood3G). HP's website says it will support up to 8gb which is all I'm going to pay for. As I said above, I'm not wanting to put a lot of money into it. Just enough to make it a lean, fast machine.

Will add a Creative Labs Audigy SE 24bit 7.1 sound card, an HD PCI-e video card with DVI, VGA, and HDMI output, memory card reader, two DVD burners, the memory, and a new case.

I found an actual working copy of Windows XP x64 which allows for updates from Microsoft Update. I'm running it on a dual Opteron machine that I recently upgraded with an additional 4gb of memory. Windows 7 doesn't recognize two separate and distinct processors until you get into Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate. I'm not buying either just to put on an older high end workstation.

Windows 7 Home Premium recognizes multi-core processors so that's what I'll be using and in a 64bit flavor so all 8gb of memory will be recognized.