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Adding Kingston Memory

Not too long ago, we wrote an article on the benefits of a memory upgrade. (Read it here!) Well today we are going to prove not only how easy it is, but how beneficial it is. We are going to start with a basic system with 256MB of memory, add another 256MB stick, and eventually wind up with over 1GB of memory.

The System

The system we are upgrading the memory on is a DELL Dimension 8300. This DELL is currently running an Intel Pentium P4, an 800 Mhz Front Side bus, and has 4 184-pin DIMM slots. This will take various speeds of DDR memory. Our chosen memory today is DDR400 also known as PC3200 memory.

The Test

The memory we are using today was provided by Crucial Technology and Kingston Technology. To take advantage of dual channel capabilities of the DELL Dimension 8300, each memory type is being installed in matched pairs. The benefits of this can be seen later in the results. If you need more info on what dual channel is specifically.....send us an email and we'll help you out.

Crucial Technology

The two Crucial modules we are using today are 256MB PC400 DIMMs.

Kingston Technology

The two Kingston modules we are using today are 512MB PC400 DIMMs.

The Results

The methodology for this test is to begin with one Crucial 256 MB module, run the tests, add the other 256MB module, and then the test are run again. Once this is complete, we will remove both the Crucial 256MB modules and add one Kingston 512MB module. We will test, add the other Kingston 512MB module, and then test again. To top it all off, we will install all four modules and run the benchmark tests again.

To test the benefit of adding memory we ran 2 benchmark tests. The first is Sisoft Sandra Memory Benchmark and the second PCMark04. For Sisoft Sandra we are reporting on the Combined Index score and the Speed Factor score. For the PCMark04 Test we are reporting the PCMark04 Score.

Combined Index is a composite figure representing the overall performance rating of the entire Cache-Memory performance in terms of MB/s. The value is the logarithmic average of all the results for the entire address space. (Higher is better, i.e. better performance)

Speed Factor is a figure representing the speed differential between the CPU’s cache and memory. The value is the ratio of the fastest cache (i.e. L1) bandwidth to the main memory bandwidth. (Lower is better, i.e. the memory is not very much slower than CPU’s cache) As the factor is a ratio, it is useful only in comparing different CPUs and memory sub-systems rather than having a direct, physical interpretation associated to its numerical value.

The Results

In the Combined Index test, the two Kingston 512MB modules are the clear performance winners. In theory, the more memory the better. But as can be seen, when running both the Kingston and the Crucial modules together, performance actually decreased. Now both are quality modules, but they appear to not play as well together in this test. Please note: it is perfectly safe to the modules and system to run both together. It is a good reminder though of the effects of using memory from different suppliers or manufacturers together in a system. If it was something other than Crucial or Kingston, it is possible that the modules would not have functioned together as often is the case with less quality products.

In the Speed Factor test, once again the matched pair of Kingston 512MB modules rates the best, even beating out the combined score of 1.5GB of memory. This test is showing more of how fast the memory components are in combination with the processor cache and not the benefits of more memory. So with the processor speeds being constant in the test, we can see that the Kingston memory performs a little bit faster than the Crucial memory regardless of the amount of memory installed. This test also highlights the benefits of running in dual channel mode with matched modules installed.

The results of the PCMark04 test are a little bit harder to decipher. Really this test is showing how fast the memory is interacting with the overall system. This test does not show the benefits of more memory. Once again, the higher scores are for those tests against matched pairs of modules running dual channel. Whether it's two Crucial 256Mb modules, two Kingston 512MB modules, or all four together, the results are virtually the same.

All three of these tests clearly show the benefit of dual channel when running a paired set of modules. When going from one module to a matched pair, the memory is actually being utilized faster by the processor than alone. So not only do you get more memory, but it's actually faster this way.

Adding It All Up

Adding memory to you PC is a quick inexpensive and very easy way to boost performance. It's all a matter of buying the right memory for your system, opening the case, putting the modules in, closing the case, and rebooting your PC. Simple as that!!!

Our tests clearly show the benefits of more memory. We recommend a minimum of 512MB for any computer user. If you are doing more than surfing the web and checking email, more won't hurt. In our DELL Dimension 8300, we don't need more than one gigabyte of memory, so we are going to just use the fast 512MB Kingston modules and will put the Crucial modules to other uses.

Because of the fast performance and exceptional quality of the Kingston memory, we are awarding Kingston Technology an UpgradAdvisor.com Recommended Upgrade for their two 512MB DDR400 memory modules used in our testing. Don't hesitate to add Kingston Memory to your PC today!!

Where To Buy

For more information on purchasing a DELL Dimension 8300 or other DELL products visit
For more information on purchasing Crucial products visit Crucial.com
For more information on purchasing Kingston products visit any of these fine stores:

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