How can I maximize the performance in my RAM?

I have two sticks of 512MB DDR RAM. However, one of them is old, and the other one is new. The old one is DDR333, and my new one is DDR400. I don't have the money to upgrade my old stick to another DDR400. Currently, I have my RAM running at single channel. Would they perform better if I have them running at dual channel, or will it make any difference at all? Also, I would greatly appreciate it if someone could also give a short explanation as to why the RAM would or would not perform better, so I have a clearer understanding of this issue. Thanks!

 

Before any answer can be given. Is your CPU Intel or AMD?

Some system specs could, and will, be helpful.

 

My system specs are as follows:

Intel Pentium 4 2.4GHz
2x512MB DDR RAM (See first post for specific RAM info)
80GB IDE Hard Drive
128MB ATI Radeon 9600 Pro

If there's anything else you would like me to include, let me know

 

Your RAM would run better in Dual Channel mode, assuming your motherboard supports it. Is this a custom system or a brand name? if custom, what kind of motherboard?

as you know, your stick of DDR333 limits the other one to run at the same speed. Also by default, the memory timings will be the looser of the two sticks factory setting. You can try to tighten (lower) the timings to increase performance, but this can be a fussy process and require many reboots and crashes while you try to figure out what timings are stable.

Running the ram in Dual Channel is beneficial because there are two memory pathways from the processor instead of 1.

 

Ahh alright, well to answer your question, this is a custom system. My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000-L, so yes it does support dual channel. I'll go rearrange my RAM right now Thanks for the help!