So lets say if iam looking out at maxing my mobo's ddr ram capacity so having a performance ram or a value ram wont make a difference at all? i mean not even a signifant difference? At the moment i am using a Pentium 4 2.66 Prescott and god;s grace i hope i will be able to get the pentium 4 3.4 Prescott...

Would the change of chip affect the performance or the change of RAM?

THank you!!

I am currently using 512(Dual Channel) DDR ram... and well i am planning to use it for simulation and programming. Like AUTOCAD for example(Uniwork). Welliam looking at upgrading but iam scared to take the first step upgrading, i am very attached to my pc.

I am also wondering whats the difference between Asus M2a-vm HDMI and the normal M2a-vm....

And the amd x2 series for my situation which is a good buy?

@ultraconductor
your rams would run on a lower speed as the lower speed rams would need a Vdimm increase to supplement the speed hike. Ram compatibility would depend on your manufacturer. This, you would have to find out on your manufacturers website.

@wickedghost
Both rams will work fine regardless on name of rams, as they follow certain guidelines in the initial process of making them. Also if it is based on bandwidth, its highly suggested you take a 16 chip ram, then an 8 chip ram. In rams, Bandwidth is crucial For overclocking, Branding of rams doesnt matter, what matters would be the chip itself, like Elpida, Promos, Qimonda, Micron etc.

simple, just look at the chip and if theres a heatspreader, just get the batchno or serial no and google it. Should give u a rough idea.

And if youre experienced enough, just test it and u would know in an instant