Is 4 sticks better than 2?

I currently have 2gb of ram in my machine running 7hp, im looking to upgrade to 4gb but not sure if I should use 4 sticks of 1gb or 2 sticks of 2gb? Will it make a difference?

no difference if you are running at stock speeds.
Only disadvantage is if you want to go with more ram in the future, you will have to remove 2 sticks.
Also, DDR2 is pricier than DDR3 right now so you might just want to go with 2x1GB to keep the price down.
$30 for 2x1GB and $52 for 2x2GB for DDR2 800
$24 and $38 for the DDR3 equivalent.

EDIT: I just looked at some G.Skill Ram and the 2x1GB kits that might be the same as yours are $37 and $53 at newegg,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231087

I recommend getting the same brand/model of ram for all the slots but if you have the $53 kit, then I would recommend getting a 2x2GB kit so if you need to upgrade to more ram in the future, you don't throw away too much money.

I've been running 4 sticks of ram in my machines for the past 10 years with no issues, and some were mixed brands.

I'm gonna go ahead and get 2 2gb sticks then, my mobo isn't ddr3 compatible so it'll just run at ddr2 speeds, right? I plan on upgrading my mobo in a few months so i'm gonna need ddr3 ram anyway so might as well get it now since its cheaper

If you are upgrading in a few months, hold off and buy DDR3 with the new motherboard.
DDR2 and DDR3 slots are keyed different so one can't go in the other.

Zepher said:

If you are upgrading in a few months, hold off and buy DDR3 with the new motherboard.
DDR2 and DDR3 slots are keyed different so one can't go in the other.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't know that. Alrighty then, the I guess for now it's just motherboard and dvd burner. Thanks for the help.