PC upgrade questions

[flandenco]

I have come to the point where I need to upgrade the RAM in my desktop because the 4gb I currently have are not enough anymore. I have decided that 8gb should be enough for what I want to be able to do. However, I am not sure how I should go about increasing my RAM- should I ditch the 2 sticks I have and purchase new ones? Should I buy a single stick or a 2-stick set? Can I combine multiple sets on the motherboard? I am a new(ish) PC builder and wanted to get some advice on how to proceed so I'm not wasting my time or money.

Thanks for any advice you can give

edit: I also realized that I have a 430 watt power supply currently, and now I am wondering if I should bump up the power if I am going to be doubling the RAM capacity

 

[aprildog18]

You should check if your mobo is a dual-channeled board, otherwise there really isn't a difference between a single stick or a 2-stick set. You should not combine multiple sets (I'm assuming you meant like one 4GB RAM and 2GB RAM sticks or something). Stolen from a forum- RAMs are not meant to be mixed, all the RAMs on a motherboard are suppose to be from the same manufacturer, model, capacity, frequency, even the year of manufacturer can sometimes matter.

A RAM stick generally uses 4 watts, so I would think your 430 watt power supply could handle it. Make sure your motherboard supports the RAM you want to buy, but in this day and age, incompatibility isn't that big of a thing anymore.