right now i have one corsair 1024mb ddr2 533mhz ram chip. i just ordered one 512 corsair chip, if i get another 512 exactly the same, can i run duel channel even though i have a 1 gig chip, or would all 3 chips need to be the same?
I believe you can, just don't hold me to that

. I'm not 100% sure, but check your mobo manual just to see if it mentions it.
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yes you can. as long as your one gig PC mark dosent differ from the one you ordered. next time check. i suspect since its DDR2 its at least PC3500 like mine (although my memory controler runs them at PC3400 dual chan) well whatever it is, better match
PC3500-PC3500
PC3400-PC3400
etc. etc.
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It's dependant on your chipset, any i9x5, when the RAM is installed properly should work in dual channel mode (with mismatched pairs like that 1GB stick +2x512MB)
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