RAM question

[m0ttz]

Well I just put 2x1GB sticks of memory in my comp recently so I have 2GB now. But I still had 2 open slots left on my mobo, so I went scavenging through my pc parts and found I had 2 x 256MB cards doing nothing.

Will I cause any problems mixing the 256MB sticks and the 1GB sticks , I put them in so now I have 2.5GB. Just curious if this will cause any problems.

Thanks.

[iQue]

If all RAM has the same speed (DDR, DDR-2, DDR-3) it should work fine.

[m0ttz]

Ok thanks

[JustMe0171]

yeah make sure speed is same or it will slow it down. get cpuz to make sure

[sgt.collins]

and make sure it is aligned right... like if theres four slots... ||||
then make sure its 1gb|1gb|256|256

[ConscriptVirus]

yeah make sure its allinged right so u can use dual chanel or something like that

[Stormy{CAN}]

and make sure it is aligned right... like if theres four slots... ||||
then make sure its 1gb|1gb|256|256

That depends on the motherboard. Some will be what you wrote and some will be,

Slot 1-3 and slot 2-4

You know if it is right if it says the ram is in dual channel on the bios boot screen.

[AmericanDad]

In addition to it being the same type of DDR doesn't it have to be the same speed, PC2000, PC3000 etc?

[Hellsent 2.0]

Shouldnt this be in tech center?

[reynolddog]

In addition to it being the same type of DDR doesn't it have to be the same speed, PC2000, PC3000 etc?

Yes i have installed 2 pc-5300 1gigs and 2 pc-4200 512. I think im getting slowed down. And in CPU-z it doesnt say "DC mode- yes" It says "DC mode-" Hmm...... Should i take out the 512s?

[JustMe0171]

Yes i have installed 2 pc-5300 1gigs and 2 pc-4200 512. I think im getting slowed down. And in CPU-z it doesnt say "DC mode- yes" It says "DC mode-" Hmm...... Should i take out the 512s?

I would take the 2 out. if ya want 3 order another gig same speed.

and like Stormy{CAN} said, check ur motherboard for your slot order, i knkow mine is like he said 1-3 then 2-4
cpuz is a must dude if your not sure. it will give you all info on your MB and speeds of your ram & everything.

[dudbomb]

yeh, use CPU-Z to see if each stick is at the same speed, i had 1gb of 2 x 512mb's and they were at different speeds and it caused me alot of trouble with software, so make sure they are the same speed otherwise take them out.

and if they ent the same speed, just take them out.

[wtrtwnguy]

I will go with what someone else said: throw those 2x256MB sticks out (and give them to someone who can use them, sell on ebay etc.) It is not necessarily just the amount of memory that affects the speed of a system. The number of memory modules to be addressed matters, too! In your case, you will be adding a meager 2x256MB of memory while effectively doubling the number of memory chips your system needs to address. I would bet that your system will be slower even if the memory modules were 100% compatible (also note that your memory will be only as fast as the slowest memory module installed, so your brand new 2GB of ram will be only as fast as the old 256MB chips you found)

[BPCrusher01]

The system will default to the lowest speed RAM that you are using. 3 sticks PC6400 and 1 stick PC4200 means all 4 RAM modules will run at PC4200 speed.

[JustMe0171]

The system will default to the lowest speed RAM that you are using. 3 sticks PC6400 and 1 stick PC4200 means all 4 RAM modules will run at PC4200 speed.

^^^yepp exactly

this doesnt install dude, just download it & unzip it, hit it & it will tel you all u need 2 know.:nod:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php