RAM Safety Problem 333mHz + 400mHz?

Question

I was just wondering that is it safe to use a 400 mHz 256 MB RAM strip with a 333 mHz 512 MB RAM strip. The 512 is the primary. the 256 is already in. Lately my mouse have frozen several times, it never happened before. Anyways, does using RAM strips of different speeds cause any damage like file corruption (like those with a crapped out processor) or hardware damage? I have an Intel (R) 845GVSR motherboard (prety crappy - doesn't support PCIE) that supposedly only supports RAM strips with speeds of up to 333 mHz. Yes the 256 RAM strip is recognized by both the BIOS and the OS (WinXP)

Answer 1

Ofcourse when you use chips from different manufacturers you MAY run into problems.. but it is not common.

When you use memory chips with different speeds, all that is going to happen is that they all work with the same speed as the slowest chip. So, if you use one 400mhz and one 333mhz chip, they will both run 333mhz.

One of your chips may be faulty, use this free program to check it out:

http://www.memtest86.com/

Answer 2

NO hardware damage.

System memory only runs at a single speed, so the fast RAM module will just default to the slower speed of the other module.

Try to reseat the last RAM module you added to ensure better pin connectivity. Do a system restore to the point where you did not have a problem w/ the mouse. Also try to do a viruscan. Defective RAM usually causes errors that lead to random restarts and not just freezing of mouse movement.

Answer 3

If the board does not support the higher speed chip this may be the problem. I have known different speed chips to cause problems even on a board supporting the higher speed chip.