I want to upgrade my memory, not sure of which RAM to choose!!!!!?

Question

Hey all,

Built my first computer about a month ago and as a follow up i wanna purchase some more memory.

I'm on a tight budget (currently running 1GB DDR2 PC2-4200) and I simply want to know if I should buy another 2GB of PC2-4200 RAM and have 3GB of RAM or buy 2GB of PC2-6400 RAM and just have 2GB.

Which would best help my system run smoother.

Hey, seems as though as I wasn't clear enough.

The current RAM i have is DDR2533.

My motherboard supports 533/667/800 memory.

I want to know whether its better to add anothe 2GB of DDR2533 to my current 1GB of DDR2533 or scrap the old memory and buy 2GB of DDR2667.

Answer 1

http://www.crucial.com/ has a free excellent scanner to determine what memory you have and what modules you can add.

Answer 2

Assuming you're running XP, get 2GB of DDR2-800 and toss the 533. XP can only utilize 4GB of RAM total due to limitations on the address size the OS uses: This 4GB is system ram and virtual ram combined and thus the actual amount of RAM gain using 3GB of DDR2-533 is miniscule while the DDR2-800 modules will run significantly faster [And will have more of an impact on performance]

If you're running Vista, I would still recommend having the 2GB of DDR2-800 over 3GB of DDR2-533 because, again, the significantly faster data transfer rate on the DDR2-800 under everyday operation [gaming...etc] will give a more noticeable performance gain than having more physical RAM at a lower speed.

Mushkin has a great price on their DDR2-800 RAM:
It has good timings (5.5.5.12) at the stock RAM voltage (1.8v) for DDR2 motherboards [no need to fiddle with BIOS].
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146118

Answer 3

Ok lets have a reality check.
1. Do u play pc games? (do not include spidercell)
2. Are you involved in some type of graphic design, or 3D rendering?
3. Do you multitask with programs that rely heavily on memory?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, then yes, u should ditch ddr2533 and go for the 667. other wise save your money and add more 533 ram. I currently have 4gb of 533 and my pc runs flawless with any app.

Answer 4

Yank the 533 out and put 667 in. Youd run better with 2GB of DDR2 667 than with 3 GBs of 533 as anything over 2gigs is usually overkill with XP unless you're running intense spreadsheets or something so, even thou youd have less ram, your system would be faster.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145015
(If your board can handle 1GB sticks)
Althou its rated at 675 it runs 667 by default.

Answer 5

Just buy 2GB of 667MHz, it is cheaper and still compatible with your older memory, it will be as if you had 3GB of 533MHz, but its hard to even notice the difference between 533 and 667 so the only thing to really consider is price.

Answer 6

do what u feel right.
as i suggest u should buy another 2GB of PC2-4200 rather than ur next choice
buy the type of ram which is needed to run the latest games;
u should have 3gb total ram than 2gb
there is very miinute diff. bet. the frequency of each other.

Answer 7

U can buy 2GB of DDR2533 RAM. so u will get 3GB. u won't find much diff. in DDR2677 unless u use some special softwares. If u do just gaming, then 3GB will help u better, than fast 2GB.

Answer 8

RAM can vary in sizes. You will need to consult your motherboard's documentation to find out what RAM your computer will accept. The higher the DDR ram the better (i.e. DDR < DDR2 < DDR3 etc.). You can put different sizes of RAM into your motherboard although I do suggest (and so would your motherboard documentation) that you put the same RAM size in each slot you use.

Answer 9

OK, dunno wot's with this PC2 stuff but you go buy the DRR2xxx. Let's say in your case u got DDR2, ok you didn't say but probably DDR2667. Well you can only get DRR2XX (e.g. DDR2887) when your pc supports it. Let's say ur pc supports only DDR2667, then you can't get DDR2887. So there you go. Next WinXP supprts max like 4GB. and ur ans is buy 2gb coz why would u get rid of ur old ram make it 3gb. sry if my ans not help but need more specifiifc

Answer 10

Get DDR2-533 because if u get faster ram, the ram will get underclocked to 533mhz anyway because if u have two speeds of ram, your mobo will use the slower ram clock speed.

Answer 11

Hi - to my knowledge DDR 2533 runs smoothly even after a few years. If your budget is tight you might add the additional 1 GB if you have slot for it available. DDR is DDR whatever the configuration.- Amos.