Different speed ram chips - does it matter ??

[TboneJr]

I was upgrading my ram on my PC. I got a good deal on 1 GB of DDR2 6400 Gaming ram. I already had 512 MB of DDR2 4200 and 512 MB of DDR2 5200 installed. Will the slower ram (4200 & 5200) Slow down the 6400 ?? Would it be best if I just put the 6400 in by itself or is it ok to just leave them all in ??
The computer seems to run fine with them all in but I wonder what would be the best.
Also my board does not support dual memory.

Thanks for any help.

Terry

 

[adnan1100]

your system will work with the speed of slower RAM. in ur case i think u shd just use the 1gb ram as its the fastest among the 3 if 1gb is enough for u.

Adnan

http://www.ammuindustries.com

 

[TboneJr]

Actually that is what Im doing for the time. I just hate for the other GB to just sit there Thanks for the advise.

Terry

 

[cdogg]

Terry,
I'd say it depends on your CPU. If you have an Intel that runs on a 800MHz FSB, then it would probably be best to just stick with the DDR2-6400 which also runs at 800MHz. With the 4200 in your system, you are slowing the memory bus down to 533MHz which could be noticeable in some PC's. Again, that depends a lot on your CPU.

I know you hate to see it just sit there. Sell it on eBay! DDR2 is still pretty easy to get rid of...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[wahnula]

It's simple really...download and install a free benchmark suite (like SiSoft Sandra Lite) and test the system with 1GB, 1.5GB, and 2GB RAM installed. It's hard to say exactly HOW your PC will react, that's why I recommend a benchmark suite, to eliminate some guesswork.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[gbaughma]

In short...

It's not a good idea to mix RAM speeds.

I've seen *REALLY REALLY* funky things happen that turned out to be mis-matched RAM.



Just my 2¢
-Cole's Law: Shredded cabbage

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[TboneJr]

Thanks for all of your advise. Im going to try the benchmark suite and see how it turns out. I was really surprised but with all the mixed memory in the pc - it still ran stable. Maybe that is because the bus system was slowed down to 533 mhz. But anyway Ill post back and let you know what the results of the test turn up.

Thanks again
Terry

 

[cdogg]

In addition to a benchmark...

Another thing you can always do is run memtest (free utility on the net). It runs a series of intensive tests that will fail if there are any issues - a good indicator if your system is really stable. The longer you let it run, the more accurate the results will be.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[ceh4702]

It might work well together or it might not. slowest RAM!

RAM is more than speed 1 or speed 2. RAM may have varying voltage requirements. RAM may have different Latency ratings or Timing requirements. That is why RAM should be matched up with exactly matching modules. That means the same exact brand and model.

Often faster running RAM modules have lower latency and require lower settings to run. So that would slow down the Slower RAM you have and make it run even slower.



If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.