Notebook RAM -- mix & match speeds? 1

[wpcoe]

My Acer notebook computer has two RAM slots, and came installed with 2 x 512MB PC4300 SO-DIMMs. (The FSB is 533Mhz.) I replaced one of the 512MB SO-DIMMS with a 1GB SO-DIMM, and now am considering replacing the other one. The max RAM capacity of the mobo is 2GB.

The problem is, the shops around here (Thailand) only seem to have 667Mhz SO-DIMMS. I know (or at least *think*) that a 667Mhz SO-DIMM will be backwardly compatible and operate at 533Mhz. However, what I'm not at all sure about is if I can have two SO-DIMMS: 1 x 533Mhz and 1 x 667Mhz operating side by side. Would that be a problem?

The 667Mhz, 1GB SO-DIMM is definitely affordable: THB700 ~ 750 (US$23-25).

 

[wahnula]

I unknowingly ran my Asus laptop for 4.5 years running two different speeds of DDR memory. I only found out when I went to take advantage of low RAM prices and upgrade to 2GB. In other words, the 2 speeds will work fine together, although at at the lower speed. Please note best practice is to use matching RAM, but it SHOULD work. If you're buying locally make sure you have a non-compatibility exchange warranty.

Another option would be eBay, many of their merchants ship globally.



Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[tf1]

Should be no problem as they will just run as the slower speed. Some manufacturers (HP definitely) fit cheaper 533 ram in the budget buys and 667 in the premium buys (same motherboard, etc, so it should work.

Unfortunately, unless the manufacturer's specs state they will run with either, you won't know for certain until you fit the new RAM stick.

Try connecting the laptop to an on line service such as Crucial and see what it recommends: you may find that both are offered as an upgrade path.


Regards: tf1

 

[wpcoe]

wahnula and tf1: Thanks for the feedback. I feel a bit better about giving this a try.

To the credit of the store where I usually shop, I asked them if I could return the RAM if it weren't compatible, and their stance was: "Bring your computer here. We'll try it and you pay only if it works.

 

[BadBigBen]

"Bring your computer here. We'll try it and you pay only if it works."

can't ask for a better service... I say GO FOR IT!

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[wahnula]

I say GO FOR IT!

Me too...and have SiSoft Sandra Lite preloaded and run the "Memory bandwidth test" and "memory latency test" which only take a few seconds and stresses the RAM a little. Best of luck!

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[HBonner1]

A related laptop memory question...
Running a Gateway MX6960 (refurbished from TigerDirect), Centrino Duo T5600 running at 1.83 GHz. I was running 2x1GB of DDR2 memory @667 MHz.
I just swapped out one of the sticks for a 2GB stick at same clock speed, so now I'm running 3GB. When I finally seated the new stick properly, the BIOS recognized it right away. I noticed, though, that I went from dual channel to single channel.
What exactly does this mean in terms of performance? I use MS Office, IE 7, some video editing, store my MP3s, and do some work through VPN. I bought the 2GB stick to trick this thing out so I can keep it for years. Is there somewhere I can go to get smarter on the the single vs. dual channel DDR2 issue?

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, should I keep the 3GB configuration single channel and expect it to perform as well, or should I just keep the 2GB setup?
I'm running WinXP Media Center SP2 - should I get another 2GB stick? Will my system run on dual channel speed even though Windows won't recognize the last GB? Thanks in advance -

 

[cdogg]

HBonner1,
Check this recent thread out:
thread602-1457391

There's more information in there than you probably need. You might also want to skip to the bottom first before reading the rest...

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

 

[wahnula]

HBonner1

Welcome to the forum. It's always best to start a new post even with a related new question. What happens is we deal with the original poster and help resolve his issues, and think the problem is solved. So, next time, start a new thread. You'll get more & better responses than tacking-on to an old and presumably-resolved thread.

cdogg has a good posting guideline in his signature; check it out, and once again welcome.

Tony

Users helping Users...