I am going to be buying some ram soon and I am new to computers, so what do I need to look for? Other than fitment (of course) and size, what should I be focusing on? I know I have 1 gb of pc3200 now. Whats the difference between pc3200 and pc2100? Is the 3200 better? Thats what I assume. Like I said, still a little new and need to know so I dont waste $$$ on crap. Thanks!
Buying memory, what to look for.
- Thread starter vr2jetta
- Start date
yes 3200 is better.
According to the manufacturers website...
1. Type: Dual channel DDR400/ 333/ 266 -184pin
2. Max capacity: Up to 4GB by 4 DIMM slots
Your using 1 stick of the fastest memory your motherboard can support. So to max out your memory you can have either 4 x 1gb, or 2 x 2gb sticks of DDR400 (pc3200). Of course having just 2 sticks would mean you will have 2 memory slots open but your motherboard can only support up to 4gb anyways. If your only have a 32 bit operating system you can only use around 3.25 gb anyways, or somewhere around there, I know a 32 bit operating system cant use 4gb. If you do buy more memory and plan on also using the memory you have then either try to get the exact same memory that your using or memory that has the same specifications. If your motherboard only supports a maximum of DDR 400 then its probably time to upgrade, not that DDR 400 is bad but there is much better out there.
According to the manufacturers website...
1. Type: Dual channel DDR400/ 333/ 266 -184pin
2. Max capacity: Up to 4GB by 4 DIMM slots
Your using 1 stick of the fastest memory your motherboard can support. So to max out your memory you can have either 4 x 1gb, or 2 x 2gb sticks of DDR400 (pc3200). Of course having just 2 sticks would mean you will have 2 memory slots open but your motherboard can only support up to 4gb anyways. If your only have a 32 bit operating system you can only use around 3.25 gb anyways, or somewhere around there, I know a 32 bit operating system cant use 4gb. If you do buy more memory and plan on also using the memory you have then either try to get the exact same memory that your using or memory that has the same specifications. If your motherboard only supports a maximum of DDR 400 then its probably time to upgrade, not that DDR 400 is bad but there is much better out there.
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He will only be able to use 1gb sticks as there is 4 slots, I've never seen 1gb sticks of ddr 400 anyway. His motherboard will support 1gb sticks.
you mean you have never seen 2gb sticks of DDR400. Ya the most I see on Newegg is 1 gb sticks so the best he can do is 4 x 1gb DDR400 PC3200 sticks.
So theres your answer OP, if you have 1 stick of 1gb memory then get 3 more of that same memory, or if you have 128, 256, 512 sticks then get rid of those and use the 4 x 1gb setup. Look for low latency also, and considering how there a bit outdated I wouldnt worry about cheapo memory.
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Thanks! I do have one, 1gb stick. I will look for at least one more. I know you are going to laugh but I just upgraded to this computer! I do have plans to build a new one in the next 6 months but I am just learning about computers, so I want to make sure I know at least a little about them before wasting my money on crap that doesnt work well together. What is 'low latency'? Whats the difference between that and any other I could get?
Its referred to as CAS Latency. Its just a description of how quickly the memory responds. You should see it listed somewhere in the memory's specs. The lower the better though it isnt that important for an average computer user. A value of 2 is probably the lowest you can find for the DDR400.
Thanks!