Dell 2400 memory upgrade

[memory]

My dad has a Dell 2400 with 1gb(2 x 512) of pc3200(200mhz) and pc2700(166mhz) ram installed. I am thinking about upgrading but I am confused. I went to newegg and they show pc3200 ram as ddr 400. I assume the 400 means it is running at 400mhz, right? According to CPU-Z, the pc3200 ram is running at 200mhz. Why is the pc3200 ram I have installed different than the pc3200 ram Newegg has?

I am thinking about this ram:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Desktop Memory
Would this work and would I see much of a difference in speed? Right now it is slower than I think it should be, takes several seconds to open firefox. I believe the ram is why it is slow.

According to the Dell 2400 manual, for the memory type it shows pc2100 and pc2700 DDR SDRAM. Does this mean that pc3200 ram is not compatible? Also, there are 2 ram slots and the manual says the capacity for each slot is 512mb but the max memory is 2gb. How can I have 2gb's if each slot only accepts 512mb's?

 

[johnb35]

DDR stands for double data rate so technically your memory is only running 200mhz for ddr400. The memory specs on the 2400 is max 2gb with 1gb in each slot. PC3200 will work however, it will just downclock to pc2700 speeds unless the motherboard supports pc3200. So getting the memory you selected will work. However, I would get these.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231039

This is actually 2x1gb sticks and will help performance tremendously.

 

[memory]

Where do you see it can have 1gb in each slot? According to what I read, it can only have 512mb in each slot. http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim2400/en/sm_en/specs.htm

So since the motherboard only supports pc2100 and pc2700, is there any reason to buy pc3200 ram?

 

[johnb35]

Memory

Architecture
DDR SDRAM

Memory connectors
two

Memory capacities
128-, 256-, or 512-MB

Minimum memory
128 MB shared DDR SDRAM

NOTE: Between 32 and 64 MB of system memory may be allocated to support graphics, depending on system memory size and other factors.

Maximum memory
2 GB

Memory type
PC2100 (266-MHz) or PC2700 (333-MHz) DDR SDRAM (non-ECC)

 

[memory]

Memory connectors
two

Memory capacities
128-, 256-, or 512-MB

Maximum memory
2 GB

Memory type
PC2100 (266-MHz) or PC2700 (333-MHz) DDR SDRAM (non-ECC)

Memory capacities is 512mb per slot, correct? 512mb x 2 = 1gb. Am I missing something here?

 

[johnb35]

Disregard the memory capacities. Dell has been off on those for quite some time.

 

[memory]

Okay thanks for clearing that up. I thought I was losing my mind.

 

[Cams]

I use the same dell 2400 for my htpc and I have a 1gb stick in one slot. I have never maxed the memory though unless I tried by opening 58 or so web browser windows. Anyhow the board does support 1gb sticks in each slot.