Upgrading Computer for first time(RAM issue)

A

-Andu-

New Member
So I've had my computer for over 2 years now(I think) and I just bought a 1 GB stick of ram from HP (I called up tech support about RAM and ended up buying a stick from them just to be safe) and I'm still really confused about RAM.

Basically I first went to Circuit city to look at RAM. The only product they carried there was Kingston. They had DDR (512 mb sticks) 40$ a stick and DDR2 (1 gig sticks) 60$ a stick, it was during a sale. I bought my RAM for 89$ before S&H.

When I asked about the RAM at Circuit City, I told them my computer model and an employee (their tech specialist I think) said that I could do 1 of 2 things. Either buy 1 GB DDR2 memory and take out my current RAM sticks and use the DDR2 (1 gig of RAM total) or buy 2 sticks of DDR memory and have 1.5 gigs of RAM total, he also told me having DDR2 is about as fast as having 2 gigs of DDR, but then another person at Circuit City told me that having DDR2 isn't really as big of a deal as it's made out to be.

I then used HP online support and the online support person told me I couldn't use DDR2 at all but then I talked to the tech specialist at HP, he told me I could use DDR2 however that I should order the RAM from them because they tested the ram and if I didn't buy proper RAM it could screw up my Motherboard. Also the HP tech specialist also told me that DDR2 isn't really that big of a difference compared to DDR

basically I wanna know if I can use DDR2 ram with my current ram (2x256 mb DDR PC3200 SDRAM) with full capabilities and not screw up my MotherBoard? Also if ordering with HP was the right thing to do, because I know from other sites I can get 2 gigs of ram for like 70$.
I'm really confused now because I heard two different things.
I'm not sure of the type of RAM HP is sending me but he said something about backwards capability or something, but I think it is DDR.

by the way my computer is a HP media Center m1095c
 
The only issue you may have is that your motherboard may not be 240-pin, which DDR2 is. DDR is 184-pin, so if you have DDR now, you wont be able to use any DDR2 sticks.

If you have DDR now, get DDR.
If you have DDR2 now, get DDR2.
They are NOT interchangeable.
 
DDR and DDR2 are completely different standards, with different pin counts and everything. Unfortunetly it won't even fit in the motherboard.
 
Thanks for all the replies, where I was mainly confused of was that the guy at circuit city told me that I could use DDR2 if I took out the DDR RAM.
 
Last edited:
The_Other_One said:
DDR and DDR2 are completely different standards, with different pin counts and everything. Fortunetly it won't even fit in the motherboard.
Click to expand...

There we go, fixed that for ya! =)

I understand what you meant. Just working at Best Buy I have people all the time that come in and can just grab DDR2 and throw it in their pc that i clearly point out is DDR ONLY. But some people will stand their and argue with you about it so I just let them buy it (can't stop em afterall, and in the end its just revenue...even though im not on commision lmao)...and just wait for them to come back a couple days later wondering why it doesnt work, and accusing you of telling them something different hehe.

The best thing they could have done was move that little groove that couple millimeters that they did. Keeps people from completely jacking up their pc and not knowing why...hehe


Ya, though, def go with the DDR memory. The other, as stated above, wont even fit into your board. Good luck
 
Circuit city techs doesn't know a shit, so don't trust them for computers and even less the ones they don't build
 
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