upgarde ram

[afcbob]

Hi i'm wanting to upgarde my ram i have 2x 256mb ddr pc3200 i have 4 slots on my main broad do i have to put a 3rd and 4th 256 or could i put 2x 512mb in plus have the 2x 256mb as well.

[afcbob]

Also i can't find out what make my motherboard is.
I had a look inside but can't see anything whats the best way to find out.

[lmnobs]

There are many options on DDR mem and perhaps if you could tell us the make and model of your computer we can help ya find outwhat you need .

[ScottD]

Hi i'm wanting to upgarde my ram i have 2x 256mb ddr pc3200 i have 4 slots on my main broad do i have to put a 3rd and 4th 256 or could i put 2x 512mb in plus have the 2x 256mb as well.

If your PC is running pc3200, you should be able to put in pretty much any size of pc3200 ram, but I imagine it would have to be a pair. So if you wanted to add the extra 2x512 that would be fine, in addition to your original 2x256.

[mikelbeck]

I used to have the url of a site that would tell you what the motherboard was based on the bios string, but I can't seem to find it.

When the machine boots up, there's a long string of letters & numbers that are usually displayed at the bottom of the POST screen. Copy that down, then plug it into GIS and see what comes up. The BIOS string is unique to each motherboard, so you should be able to find out what yours is based on that.

[c_frank]

go to the crucial memory website at crucial.com they have a tool there that will tell you everything that you need to know. this is a good place for information even if you dont want to buy the crucial brand. i reccomend kingston

[bufordt]

If your PC is running pc3200, you should be able to put in pretty much any size of pc3200 ram, but I imagine it would have to be a pair. So if you wanted to add the extra 2x512 that would be fine, in addition to your original 2x256.

DDR RAM does not need to be installed in pairs. You should be just fine with what you are trying to do. Just remember to match the clock speed and the latency settings on the old RAM. The slowest clock speed and latency RAM stick that is installed will determine the fastest that all of your RAM will perform unless you have a board that allows you to overclock the RAM slots individually.

[ScottD]

DDR RAM does not need to be installed in pairs. You should be just fine with what you are trying to do. Just remember to match the clock speed and the latency settings on the old RAM. The slowest clock speed and latency RAM stick that is installed will determine the fastest that all of your RAM will perform unless you have a board that allows you to overclock the RAM slots individually.

Wasn't positive as my recent experiences with Ram have all been server-related, which has all been ECC, and that does :) Been waaay too long since I've upgraded my own PC! But thanks for the clarification for afcbob

[bufordt]

Wasn't positive as my recent experiences with Ram have all been server-related, which has all been ECC, and that does :) Been waaay too long since I've upgraded my own PC! But thanks for the clarification for afcbob

just wanted to clarify what you had stated. Servers as you have stated, are a whole nother beast. I have had servers that would not take ram that was identical but of a different lot number. Some type of sensing technology was responsible and Dell did make good on it by exchanging 8 identical 2GB sticks for the incompatible ones.