RAM Upgrade Help

mrkun · 11-07-2007, 03:24 AM

Hi all

I'm thinking of upgrading the RAM that my computer has and I was hoping that someone could help me out as to what RAM I should I get and how I determine whether it is compatible with my PC.

My budget is $150NZD (maybe a bit more if it's really worth it).

I was looking at this which looks pretty good I think - http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspeci...?ItemID=357307. Is it good in your eyes?

This is the site which I want to get it from - http://www.ascent.co.nz/Category.aspx?majorcatID=31

My specs are:
Win XP
AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3500+ 2.2GHz
1GB of RAM (not sure which type though)
Geforce 7600GS
AOC Monitor 17"
Motherboard - not sure

I'd really appreciate it if someone could take the time to help me out.

Cheers

belfasteddie · 11-07-2007, 06:58 AM

If you cannot find the make of the M/B . Does the board have one or two sticks of Ram. If one it's a good chance it's a 754 brd. Suggest you remove a stick of ram and see what is written on it. if it is a 754 then the Ram will be 184 pin.

**twajetmech** · 11-07-2007, 07:57 AM

Hello and welcome to the TSF, click on the link in my signature to CPU-Z download and run it, it will tell you what motherboard you have and what type of memory you have as well.

mrkun · 11-07-2007, 07:57 PM

Under "mainboard" it says this:

Gigabyte Technology Co Ltd
GA-K8N-SLi / GA-K8N-SLi-RH x.x
NVIDIA nForce4
NVIDIA NForce4 MCP
ITE IT8712
Brand - Award Software International, Inc
Version - F9
PCI-Express
x16 x16

Under "memory" it says this:
Type - DDR
Channels - Dual
Size - 1024 MBytes
Frequency - 201.0 MHz
FSB:DRAM - CPU/11

Under "SPD":

Slot 1 -
DDR
512MBytes
PC3200 (200 MHz)

Slot 2 -
DDR
512MBytes
PC3200 (200 MHz)

So do you think this is a good choice? - http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspeci...?ItemID=357307

Do you think anything here is a better option? - http://www.ascent.co.nz/Category.aspx?majorcatID=31

Thanks for your help.

**mattlock** · 11-07-2007, 10:18 PM

THe RAM you linked to is not compatible with your board. You are currently running DDR400 (PC3200) which is more expensive than DDR2 now. If you are not overclocking then I would recommend Corsair Value Select DDR400. To maintain dual channel mode you need to have an even number of RAM modules (2 or 4 sticks).

Look on the opening page of CPU-Z and see if your processor is Rev E. If so, you should be able to run 4 sticks of RAM at 400mhz. If not it will default to 333mhz with 4 modules installed.

Of course, anytime you mix two different kinds of RAM you run the risk of compatibilty issues. The new RAM may not get along with the old RAM.

mrkun · 11-10-2007, 11:44 AM

Thanks mattlock.

So does the "DDR" and the "PC" have nothing to do with the quality of the RAM, just whether it is compatible with one's PC?

**mattlock** · 11-10-2007, 12:01 PM

DDR400 really just indicates the type and clock speed of the RAM, PC-3200 is the module name and indicates the peak transfer rate. Neither indicate RAM quality.

If you stick well known quality manufacturers then you'll be OK. Corsair, Kingston, OCZ.

11-07-2007, 03:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
mrkun Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3 OS: XP	RAM Upgrade Help Hi all I'm thinking of upgrading the RAM that my computer has and I was hoping that someone could help me out as to what RAM I should I get and how I determine whether it is compatible with my PC. My budget is $150NZD (maybe a bit more if it's really worth it). I was looking at this which looks pretty good I think - http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspeci...?ItemID=357307. Is it good in your eyes? This is the site which I want to get it from - http://www.ascent.co.nz/Category.aspx?majorcatID=31 My specs are: Win XP AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3500+ 2.2GHz 1GB of RAM (not sure which type though) Geforce 7600GS AOC Monitor 17" Motherboard - not sure I'd really appreciate it if someone could take the time to help me out. Cheers

11-07-2007, 06:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
belfasteddie Registered User Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 339 OS: Suse 10.2 64 bit	Re: RAM Upgrade Help If you cannot find the make of the M/B . Does the board have one or two sticks of Ram. If one it's a good chance it's a 754 brd. Suggest you remove a stick of ram and see what is written on it. if it is a 754 then the Ram will be 184 pin. Last edited by belfasteddie : 11-07-2007 at 06:59 AM.

11-07-2007, 07:57 AM	#3 (permalink)
twajetmech Moderator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: LGA, NYC Posts: 2,364 OS: XP-Pro Sp2 & XP-Pro Sp2 Tablet Edition, Vista Ultimate My System	Re: RAM Upgrade Help Hello and welcome to the TSF, click on the link in my signature to CPU-Z download and run it, it will tell you what motherboard you have and what type of memory you have as well. __________________ PSU Selection/Info // Bench test // Thermal Paste // Memory Selection // Bios Beep Codes // CPU-Z// Posting System Specs

11-07-2007, 07:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
mrkun Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Re: RAM Upgrade Help Under "mainboard" it says this: Gigabyte Technology Co Ltd GA-K8N-SLi / GA-K8N-SLi-RH x.x NVIDIA nForce4 NVIDIA NForce4 MCP ITE IT8712 Brand - Award Software International, Inc Version - F9 PCI-Express x16 x16 Under "memory" it says this: Type - DDR Channels - Dual Size - 1024 MBytes Frequency - 201.0 MHz FSB:DRAM - CPU/11 Under "SPD": Slot 1 - DDR 512MBytes PC3200 (200 MHz) Slot 2 - DDR 512MBytes PC3200 (200 MHz) So do you think this is a good choice? - http://www.ascent.co.nz/productspeci...?ItemID=357307 Do you think anything here is a better option? - http://www.ascent.co.nz/Category.aspx?majorcatID=31 Thanks for your help.

11-07-2007, 10:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
mattlock moderator hardware team Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 3,754 OS: XP SP2, Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon My System	Re: RAM Upgrade Help THe RAM you linked to is not compatible with your board. You are currently running DDR400 (PC3200) which is more expensive than DDR2 now. If you are not overclocking then I would recommend Corsair Value Select DDR400. To maintain dual channel mode you need to have an even number of RAM modules (2 or 4 sticks). Look on the opening page of CPU-Z and see if your processor is Rev E. If so, you should be able to run 4 sticks of RAM at 400mhz. If not it will default to 333mhz with 4 modules installed. Of course, anytime you mix two different kinds of RAM you run the risk of compatibilty issues. The new RAM may not get along with the old RAM. __________________ Matt Everest-Thermal Paste Instruction-Power Supply Info-Sensorview PSU Calculator-Speedfan-Bench Test Help TSF Fight Disease. It's Free! Last edited by mattlock : 11-07-2007 at 10:21 PM.

11-10-2007, 11:44 AM	#6 (permalink)
mrkun Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Re: RAM Upgrade Help Thanks mattlock. So does the "DDR" and the "PC" have nothing to do with the quality of the RAM, just whether it is compatible with one's PC? Last edited by mrkun : 11-10-2007 at 11:47 AM.

11-10-2007, 12:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
mattlock moderator hardware team Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 3,754 OS: XP SP2, Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon My System	Re: RAM Upgrade Help DDR400 really just indicates the type and clock speed of the RAM, PC-3200 is the module name and indicates the peak transfer rate. Neither indicate RAM quality. If you stick well known quality manufacturers then you'll be OK. Corsair, Kingston, OCZ. __________________ Matt Everest-Thermal Paste Instruction-Power Supply Info-Sensorview PSU Calculator-Speedfan-Bench Test Help TSF Fight Disease. It's Free!