Memory problems...

[Lare Kikkeli]

Whats the difference between DDR and DDR2 ram? Where can i see what frequency i'm using, or does it matter at all? I'm planning on buying more ram, but i'm uncertain what i should buy.

[mkreku]

They are two different incompatible standards. DDR2 is just an "evolution" of DDR, which means it's faster. That's basically it. This summer they'll introduce mother boards that can use DDR3 as main memory (it's usually only used in video cards so far).

 

Video cards have moved on to GDDR4.

[Bokishi]

You are going to have to truly know what your mobo supports (DDR or DDR2) before getting the ram. DDR will not work on a DDR2 board, and vice versa.

[SamuraiGaijin]

I thought there would be some way to determine the memory type installed in Windows, but I was wrong ...

 

The easiest way is to dig it out of the manual that came with your computer (or motherboard, if it's a custom rig).

 

The next easiest way is to get the brand / model / serial number etc. off the memory itself, google it, and go from there.

 

If it's an older computer, you might be better off googling the motherboard brand / model / serial number, and figuring out what the highest capacity / fastest RAM it can support is.

 

I found this ... http://www.upgradememory.com/mmstart.cfm ... which supposedly can ID your memory type (it successfully ID'd my computer and the amount of memory installed, but not my memory type - and admitted as much, so it was honest, if not successful, for me).

[mkreku]

This program might be able to help you figure out what kind of motherboard and memory types you have:

 

http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/siw_download.html

 

It's very easy to use and it's free. Extremely informative too.

 

This is what I got when I tried it on my work computer just now:

 

----- [Memory] -----------------------------------------------

 

Property Value

Memory Summary

Location System board or motherboard

Maximum Capacity 4096 MBytes

Memory Slots 4

Error Correction None

Use System memory

 

 

Device Locator Slot 1

Manufacturer Samsung

Part Number M3 78T6553BZ3-CD5

Serial Number F2026416

Capacity 512 MBytes

Memory Type DDR2 SDRAM

Speed DDR2-533 (266 MHz)

Data Width 64 bits

Voltage SSTL 1.8V

Error Correction None

Refresh Reduced (.5x)...7.8

Edited March 12, 2007 by mkreku

[Lare Kikkeli]

After some research i found that my motherboard supports uses DDR400 memory, which is pretty cheap. Now i have to decide wether to buy a 512 stick or a 1gb stick. I've got two 256 sticks at the moment, and only one slot free. What do you suggest? Will i see any difference in performance if i buy the 1gb stick?

[mkreku]

There's supposed to be a performance difference if you are using two different memory channels for your memory sticks now and suddenly break the symmetry with a third stick. But I had DDR-400 for a long while on my Abit NF7-S motherboard, and even if it was supposed to support those dual memory channels I never noticed any performance hit when switching between using one or two channels. I tried measuring it with 3DMark.. it wasn't measurable with that program at least.

[taks]

the only system i implement 3 channels with is my son's, and performance isn't an issue when all he does is play web games on noggin or nick jr.

 

taks

[Gfted1]

After some research i found that my motherboard supports uses DDR400 memory, which is pretty cheap. Now i have to decide wether to buy a 512 stick or a 1gb stick. I've got two 256 sticks at the moment, and only one slot free. What do you suggest? Will i see any difference in performance if i buy the 1gb stick?

 

I did the same thing and asked the same question. You can see the responces here.

[SamuraiGaijin]

... Now i have to decide wether to buy a 512 stick or a 1gb stick. I've got two 256 sticks at the moment, and only one slot free. What do you suggest? Will i see any difference in performance if i buy the 1gb stick?

I recommend dumping the 256 MB sticks altogether and going with either 1x 1 GB or 2x 512 MB sticks ... the performance boost you'll see will be due to the greater memory capacity. While it's possible that your motherboard supports different capacities in different slots, without knowing more, I couldn't tell you for sure.

 

Depending on your operating system (I'm guessing WinXP), 1 GB should be plenty ... if you use any major memory hogs (photo, audio, or video editing, for example) or if you're considering keeping the computer for another few years and/or upgrading to Vista (and your mobo supports it) you might want to consider 2 GB. (Which is still pretty cheap at about $150 for 2x 1GB sticks.)