Thread: Quick question about RAM

My desktop only has 1gb of ram and I would like to upgrade to 4gb. According to the owners manual I have two 512mb DDR2 533mhz (PC 4200) DIMMs and it is expandable to 4gb (4 DDR2 DIMM slots).

Now does that mean I have to get 4 1gb DDR2 DIMMS or can I just get two 2gb DDR2 DIMMS?

Also, do I have to stay at 533 mhz or can I get one that runs faster? (oh and if it helps I have a Gateway GT5408).

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Kingslaw

My desktop only has 1gb of ram and I would like to upgrade to 4gb. According to the owners manual I have two 512mb DDR2 533mhz (PC 4200) DIMMs and it is expandable to 4gb (4 DDR2 DIMM slots).

Now does that mean I have to get 4 1gb DDR2 DIMMS or can I just get two 2gb DDR2 DIMMS?

Also, do I have to stay at 533 mhz or can I get one that runs faster? (oh and if it helps I have a Gateway GT5408).

Thanks in advance.

is this a self-built PC meaning not a name brand computer if it is a name brand computer your best bet would be to go to Kingston.com or Crucial.com and put in the make and model and it will give you what types of RAM you can install whether or not you can use a faster RAM.

If this is a self-built computer the manual will tell you what type of RAM you can install and show you if you have 2 or 4 RAM slots.

If you have 2 RAM slots on the motherboard then you can install 2 2GB sticks of RAM if you have 4 slots then 4 1GB sticks.

http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...ateway&cat=RAM
I would choose the second option x 2 the DDR2 PC-6400

Originally Posted by RoyalPain

is this a self-built PC meaning not a name brand computer if it is a name brand computer your best bet would be to go to Kingston.com or Crucial.com and put in the make and model and it will give you what types of RAM you can install whether or not you can use a faster RAM.

If this is a self-built computer the manual will tell you what type of RAM you can install and show you if you have 2 or 4 RAM slots.

If you have 2 RAM slots on the motherboard then you can install 2 2GB sticks of RAM if you have 4 slots then 4 1GB sticks.

You can also look up the specs for you motherboard (provided that you know the make and model of your motherboard) on line to find out this information.

It depends on the motherboard. I would suggest getting 4 x 1GB. You will never upgrade the memory over the 4gb upgrade you'll put in, so it really doesn't matter which way you go. The 1GB chips should theoretically run faster tho.

Originally Posted by Creeping Death

It depends on the motherboard. I would suggest getting 4 x 1GB. You will never upgrade the memory over the 4gb upgrade you'll put in, so it really doesn't matter which way you go. The 1GB chips should theoretically run faster tho.

according to crucial his motherboard can only handle 1 GB per slot so there isn't a real choice on the 1GB or 2GB sticks.

I'm just wondering if it's more cost effective to just fill the two empty slots with 1 GB and keep the 512 in the other two for a total of 3GB. What OS are you running? If it's Vista, doesn't the 32-bit version have difficulties with systems over 3GB of RAM?

While RAM is most definately the biggest bang for the buck, it won't turn a slow computer into a blazing fast machine alone. Don't overkill it.

Originally Posted by RoyalPain

according to crucial his motherboard can only handle 1 GB per slot so there isn't a real choice on the 1GB or 2GB sticks.

I didn't look up his board, so I took a guess that it wouldn't support 2GB chips, so thats why I suggested 4x1GB. Unless you are sporting a quad core, anyone with a LGA775 shouldn't toss more than 4GB into their system. Better off spending a few bucks more and upgrade to an i7 + 6GB RAM.

Originally Posted by dgrycan

I'm just wondering if it's more cost effective to just fill the two empty slots with 1 GB and keep the 512 in the other two for a total of 3GB. What OS are you running? If it's Vista, doesn't the 32-bit version have difficulties with systems over 3GB of RAM?

While RAM is most definately the biggest bang for the buck, it won't turn a slow computer into a blazing fast machine alone. Don't overkill it.

The goal is to eventually run the 64-bit version of Windows 7.