Ram

[Sh0ck]

Im a real noob to all this stuff, but I was wondering if you can put one stick of 1gig ram and two sticks of 256mb in a mobo? So I would have a 1.5gigs. I have 4 ram slots, 2 slots each have a different color.

[Xato]

Ya, its possible. But a lot of the time RAM sticks arent compatable with eachother. I think they may need to be the same frequency sticks (400mhz, 500 etc.) Confirmation anyone?

As far as the slots being different colours, that is because you RAM slots run on two different channels. Generally if you have two sticks of RAM, you'd want them to run on different channels, as it would allow them to be accessed faster.

[DeathCrush]

yea, you're right Xato. basically if you mix 400mhz with 333mhz RAM, it'll only run at 333mhz, however it will still run. what you do want to look out for is if you're mixing ECC ram with non-ECC ram. some motherboards can handle it while others can't (i know people who have both had problems and not had problems with doing that, so it's pretty much just luck of the draw to put it short)

you should be safe though Sh0ck. if at all possible, just make sure that you're not mixing ECC and non-ECC ram together and you should be safe for the most part.

[Malatory]

The problem comes if your running DDR memory it will not be working at the double Rate.

Need to matched sticks for that to kick in.

as stated aboce it should work but you will be running at the slowest ram speed and also you will want to make sure the 2 256K sticks are in matched slots (typical setups are 1-3 & 0-2)

[Sh0ck]

Here's the spec of my two 256mb sticks which came inside this comp:

Memory Module Properties
Module Name Infineon 64T32000HU5A
Serial Number 01006C10h
Manufacture Date Week 24 / 2005
Module Type Unbuffered
Memory Type DDR2 SDRAM
Memory Speed DDR2-400 (200 MHz)
Module Width 64 bit
Module Voltage SSTL 1.8
Error Detection Method None
Refresh Rate Reduced (7.8 us), Self-Refresh

Memory Timings
@ 200 MHz 5.0-3-3-8 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
@ 200 MHz 4.0-3-3-8 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)
@ 200 MHz 3.0-3-3-8 (CL-RCD-RP-RAS)

Memory Module Features
Early RAS# Precharge Supported
Auto-Precharge Not Supported
Precharge All Not Supported
Write1/Read Burst Not Supported
Buffered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported
Registered Address/Control Inputs Not Supported
On-Card PLL (Clock) Not Supported
Buffered DQMB Inputs Not Supported
Registered DQMB Inputs Not Supported
Differential Clock Input Not Supported
Redundant Row Address Not Supported

Memory Module Manufacturer
Company Name Infineon Technologies AG
Product Information http://www.infineon.com/cgi/ecrm.dll/ecrm/scripts/prod_cat.jsp?oid=-8003

Well I think it looks like I should just use a gig stick. What type of stick am I able to use?

[Xato]

Well the 256 meg sticks are ddr400... so you're ok there. Is the 1gig stick DDR 400 too? If so, you should be set. ECC ram seems like a rarity for common PC's anyway. Was only used for one or two chips.

And i'd just keep away from ECC altogethor...

[Sh0ck]

Well I'm planning on getting a gig of ram, so just wondering what I need, so DDR2 400 seems to be it.

[crazybillybob]

Rule of thumb,

when working with rams of mixed speeds always put the slower ram in slot 1.
This is where the bios normaly pulls the timing info from, that way the faster ram is underclock and the slower ram is running at max speed. This was learned from hours of trial and error over the years!:D


Crazybillybob

[Myrdhyn]

The problem comes if your running DDR memory it will not be working at the double Rate.

Need to matched sticks for that to kick in.

False

afaik even if you miss match sticks of ram as long as they both ddr and compatible they will run at Dual data rate....thats what ddr stands for and you would be hard pressed to make it not work as intended....however dual CHANNEL DDR ram won't run in dual channel mode unless the sticks are same speed and size and i think timings...although you should be able to change timings to work (although they can be different manufacturers) i think you were confused or used the wrong wording in your post.

[crenn]

As your running DDR2, I will automatically assume that your using a Intel 775pin CPU.

I don't have as much experience with the newer Intel but why not mix 3 512MB sticks? If I remember correctly running a large stick with 2 smaller sticks can cause some problems, this is unconfirmed but I've heard about it before.

Also, because your using DDR2, the lowest speed is DDR2 400 meaning that you should have too many problems if you stick with the right RAM, just remember to check out the CPU's preferred speed of RAM (533Mhz or better) and try to get that as it should improve the preformance of the CPU as well as the overall system preformance. It is best if you can have a FSB/RAM ratio of 1:1 as this will greatly improve the preformance but I've also read that Intel CPUs are better with slightly Faster RAM, Again, I cannot confirm this as I am not an expert on DDR2 and Intel CPUs.

One last thing, Myrdhyn is right about DDR, DDR will always run at Dual Data Rate speeds but it's Cual Channel when you have to have 2 or 4 matching sticks of RAM. I hope this helps.