What kind of RAM should/must I get?

[bob bobato]

Lately, I've been thinking about getting more RAM for my PC, but the thing is, I'm not sure what to get. I mean, I've googled it a little, and it turns out that theres so many different types, all these 'SDRAMS' and 'RDRAMS' and 'pins', that are all apparently incompatible with each other. I have no idea what kind of RAM I have, so my first question is, how do I find out, and my second, once I know what I have, what do I get? Sorry if this has been dealt with before, but the forum search won't let you look for words with 3 letters (ie, RAM).

 

[plarq]

tell me what's your motherboard and/or your CPU model.

 

[Cutlass]

You need to know what motherboard you have first. If you have the book for it, the book will list what forms of RAM can be used. If you do not have the book, google the maker and model name of the board and find the information on what forms of RAM the board supports. Then find out what it currently has. You do not get full functionality of the RAM if the speed of the different sticks is different. It's best to have all sticks of the same type.

 

[bob bobato]

tell me what's your motherboard and/or your CPU model.

...I don't know. I've tried going to this 'device manager' dealie, but there's nothing there about a motherboard. But apparently my 'Processor' is 'AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ 2.40 GHz', if that means anything to you.

 

[plarq]

Different memory modules can live together, it is the generation of RAM that matters, for example,
EDO RAM
SDRAM
DDR RAM
DDR II RAM
etc.

 

[plarq]

...I don't know. I've tried going to this 'device manager' dealie, but there's nothing there about a motherboard. But apparently my 'Processor' is 'AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4600+ 2.40 GHz', if that means anything to you.

DDR II 667, 800 and upwards for you. AFAIK.
Keep your memory modules in pairs, and stay the same speed as best as you can, that way you exploit the dual-channel best.

For a PC running on Windows, please use everest or Sandra to detect your hardware types.

 

[bob bobato]

Just downloaded 'everest'. This is what it said about my motherboard:
' Motherboard Properties:
Manufacturer ASUSTek Computer INC.
Product NODUSM3
Version 1.05
Serial Number MS1C75S15700884 '
Motherboard ID 02/15/2007-C51/MCP51-A8M2N-LA-00

does that still mean I need to get 'DDR II SDRAM' (thats what wiki told me, just making sure).

 

[plarq]

To make sure, check RAM statistics in Everest (I forgot the name of dialogue ). You'll see how many RAM modules you've installed.

 

[GoodGame]

Google your model number.

This seems like the most accurate link that resulted: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00757531&dlc=en

By that, your best bet would be DDR2 667mhz RAM (DIMMs), and you could upgrade to 2x2GB sticks or 4x1GB sticks (either way totaling 4 GB).


It's likely that it could work with frequencies over 667mhz, but it would still only run at 667mhz (or whatever speed you limit it to in the BIOS), with the only benefit being the sticks would likely have more longevity, due to being under stressed by working at a lower frequency.

 

[GVBN]

To make sure, check RAM statistics in Everest (I forgot the name of dialogue ). You'll see how many RAM modules you've installed.

Maybe. Everest trial version seems to hide information randomly and replace it with [ TRIAL VERSION ]. Everest and Sandra suck, use CPU-Z instead