Can buying cheap RAM mess up my computer ?

[stecky]

I currently have 4GB RAM in my computer but I am thinking about buying a cheap 2GB RAM stick off eBay for $10, is there a certain type of RAM I need to buy or will any desktop ram work

 

[legend001523]

2gb for $10? that is so dodgy... Do not buy that RAM and no, you need to get ram specially designed for laptops as their shapes are different ( To put it simply)

 

[stecky]

2gb for $10? that is so dodgy... Do not buy that RAM and no, you need to get ram specially designed for laptops as their shapes are different ( To put it simply)

I don't have a laptop, its my custom build desktop

 

[geofelt]

Download and run CPU-Z
It will give you the specs of your current ram.

If the ram for sale matches the specs and you have a slot to put it in, you are likely ok.
The relevant specs are voltage, format( DDR2/3 or laptop ) and speed.
If the speed differs, you will operate at the slowest.

 

[legend001523]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

 

[stecky]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

I don't wanna upgrade RAM, I just saw how cheap it was so I thought about getting some extra.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-4-x-1GB-4GB-PC2700-DDR-333MHz-Desktop-Memory-KVR333X64C25-1G-/281403752620?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184f880ac

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Ballistix-Tactical-Tracer-2GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-/281402450960?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184e4a410

 

[rgd1101]

DDR? unless you running a 10 years old pc. no
what your motherboard? and the other ram?

 

[stecky]

DDR? unless you running a 10 years old pc. no
what your motherboard? and the other ram?

See added link

 

[stecky]

Download and run CPU-Z
It will give you the specs of your current ram.

If the ram for sale matches the specs and you have a slot to put it in, you are likely ok.
The relevant specs are voltage, format( DDR2/3 or laptop ) and speed.
If the speed differs, you will operate at the slowest.

Is that good?

 

[legend001523]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

I don't wanna upgrade RAM, I just saw how cheap it was so I thought about getting some extra.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-4-x-1GB-4GB-PC2700-DDR-333MHz-Desktop-Memory-KVR333X64C25-1G-/281403752620?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184f880ac

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Ballistix-Tactical-Tracer-2GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-/281402450960?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184e4a410

Both are used though, so best to stay away from it

 

[stecky]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

I don't wanna upgrade RAM, I just saw how cheap it was so I thought about getting some extra.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-4-x-1GB-4GB-PC2700-DDR-333MHz-Desktop-Memory-KVR333X64C25-1G-/281403752620?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184f880ac

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Ballistix-Tactical-Tracer-2GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-/281402450960?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184e4a410

Both are used though, so best to stay away from it

Could they damage my computer? And the other RAM is New (Other)

 

[legend001523]

possibly, its frequency may not be the same, the voltage, timings etc may all be different from the ram you currently have, so you may not be able to turn on your pc if that happens as there will be a incompatibility

 

[maxalge]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

I don't wanna upgrade RAM, I just saw how cheap it was so I thought about getting some extra.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-4-x-1GB-4GB-PC2700-DDR-333MHz-Desktop-Memory-KVR333X64C25-1G-/281403752620?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184f880ac

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Ballistix-Tactical-Tracer-2GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-/281402450960?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184e4a410

Both are used though, so best to stay away from it

Could they damage my computer? And the other RAM is New (Other)

Also optimally you want to mirror what you already have.

You have 4gb, get another 4gb stick when you upgrade so it can run in dual channel mode.

 

[stecky]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

I don't wanna upgrade RAM, I just saw how cheap it was so I thought about getting some extra.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-4-x-1GB-4GB-PC2700-DDR-333MHz-Desktop-Memory-KVR333X64C25-1G-/281403752620?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184f880ac

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Ballistix-Tactical-Tracer-2GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-/281402450960?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184e4a410

Both are used though, so best to stay away from it

I might do that, does it have to be 800mhz like my current RAM?
Could they damage my computer? And the other RAM is New (Other)

Also optimally you want to mirror what you already have.

You have 4gb, get another 4gb stick when you upgrade so it can run in dual channel mode.

Does it have to be 800mhz or can I get higher?

 

[maxalge]

oh. that makes the $10 for 2gb of ram sound even more shady than it is... A good 8gb will set you back roughly $90 , divide that by 4, that's roughly 20 dollars and a bit for 2gb of ram, how much can you spend on RAM?

I don't wanna upgrade RAM, I just saw how cheap it was so I thought about getting some extra.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-4-x-1GB-4GB-PC2700-DDR-333MHz-Desktop-Memory-KVR333X64C25-1G-/281403752620?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184f880ac

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-Ballistix-Tactical-Tracer-2GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1600-PC3-12800-/281402450960?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item4184e4a410

Both are used though, so best to stay away from it

I might do that, does it have to be 800mhz like my current RAM?
Could they damage my computer? And the other RAM is New (Other)

Also optimally you want to mirror what you already have.

You have 4gb, get another 4gb stick when you upgrade so it can run in dual channel mode.

Does it have to be 800mhz or can I get higher?

you can get higher, but it will run at the lower speed of the pair unless you overclock and get lucky.


You have ddr3 1600 11 11 11 28 ram BTW.