Can I upgrade my RAM?

[EnergyBlast]

http://imgur.com/a/0HBFx#1 I seem to have four DDR3 1GB sticks (Dual Channel) inside my PC. My DRAM frequency is about 399 MHz (whatever that means ) I would like to know if I could upgrade the amount of memory and what I should look for in stores/online. If some of you could help me out, that would be great.

Could I replace these 4 and place 2GB to have a total of 8GB, or is that not possible? Do the new memory sticks have to be specific? I know that they have to be DDR3 for my PC to take it. (I'm most likely going to game on this PC, and I'm new to upgrading,)

 

[iron8orn]

Can you list all your system specs and the games you want to play?

 

[kapitalistas]

you wanna open the case and look for name of your motherboard and post in here.and post whats your OS.

 

[EnergyBlast]

Can you list all your system specs and the games you want to play?

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.140706-1506)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 560
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5800 @ 3.20GHz (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 4060MB RAM
Page File: 2492MB used, 5627MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode

Card name: Intel(R) G45/G43 Express Chipset
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_2E22&SUBSYS_04391028&REV_03
Display Memory: 1695 MB

I'm upgrading to get a GeForce GTX 750 ti ( Since I don't even have a card. )

 

[1LiquidPC]

You should be able to do just that. Installing 4 2GB sticks should be able to work, provided finding a compatible kit. Newegg has a memory finder that may help get you started. You would want to stick with RAM rated no higher than 1333 mhz and operates at 1.5V 1066mhz and 800mhz should work as well, albeit a little slower.

 

[EnergyBlast]

You should be able to do just that. Installing 4 2GB sticks should be able to work, provided finding a compatible kit. Newegg has a memory finder that may help get you started. You would want to stick with RAM rated no higher than 1333 mhz and operates at 1.5V 1066mhz and 800mhz should work as well, albeit a little slower.

Is this a good choice? ( I used that Memory Finder on NewEgg) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231743&cm_mmc=CNETFindMEMUS-_-20-231-743-_-na-_-na

If I wanted to purchase some of this RAM, would I have to purchase 2 for them to work correctly? Can I mix the RAM types? (like 2 of the new RAM Sticks and 2 of the Old 1GB ones) Or would I have to buy all four sticks for my system to work right?

Would I need to search for Dual Channel cards instead? lol

UPDATE: I also found http://www.corsair.com/en-us/cmx4gx3m2a1333c8 using Corsair's Memory Finder. I noticed it uses 1.65, but this is what the site gave me after looking up my exact PC. A little more help?

 

[1LiquidPC]

You can mix capacities, but ideally you would want matching sticks. You can run into problems sometimes when you mix and match. If you get different speed modules, they would default to the lowest speed stick. Looking at Corsair's kit, it looks to use different voltages based on timings of the modules. 1.65 volts for 8-8-8-24 or a bit slower at 1.5V, 9-9-9-24. This kit should work fine as Corsair says it matches your system. You won't have voltage adjustments that you can make with your Inspiron 560, but it should be "plug and play" with the 1.5V mode. Here's where it can get confusing. If you were to get 2 of the Corsair kits to make it to 8GB, it may or may not work. It depends on the computer. This is because of the increased load on the memory controller. Even though your using 4 sticks now, it doesn't necessarily mean 4 sticks from another brand will play nice together. Often you'll see people recommended getting 1 kit of 4 sticks vs 2 kits of 2, because all 4 modules would be tested together to make sure they work correctly. Again, 2 seperate kits "can" work together, but sometimes you have to mess with settings in the BIOS to get them work correctly. The problem in your case, is you have no real options for tweaking.

 

[EnergyBlast]

You can mix capacities, but ideally you would want matching sticks. You can run into problems sometimes when you mix and match. If you get different speed modules, they would default to the lowest speed stick. Looking at Corsair's kit, it looks to use different voltages based on timings of the modules. 1.65 volts for 8-8-8-24 or a bit slower at 1.5V, 9-9-9-24. This kit should work fine as Corsair says it matches your system. You won't have voltage adjustments that you can make with your Inspiron 560, but it should be "plug and play" with the 1.5V mode. Here's where it can get confusing. If you were to get 2 of the Corsair kits to make it to 8GB, it may or may not work. It depends on the computer. This is because of the increased load on the memory controller. Even though your using 4 sticks now, it doesn't necessarily mean 4 sticks from another brand will play nice together. Often you'll see people recommended getting 1 kit of 4 sticks vs 2 kits of 2, because all 4 modules would be tested together to make sure they work correctly. Again, 2 seperate kits "can" work together, but sometimes you have to mess with settings in the BIOS to get them work correctly. The problem in your case, is you have no real options for tweaking.

So should I only get one kit of 2 sticks? (I'm really new to upgrading a PC) Could you possibly find some Memory Sticks that would fit and work perfectly with my PC? Would you need more information about my Memory for this? Thanks for all of your help.

 

[1LiquidPC]

Sure, i'll try to help out more if I can. I believe your PC is a Dell Inspiron 560, correct?? It looks like your motherboard is an ECS G43T-DM1 based on your picture. I just googled the part #. I would try to get a kit with either 2 sticks or a kit with 4 sticks rather than mix 'n max. These would be the best chance of being compatible with your PC. Currently, your ram is rated at 1333mhz based on your screenshot you linked to above. However, looking at the service manual, your board officially supports speeds up to 1066mhz and 2GB sticks only, meaning 4GB sticks won't work according to Dell specifications. So, even though you have 1333 sticks installed, your actually running at 800mhz according to your first post. The speed is being set by the motherboard itself. With that said, if you want 8GB, you going to have to install 4 2GB sticks. I'm still looking for an 8GB kit or someone that has installed 8GB that works correctly.

 

[EnergyBlast]

Ok, thank you so much!

 

[1LiquidPC]

I've found someone on Amazon that had the same situation as you. They also have an Inspiron 560 that originally came with 4GB. They also looked through dell support forums looking for answer to the 8GB question and found the answer. They said to buy this exact kit, the Corsair CMX8GX3M4A1333C9. It's an 8GB kit (4 2GB sticks). They said it works just fine in their computer. Just like your current RAM, it's rated at 1333. It most likely will run at either 1066 or 800 like your at now. I would also recommend Corsair memory myself, G.Skill as well. One other thing to point out, the reviewer didn't mention if they had to update the BIOS on their motherboard or not. Doing this can enhance compatibility w/ Ram and other add-in cards, ect. Hope this info is helpful.

 

[EnergyBlast]

Wow, that's awesome. Thank you so much for looking all of this up for me!

 

[1LiquidPC]

No problem, Glad to help