DDR 2700 to DDR 3200

[weems2k]

I have an HP Pavilion a720n with 1 GIG of DDR PC2700 RAM in it (2 X 512MB). According to NewEgg, I should be able to use the faster PC3200 RAM. But on the HP website it only says PC2700 will work. Would there be much of a performance boost if I decide and try the faster RAM? 2 sticks of 512MB will run me about 50$$ on NewEgg, so I'd like it to be somewhat worth it. Thanks

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

If I'm not mistaken, the PC3200 should downclock and run at PC2700 speeds.

 

[antas]

IMO, the performance increase from PC2700 to 3200 won't be much. Better to save your money to upgrade from 1Gig to 2Gig. Especially if you're using Vista or heavy workload (opening many applications at the same time) then it's better and worthier to get bigger memory than faster one.

Cheers ^^

 

[englandr753]

Yes, stay with the 2700. I remember those days and switching to 3200 myself did nothing noticeable. Like Antas said, get another 1G for a total of 2G's. That is the best move for your current system.

How many memory slots do you have? If you have 4, you should be able to install 2 more 512mb sticks or if 1G is cheaper install in this order:

512 - 1G 512 - Empty

You want to match the offsetting slots for most motherboards. DDR is very expensive these days and almost warrants building a new system IMO. I actually recommend building a new system if you are totally disatisfied with your system. If you just need a little boost to make you happy you need to answer how you use your system. Gaming or programs?

If gaming, get a better video card. If program performance is what you need that could be a CPU/Memory issue and adding another 1G may not be enough if the CPU is maxing out.

If you have the money go with a new system build. If not, then do the upgrades based on what I said...