How to upgrade a ram

[Sachin Mahesh]

Hello guys so i have this friends PC and i checked his specs i think he has got 2GB DDR3 RAM 667mhz or 800mhz ( dont really remember) so he is looking forward to upgrading it to 4GB so he has got another slot free and would like to add a 2gb ram. i checked online and there are rams with 1333mhz also ive heard both ram should be the same mhz if you want best performance. so please help me out. Also i would like to know whether the website crucial helps us to check what ram i could go on. so i would also like to know more about this

 

[Andy_K]

You can run faster memory at a slower speed, but it's best practice to atleast try and match them.

 

[PC Tailor]

The crucial website is a good source to identify what compatible RAM modules you can use. The speed of RAM compatible will largely depend on your motherboard.

As for mixing RAM - To be honest it's almost complete pot luck with different memory modules. You're ALWAYS safer getting multiples of the same RAM module (ideally even in the same pack). RAM vendors often don't cover 2 different modules even of the exact same module, that's why they sell SETS of RAM.

Adding in different types of RAM sticks is a 50/50 bet, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. The closer the voltages, speeds, sizes are, the more likely they are to get on, but there's really no guarantee. So mixing RAM is never a recommended practice, but it CAN work. As long as you set it up to so that none of your modules end up down-clocking one another.

So you're always best just getting a matching pair, as it can be an expensive chore to buy and install mixed RAM, to find that they don't work together. It's not that it never works, but it's a risk none the less.

 

[Sachin Mahesh]

so i get the same 800mhz with another 800mhz 2gb ddr3 and im good to go ?

 

[DRagor]

667 and 800 MHz were DDR2 modules, not DDR3. So you better check it out again. Without knowing exactly what RAM your friend has (and preferably model of motherboard too), we can't help you much. But it is true that you should try to find as much similar module as possible to already installed, otherwise the risk that they will refuse to work together increases.

 

[Karadjgne]

Might have looked at cpu-z. That program and 's few others report Data rate which is still accurate. DDR2/3/4 is Double data rate, so it could honestly be DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600 he's looking at. Or it could be DDR2 667/800

 

[Sachin Mahesh]

Might have looked at cpu-z. That program and 's few others report Data rate which is still accurate. DDR2/3/4 is Double data rate, so it could honestly be DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600 he's looking at. Or it could be DDR2 667/800

yeah i used CPU-Z and it showed me DDR3 so i should open the cabinet and see for myself if its DDR3 or 2

 

[Karadjgne]

Of cpu-z says it's 800, that's single data rate, which in ddr3 terms is ddr3 1600, double data rate (DDR)