PC3200 question

[arisgr0]

Hello all!
Just a quick question because i aint sure.
I have a 2500+ Barton with 2x512MB (PC2700)
I have one more free memory slot.
Can i use a 512MB (PC3200)??
I suppose yes and it will run in 666Mhz right?
No problem?
Thank you

 

[atp777]

Are you currently running in dual channel? If you add a 3rd stick it will not longer run dual, which would greatly reduce bandwidth performance.

 

[AdamBomb42]

No. It will run at 333mhz. With memory, the system will run at the speed of the slowest component.
Apt is correct, it will reduce your bandwidth. The best solution is to sell all of your RAM and buy 2x1GB dual-channel kit.

 

[caamsa]

You can and the 3rd stick would run at the ddr2700 speed. If I were you I would get another stick of pc3200 and overclock that Barton to a 3200+ You can do it by making the fsb from 166 to 200.

 

[arisgr0]

Thank you for your replies.
Can you tell me what is dual channel?
And i cant overclock my cpu.Ive tried and it has problems very easily.
I slightly increase the FSB and the pc wont boot.
i already have 1GB of PC2700 and i found a cheap second handed 3200(512MB).
So id better get it right??

 

[atp777]

Taken from the Memory FAQ Sticky:

DUAL CHANNEL
Q: What is Dual channel?
A: See key term: dual-channel.

Q: I currently have two sticks of 512mb pc3200 memory in DIMM 1 and 3 to reach the performance of dual channel DDR. Can I also add two sticks of 256mb PC3200 in dimm's 2 and 4 to reach 1.5GB of ram and still maintain dual channel performance?
A: As long as you have matched memory pairs on each channel, you should be able to run dual channel.

The only potential problem: Because you are using 4 memory modules, which require more power, your system may clock the speed of the modules down to maintain stability.

Q: How do I know if dual-channel is working in my system?
A: An easy way to tell is to use CPU-Z (from www.cpuid.com). You can check if dual-channel is enabled by looking at the memory tab. In the General section, you will see a field labeled as ‘channels #’ which will indicate if dual-channel is working.

Q: Can I add 256MB and 512MB modules together?
A: Yes. Make sure you do not exceed the total memory size.

Q: Do I have to install memory in pairs?
A: It depends on your motherboard. Consult with your motherboard’s manual to see how dual-channel works on your board. For most dual-channel boards the memory modules must be identically sized, and have the same number and type of chips. Typically, the motherboard requires the modules to be inserted in pairs on either slot0 and slot1, or slot2 and slot3. For some other motherboards three modules can run in dual-channel (the numbers of chips, not the modules themselves, are divided between the two channels). In any case, it is best to match the latency and speed of the modules, though it is not required.

Or, read this article, it even has a picture of a Dual Channel setup on the 2nd page and some benchmarks on performance.

http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Memory/Dual-Channel/1/

 

[caamsa]

Thank you for your replies.
Can you tell me what is dual channel?
And i cant overclock my cpu.Ive tried and it has problems very easily.
I slightly increase the FSB and the pc wont boot.
i already have 1GB of PC2700 and i found a cheap second handed 3200(512MB).
So id better get it right??

What type of mother board do you have? Model# etc.

 

[arisgr0]

i have Gigabyte GA-7VT600
It has 3 memory slots.
??

 

[Mondoman]

It's very likely that your MB doesn't support dual-channel anyway, so don't worry about that. Just add the 3rd DIMM and enjoy it!

 

[caamsa]

Here is a review of your board. Looks like it does not support dual channel so just use all three memory slots.

http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1597

But if you want to try to over clock the CPU you will need DDR 3200 so you can run the FSB at 200 instead of its current 166. You current DDR 2700 will probably not run at 3200 speeds. If you get DDR 3200 memory you may be able to over clock that 2500+ to a 3200+ but there are no guarantees.

I have an MSI board with an Nforce2 chipset and I was able to overclock mine from a 2500+ to a 3200+ just by raising the fsb from 166 to 200. I didn't even have to change the voltage settings.

Good luck

If you Google your boards model number you should be able to find plenty of information on it.

 

[arisgr0]

Thank you for your help
Im gonna buy it.
Well my 2 rams are Transcend and Nanya.
I have no problems.
The one im gonna get is Samsung.
Of course you are no magicians to know what will happen,but anybody has experience with these brand combinations?
Thank you

 

[arisgr0]

unlucky=burnt ???

 

[caamsa]

I doubt that you will cook it as long as you don't raise the voltage. Just raise the FSB up a few at a time and reboot to see it your computer will post. The worse thing that will probably happen is that you will need to reset the bios.

 

[arisgr0]

And sth else about CAS Latency.
I see with CPU-Z that my 2 modules have 2.5
The PC3200 im gonna buy says that it has 3.
When i mix them what gonna happen?
Can the new one run also in 2.5??

Thank you

 

[joex444]

new one is cas3 @ 400mhz. that is equivelant to cas 2.5 @ 333mhz.

if it boots up at cas 3 @ 333, you can just override it to 2.5. tho, the pc3200 dimm should have a timing programmed for 333mhz operation, which would be cas 2.5. therefore, it should just work well and play nice with others.