Upgrading RAM with sticks of different brands !

[ThSlash]

* Motherboard : gigabyte ga-eg41mf-us2h
* CPU :Intel Core 2 Quad Core Q9550 2.83 ghz
* RAM : 4 Gb 2x KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/2G 2GB DDR2 PC6400 800MHZ

I currently have 2 sticks of KINGSTON KVR800D2N5/2G 2GB PC6400 800MHZ ! I want to upgrade my RAM to 8GB but I can't find the same Ram anywhere on the market.

Can I upgrade my pc with 2 sticks of 2GB RAM of a different brand ?

(I've found the KINGSTON KVR800D2N6/2G 2GB PC6400 800MHZ availible for purchase but it has a CasLatency 6 are those 2 compatible?)

 

[syked3]

It is a risk to mix RAM of two different brands. Sometimes it can work but it's a gamble. I wouldn't recommend it but you can always give it a try. As for the latency, it's best to choose RAM with the same latency but it may still work. It's up to you

 

[ThSlash]

I also can't find the timings of my memory ! Cpu-z won't show any information about my memory except that it is 4GB and i don't know any other way to do it.

 

[CptLang]

I'm going to take an educated guess here based on the model number of your RAM (KVR800D2N5) and that of the CAS 6 RAM you mentioned (KVR800D2N6). Notice that they are almost the same, except for the very last digit, CAS 6 RAM has a 6, yours has a 5, so it's pretty safe to assume that you have CAS 5 RAM.

I for one, have almost never had a problem mixing RAM, especially not DDR2. However, must problems occur from using using RAM of different speed/timings. That said though, the MB should usually just force them to run at the slowest timing, so I'd say if you can return the ram, or if you can live with the loss, go for it. Otherwise, try to find some that has the same timing and speed as your RAM (800mt/s CAS5) even a different brand should be fine.



*Disclaimer* just because I, and the majority of people will almost never have a problem when mixing RAM is not to say that problems don't happen, so while I stand by my advice being the best solution, it is by no means guaranteed to work.

 

[Tradesman1]

Can try, there are no guarantees when mixing, though DDR2 tends to be better at it than DDR3 due to the closer adherence to JEDEC specs and the older chips used. I fyou try and have problems, give a shout and we can try some adjustments to timings/voltages