What ram do I need for upgrade

[bbutcher85]

I have an EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 motherboard with 775 socket. I want to upgrade to a Q9550 CPU (on the compatible list) and 8GB of RAM, DDR2 4 sticks of 2GB each. I am confused about the RAM since many E-bay sellers specify Apple or AMD in their listing. Does the RAM really only work with these computers? My manual specifies 800 MHz ram but the Q9550 has an FSB speed of 1333. Should I buy 1333 MHz ram? I use the computer for CAD and such, not for gaming.

 

[Gingerbread]

Your motherboard supports up to 1066mhz ram, don't buy more than this. Also in the long run, probably cheaper to buy a new computer.

 

[10tacle]

Apple or AMD means nothing to RAM. What you need to pay attention to is the manufacturer QVL, or qualified vendor's list for memory. That list states all the memory makes and combinations that were tested by the the motherboard's manufacturer.

The LGA 775 chipset typically uses DDR2 800MHz (PC2 6400). The fastest available is DDR2 1066MHz (PC2 8500). Your motherboard manual should have a QVL chart in it listing all the compatible memory makes (Corsair, G.Skill, Kingston, etc.) and capacity combinations (2x 4GB sticks, 4x 4GB sticks, etc), and speed variations (DDR2 533, 667, 800, 1033).

But I will say this: always buy memory in "kits" of 2x or 4x instead of individually. This means that they were tested to work together at the factory. If you buy two or four individual sticks, they likely were made at different periods and production variations in the silicon may make just a slight enough difference to make them screwy when working together (read: random computer crashes for no reason).

 

[bbutcher85]

Thank you for your fast and helpful answers. That all makes sense, including a new computer being cheaper! I did finally find a QVL for memory, and for CPUs. My motherboard manual did specify that I need 4 sticks of 2GB RAM to get 8GB, but did not mention vendors. I will now be able to shop around and decide if I am going to upgrade or go new.

 

[Gingerbread]

Yeah check the price of those old rams, basically from what i've seen 2gb ddr2 costs more than 4gb ddr4, which is nonsense. Not to mention a 7 year old cpu costing as much as an i5.

 

[hang-the-9]

Thank you for your fast and helpful answers. That all makes sense, including a new computer being cheaper! I did finally find a QVL for memory, and for CPUs. My motherboard manual did specify that I need 4 sticks of 2GB RAM to get 8GB, but did not mention vendors. I will now be able to shop around and decide if I am going to upgrade or go new.

Look for a used system on craigslist or such, you can find a Core i3 or i5 systems for about the price of what a new CPU and RAM would cost for your system, and you can probably sell your system to make up half that cost to boot.

Here is one from my area http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/syd/5415610935.html and there are laptops also with i5 CPUs for a bit over $200 you can find.

 

[10tacle]

Yeah DDR2 prices are completely insane, but that's because they are no longer made and places like NewEgg know people will pay a premium if they really want it. One is actually better off finding used components from a reputable seller on eBay.

Actually that's got me starting to think about parting out my 2x4GB DDR2 C2D E8400 build guts that are sitting around doing nothing in a box. Years ago I waited too late to try and sell the components of my PIV Northwood and 2x512MB Samsung RAMBUS memory build. RAMBUS memory prices were through the roof for quite a while and eBay buyers were paying much more than what I originally paid. I missed that gravy boat.