Need help with buying RAM

[EJC]

I want to upgrade to 1GB of RAM (2x512) and I know I need PC2700 184-Pin DDR SDRAM

So which brand is the best? Do you get what you pay for with RAM? Here's the Newegg link with all their options....
The Link

Which one should I get???

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

what kind of ram do you have now?

if you have more than 1 stick, they will run at the speeds/timings of your slowest sticks.

if you're not going to play games/other intensive stuff, stick to "value" brands from the different manufacturers. always go with companies that offer lifetime warranties (which almost all the good ones do).

buy the 2nd stick with teh same cas latency as your existing stick. CPUZ will tell you all u need to know about your existing stick.

 

[YChang]

that's a nifty little program

 

[EJC]

Ok new problem....

I ran that little freeware program and it says this that I have this in slot 1 and slot 2....

256MB (512 total)
PC3200 (200Mhz)

So does that mean I need PC3200?????

Why does hp.com say I need PC2700 when I enter my model # and pull up the product specs?

 

[EEE]

Go for pc-3200 instead. It is actually cheaper than pc-2700 and should be more compatible when you upgrade your cpu/mb. It will work fine with your system.

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

i doubt cpuz is wrong about your memory speed.

In reply to:

---

---

 

[EJC]

no...only 2 slots.

so do I use PC3200 or PC2700?

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

well, if you're gonna replace both sticks....

1) is it an AMD or intel cpu? for non a64 amd cpus, you're supposed to keep a 1:1 fsb

ram
so, if you have an AMD athlon (not a 64 bit !!) proc, look at the "Bus Speed" in cpuz. it's in the first tab. buy whatever ram matches your bus speed.

bus speed = 200mhz = ddr400 ram.

i dont know what you'd do with an intel proc, but i'm sure somebody else here could tell you.

 

[EJC]

I think I got it....

Looks like I have PC3200, but it's running at 333MHz

My FSB is 333MHz (Barton AMD Athlon XP 2800+)

Therefore....Should I buy 1GB (512x2) of PC3200 and run it at 333MHz or just stick with 1GB (512x2) of PC2700?

Also...back to my original question....what brand should I buy? I do play games at times.

 

[EEE]

Get the pc3200 == 400mhz ddr ram. No reason to pay more for slower, less upgradable ram. Go for a name brand, lifetime warranty brand like mushkin or crucial or kingston value ram.

 

[EJC]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

if you buy higher speed ram and underclock it, you'd be able to attain better clock speeds.

i was able to hit CL2 with a combo of ocz/crucial/pny rams.

if you're a gamer, i'd say the best bang:buck would be the hyperx. i run it at 2-3-2-5 @ 3200 speed.

 

[EJC]

Excellent....

Last Question....

When I press F1 to access the BIOS Menu, I can't seem to find any settings to change the Cas Latency...WTF??? My old RAM that came with the computer is still in the computer. Unless I'm going crazy, I presume the old RAM's settings can't be changed.

When I put in the new PC3200 RAM will the "Advanced Settings" menu change and show me the Cas Latency settings?...b/c right now there isn't ****.

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

i think you have to press CNTRL + F1 or something like that while in the bios main screen and it'll pull up another option where you can change more advanced stuff. i think the exact combo may be different for different manufacturers though.
The Link good deal also

 

[EJC]

****....

What a POS motherboard I have....the BIOS is locked....impossible to change the CL settings.

 

[longhornjoe03]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[TexasOwnzYou]

just shoot an email to tech support and they should be able to tell u where in the bios the timings are at.

 

[EJC]

It turns out my motherboard is specifically designed to have a "bare bones" BIOS. It's impossible to change the CL settings with the RAM with this POS mobo.

However, I did go out and buy some RAM today. Bought 512x2 (1Gig) of Corsair PC2700 and PC3200. Both worked fine once installed....however, the mobo automatically set the CL settings to 333MHz...I couldn't tell a speed difference in my programs/games.

I returned both.

Looks like I don't need any RAM to speed up my system. 512MB looks to be enough for what I have already.

Thanks for the help though.