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"2gb RAM Questions"

I currently have 1gb of RAM in my system, which is enough. However, I had a bit of spare dosh and splashed out on another stick of 1gb RAM which I saw running cheaper then usual.

I was just wondering if I will encounter any problems running my system with this amount of RAM?

I recently done a system check using Sandra lite and apparently I don't have enough room for more RAM. However, ASUS website states the motherboard has enough for 4gb. I've took a look inside, there are two more slots which are different colours. I'm using a ASUS A8V-Deluxe motherboard, if that is any help.

Is it just as simple as Plug in and go? Or erm, is it healthy?

AFAIK you can't - it's a property of the RAM itself. However, I couldn't tell you for certain that that is true. I don't know why I posted really - sorry! Lol.

But surely you can...

I mean, if you have some DDR 300 / PC2700 ram and some DDR400 / PC3200 ram, the computer runs it at the PC2700 settings... So there must be some option, probably in BIOS. Right?

They're not RAM timings, that's the frequency of the RAM. The timings are the CAS thingys I think - eg. 2-2-2-5 or whatever. The frequency can sometimes be changed.

If I'm wrong, ignore me.

You can change timings in the BIOS.

*clicks ignore*

There are two "things" to RAM. Frequency, as in the FSB speed, normally 166 or 200 MHz nowadays. Then there is RAM timings, which are things like 2.5,3,3,8 or whatever. The timings are things like how many clock cycles before the RAM responds to a signal, how long to refresh etc. Hence as a rule lower is better (apart form on nForce 2 boards where maximum bandwidth is found with the last of those 4 digits set to 11, but that's an anomaly).

Now the FSB speed can be altered in the BIOS easily. However often in the advanced section of the BIOS it will allow to change the timings. It may be between normal, overclocked and turbo or it may allow you to set them yourself.

Something worth noting is that with relaxed timings RAM can run at higher frequencies. RAM that can only do 166 MHz or so at a CAS latency (the first of those four timing digits) of 2 may be able to do 200 MHz with a CAS latency of 3.

But I'd rather just raise the RAM voltage before I loosen timings. One thing that also has to be said is that timings are for all sticks in a board, so if you have some great RAM and some crappy RAM then having loose timings on the crappy RAM will hamper the performance of the great RAM.

Notorious Biggles wrote:
> *clicks ignore*

That's what I get for trying to answer a question I know nothing about. Ooops.

You can get a stay of execution since I know nothing about... PHP for instance. :-D

Thank you Uncle Biggles. I got me my first book about anything web related today. Until now, I'd never had any programming books or anything of the kind - I got "PHP & MySQL - Web Development" so now I can become a God (or not!)...

Back on topic...urmmmmmm....help?

Please...?

I got a 1gb stick of RAM here doing nothing. So if someone could help me set this up to run at 2gb I would be ever so grateful.

Nimco wrote:
> Thank you Uncle Biggles. I got me my first book about anything web
> related today. Until now, I'd never had any programming books or
> anything of the kind - I got "PHP & MySQL - Web
> Development" so now I can become a God (or not!)...

Thats such an awesome book!! (flexes unused web development muscle) Nimco, you should have come to the surfers party - Langwith style - never seen so many loose women!! Got lucky but have to face them at tomorrows (todays) 10:15 :-( oh dear <- I do mean that dearly...