ram question....

acidflesh · Post by **acidflesh** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:48 am

I know this is something that I should know but I dont. When I order ram, i need 2 "sets" correct? So if I order from newegg then I need to order 2 as opposed to 1, right?

Im looking to add 512 to my 256 and I just wanted to know the correct way to do it. So I should order 2 sets of 256 is what Ive heard. Sorry for the rambling post but its late and Im at work. Damn graveyard shift....

AF

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:02 am

No you don't

You only want a "matching pair" if your mainboard supports "dual channel" memory and you want to use that feature (which will gain you a couple more percentage points in memory performance). And even then it's not strictly required, Supposedly any identical-spec DIMMs will work fine in dual channel, but there's a lot of "premium" matched sets out there being sold specifically for dual channel boards.

acidflesh · Post by **acidflesh** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:18 am

Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how little I know about my computer. I have a Dell Dimension 8200 but Im not sure if it supports dual-channel ram. Im glad I posted on here because I was literally seconds away from making my order.

Is there an easy way for me to find out what my system needs? Also, can I expect a decent increase in performance? I have a p4 2.25 with 256 ram and a Ti4600. Thanks again for the advice....

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:05 am

Go to crucual.com and use their memory wizard. It will tell you what kind you need and if you need matched pairs or not, based on the make and model you enter.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 12:31 pm

Actually if he has rambus memory he would need to put it in pairs.
I think most if not all computers use good old ddr now though. Definatly make sure before you buy anything though.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 12:37 pm

Actually I just looked up your computer and it does look like it uses Rdram....Doublecheck that because I'm not really sure how Dell customizes there computers and stuff. I always just build my own.