RAM recommendation

yossarian084yossarian084 Norwich, VT, USA Member
edited June 2008 in Hardware
I have a ASUS A8N5X 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard with only one Gig of RAM. The type I bought is no longer made but would like to bump up to at least 2G. Is it a bad idea to have two different types/brands of RAM or does it matter? Any recommendations? I do some gaming so have a need for as much as possible on that MoBo.

Thanks.

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2008
    Mixing brands and speeds can lead to trouble. I strictly avoid it, but YMMV.
  • yossarian084yossarian084 Norwich, VT, USA Member
    edited June 2008
    So you'd recommend just buying 2 new gigs of the same brand? Seems wasteful but I see the point.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2008
    It's your call. I'm just saying that there are potential pitfalls.
  • yossarian084yossarian084 Norwich, VT, USA Member
    edited June 2008
    Even with the same specs? Newegg has "similar items" with the same speeds etc...
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2008
    Truly, not all memory is made the same. Even amongst modules with the same frequency and timings, they're slightly different. It's like a 250 HP V6 from Ford vs. a 250 HP V6 from Chevy. They all follow the basic rules of a good engine (JEDEC standards), but they vary slightly. I'm not saying you're destined for a headache, but I am saying that the potential for trouble is there and that there is a chance (However slight) that you'll have a bumpy ride.

    If you want to try just one stick, you'll know right away if there are issues because you'll be met with freezes, blue screens or reboots.
  • yossarian084yossarian084 Norwich, VT, USA Member
    edited June 2008
    OK. Great advice.

    After six months in Iraq Ive earned an upgrade anyway. Thanks for the help.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited June 2008
    After six months in Iraq Ive earned an upgrade anyway.
    You have full agreement from me.
  • germanwolf35germanwolf35 Clarksville, TN
    edited June 2008
    Mixing RAM is VERY bad. These days RAM is rated not only by brand & speed, but in what's called "Latency". Latency is sorta like "timing" of the ram. If you put PC-8500 DDR2 that has 5-5-5-2 & 5-5-5-15 it will more than likely cause a problem.

    Go to newegg. They have some good deals right now. I just bought 2X1gb of DDR2 PC-8500 Crucial Ballistic Tracer. & not only do they work good the LEDs on the sides of them are SWEET!!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited June 2008
    Today's BIOS will automatically run all sticks of RAM at the latencies specified by the slowest RAM.
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