Buying More RAM

[Captain Murphy]

I'm looking to buy some more RAM. I'm currently using 2gbs of DDR2 800 mhz. I'm in school for graphic design, video editing and 3d animation so I'm going to need some more RAM for things to run smoothly. I was curious how I should go about this though. At first I was just going to buy more DDR2 800mhz, but then I realized maybe I should be buying 1066 mhz. My setup is in my signature and I'm running Windows XP. Also if I'm not mistaken or not suppose to mix brands on memory right? I think my current memory(Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 ) is discontinued.

 

[Yami]

Also if I'm not mistaken or not suppose to mix brands on memory right?

It's generally not a good idea but won't exactly lead to disaster.

Are you sure your memory is discontinued? Check a few more websites, I found some Ballistix 2x1GB 800 on Newegg:
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AL80A - Desktop Memory
It might not be the exact same model but it shouldn't give you any trouble.

If you'd rather be sure, I'd buy a 2x2GB set from Corsair or OCZ (etc.). 800 or 1066, there's a marginal difference between the two, you're unlikely to notice any boost in performance from an increase in speed.

Keep in mind that if the XP you're running is 32-bit, you won't see all of that RAM; you'll see about 3.5GB minus your VRAM.

 

[Captain Murphy]

Right now my CPU and RAM isn't running 1:1. I'm not at home right now so I can't check all the numbers but would I be able to underclock the 1066 to 800 and get 1:1? If so would that be worth it? I mean its only a few dollars difference.

 

[Yami]

Right now my CPU and RAM isn't running 1:1. I'm not at home right now so I can't check all the numbers but would I be able to underclock the 1066 to 800 and get 1:1? If so would that be worth it? I mean its only a few dollars difference.

Um, why exactly are you after a 1:1 ratio? But yes, that would would work. However if you're just going to underclock the RAM to 800 then you may as well buy 800 RAM.

 

[Captain Murphy]

Um, why exactly are you after a 1:1 ratio? But yes, that would would work. However if you're just going to underclock the RAM to 800 then you may as well buy 800 RAM.

I was under the assumption that a 1:1 ratio would increase my performance.