Do memory sticks have to be the same?

[YanBooth]

Learn more at www.homepcbuilder.com

ok, one more question, whats the difference in SDRAM and DDR and how can i tell which one I have?, sorry for all the questions, but I'm really interested in the internal workings of a pc.

 

[Nubius]

SDRAM I believe will have two notches in it, and usually come in SIMM modules whereas DDR tends to have DIMM Modules. DIMM means Double Inline Memory Module, SIMM stands for Single blah blah blah. There are DDRs that only have one bank of chips so just looking for one row of chips isn't what gives it away.

On the DDR ram you'll notice only one notch in the RAM stick for it to fit into the slot, a little to the right of halfway through the chip i believe. Whereas SDRAM you should see two notches that have to be lined up to the board.

 

[hygor]

http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?pid=1&lang=en&pageid=3

download everest home edition (its free) it will tell all about your current system set up - including the type of memory your motherboard is using. I find it to be a handy tool

 

[killians45]

to let u know, if you MBD supports dual channel it wont work in dual mode with 512 and 1GB, they have to be matching sizes and clock speed. It will work, though, in normal mode u just wont have dual channel running.

 

[cloud]

wow thanks a lot hygor.

 

[cloud]

another question, DIMM, does that mean there's two sticks? I have 2 memory sticks in my pc, both 512, i thought they were working together to give me 512, but then that program tells me i have 1,021mb memory. whats up with this?

 

[GageMW]

errr.... to say the least, thats a bit silly, think about it, if you put two 80gb hard drives in (unless they're in Raid1) do they work together to give you 80gb?
not to say HDs and memory are same, but its sort of common sense

 

[cloud]

lol i know i know, i'm an idiot , but i'm learnin. i just got into computers about 6 months ago. thanks for all your help^_^

 

[Smokin-A.I.]

Basicaly what they are saying then is , if you have the wrong ram for your mobo , it wont go into the slot! the notches must be the same for the ram you have to the ram you buy..also if your mobo only uses 2700 and you get 3200, it will work but at the slower clock speed of 2700....best bet , find out what you have and what you go to ! im running 512 paired with 257 both 2700 and it works fine for my mobo.

 

[cloud]

I learn a little more each day thanks.