ram questions

[tailgunn]

I'm adding some ram. I know I need 184 pin pc3200, what I have now runs as low as 2 cas. How do I figure out if I need dual channel? My motherboard is nvidia nforce.
I was looking at a 1gb stick that is 400mhz, but what I have now is only 200 I believe. Can I use that or not?

 

[turtile]

Use CPU-Z (google it) to find out about the ram. PC Wizard 2006 has even more options.

DDR400 (PC3200) runs @ 200.

 

[uzi9mm]

what.... how can you find out if you NEED dual channel....... We @ TF cannot answer that.

Do you WANT it? And will your board SUPPORT it..

Usually in the POST it says:Memory Running in Single Channel Mode
(dont quote me on that)

something like that should appear. To also verify, open your computer up and see if the ram slots have different colors to them. This would be a good indication of dual channel support. Even better, whip out the manual to the motherboard if its available to you.

And as a word of advice, get the same size sticks, same timings, and same speed, to up the stakes on dual channel compatibilty.

Your best bet is to get the same everything, including the brand.

 

[tailgunn]

I used cpuz but I don't recall it saying anything about dual channel. I guess what I should have said is can I use dual channel? I don't really know what it is. I found a good deal on a 1gb stick but it's dual channel, and I have no idea if my board can support it. I'll have to look and see if I have a manual for the board.
What is POST?

 

[turtile]

As long as its DDR, it should work. Use pcwizard.

POST is when the motherboard checks all the components to see if they are working right (before the BIOS)

 

[tailgunn]

So, maybe I'm over-thinking this? As long as I get ddr it will work?

How come I've seen pc3200 that says it runs @ 400?

 

[bonehelm]

www.crucial.com checks your ram type and stuff.

 

[uzi9mm]

So, maybe I'm over-thinking this? As long as I get ddr it will work?

How come I've seen pc3200 that says it runs @ 400?

because 400mhz is the clockspeed.

400x8=pc3200=3.2gb a sec of theoretical maximum bandwidth

 

[tailgunn]

This crap is confusing. Any good places on the net that explain all this hardware stuff? clockspeed, bus speed, cas, ddr...

 

[uzi9mm]

umm here.