PLZ SUGGEST ME A RAM

[shyamno]

I am using compaq presario SR 1030IL.My system confi. are

P4 2.6 GHz. 40 GB HDD,128 DDR SDRAM.I want to upgrade the RAM to either another 128 MB module or one module of 256 MB.I am confused about the speed of RAM whether its 133 Mhz or 166 MHz.So please suggest me which to buy and which company.The original RAM is of Samsung.When I am asking to the local vendor they said that any RAM can be used.But when I m asking to the compaq service centre they r telling that only compaq RAM (buying from them only) can be used and the problem is that one 128 MB module would cost me around Rs.5000+sales tax.So please tell me is there any RAM produced by Samsung and where i can get it or any other companty in place of Samsung(Plz give the prices if any one have). I have installed CPUZ to check the frequency of RAM it shows me both 133 and 166 MHz.

 

[mohit]

u can buy a 266 mhz sd ram module as it will be backwards compatible with a 133 mhz board .. so no issues here , the 266 mhz ram will work at 133 mhz if your board doesnt support 266 mhz. the price u r getting from compaq is SKY HIGH .. try getting it from other sources n dealers.

 

[shyamno]

Mohit thanks for the advice.R u sure it will spport 266MHz RAM.
Mine is a INTEL i845G motherboard Gamilla2-GL6E(MS-6577).

Can u tell me the actuall speed of my RAM ,in my computer specification it is written as 128/2700 MB 333DDR SDRAM(runs @ 266 MHz) and 184-pin DDR DIMMs.

Can u tell me the price of a 256 sd ddr ram with 266 mhz of any renowed company. Plz post ur reply soon.

 

[mohit]

hey i think ur mobo is using ddr ram and not sd ram... plz post the screen shot of cpu-z like the one i am posting below ,

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As u r mentioning that its a PC 2700 184 PIN DIMM then its surely ddr ram buddy. PC 2700 means 333 mhz ddr and its running at 266 mhz for u (pc 2100) coz maybe ur mobo doesnt support PC 2700. u can easily get another 256 mb PC 2700 DDR RAM from Kingston . corsair , zion etc for as less as 1200-1400/- bucks.

 

[shwetanshu]

man dont worry i also have compaq PC, i have given my original ram module to my cousin. I m using Kingston 512 + 512 MB RAM @ 400 MHz running @ 266MHz. so it wont cause any prob to u

 

[shyamno]

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Mohit now see this & give me ur answers.After u conclude then tell me how to ask for the RAM from any computer shop i.e.what should i tell the person about the RAM (SPEED).

 

[mohit]

see ur motherboard is able to run ram only at pc 2100 i.e 266 mhz ( or 133 as shown by cpu-z , it shows 133 as its ddr ram meaning DOUBLE DATA RATE so its actual clock speed is 133 but its effective clock speed is 133*2 = 266).

Now there are 3 types of DDR RAM available based on their clock speeds,

1. PC 2100 or DDR 266
2. PC 2700 or DDR 333
3. PC 3200 or DDR 400

PC 3200 is the fastest and the best that u can get. It is totally backward compatible meaning if ur mobo doesnt support PC 3200 it will work at PC 2100 / PC 2700 (whichever speed is supported) . The current ram u r using is PC 2700 but its working at PC 2100 as maybe your mobo doesnt support anything more than PC2100.

Now what i suugest is u buy 256 MB or more of PC 3200 or DDR 400 and use it. It will work at speeds of PC 2100 but will be good for u in the future like suppose when u upgrade. Atleast u will not have to upgrade ur ram. Ask your dealer for Kingston , Corsair , Transcend or Zion ram. Specify this to him

256 MB DDR 400 Mhz PC 3200 - Kingston,Corsair,etc.

It should cost u anywhere between 1200-1800/- bucks. I am not sure of the rates of 256 Mb though i just bought a 512 MB Kingston DDR 400 for 2800/- (all inclusive.) All these brands come with min. 3 years warranty. I hope all ur confusion is cleared now. Anything else do ask.

 

[shyamno]

Thanks Mohit once again.

So there is nothing about matching speeds.If I put a RAM of 400 MHz then if it is not supported by my motherboard then it will automatically run at 133/266 MHz which may be the supported speed of my mobo.But I had asked some computer shops about matching speeds of the RAM they said its necessary to match the speeds of the RAM otherwise the system can crash.If u had to tell something else plz specify that.Thanks for ur suggestion.

 

[mohit]

i dont think that speeds need to be matching. Just let your BIOS adjust all settings automatically. It will automatically make your memory run at the compatible speeds. and dont worry if u see blue screens or get errors after u upgrade your memory. this is a very common problem. I advise doing a reinstall of your os if u face such probs. Also do backup your documents before u get the upgrade done.

 

[shyamno]

One last suggestion from u is that after i insert the RAM is formatting of the system necessary if nothing wents wrong.Or is it necessary to format the system?

 

[mohit]

if nothing goes wrong then dont format ur system .. if u get blue screens and errors then do a format n reinstall. good luk.

 

[cvvikram]

After inserting the RAM why on earth do you want to format the system????

U have to remove and change the memory stick into other slots only when blue screen appears saying something about paging, memory.

 

[mohit]

@cvvikram

most of the time windows starts throwing random errors n bsod's which cannot be cured even by changing the position of the ram modules. The system works fine for some time but again throws up giving errors n randomly shutting down. it is advisable to do a clean reinstall instead of trying to repair windows (which trust me is impossible )

 

[icecoolz]

One thing to note here. If you do use a RAM which is non compaq then it will work. However if you do run into issues w.r.t other components in your system then the compaq people might refuse to support your system anymore as you have a RAM which is not supported by compaq. This is one of the main reasons why people still dont go in for branded systems. Do be careful in what you do mate.

 

[shwetanshu]

well i used it coz my system went out of warranty, sry forget to menion that

 

[shwetanshu]

well i used it coz my system went out of warranty, sry forget to menion that

 

[shyamno]

Hello Mohit,

The vendors r confusing me.They r telling if suppose at present my running RAM is 128 MB DDR SDRAM PC 2700 and now if a want to put another module of 256 MB PC3200 then it would cause problem to me.So they r telling either u have to install 256 MB PC3200 and take out the present RAM which may be PC2700 both RAM having different speeds can't work together.

Also tell me whether

PC2100=266MHZ=133MHZ
PC2700=333MHZ=166MHZ

Above said RAM means the same whether it is PC.......=.......MHZ=........MHZ.

 

[mohit]

Hello Mohit,


Also tell me whether

PC2100=266MHZ=133MHZ
PC2700=333MHZ=166MHZ

Above said RAM means the same whether it is PC.......=.......MHZ=........MHZ.

ya the above equations are correct as ddr means double data rate. and ur vendor is talking crap , i am sure diff speeds ram will work perfectly. they will work at the slowest speed automatically.

 

[Ringwraith]

vendors are often fools and its never a good idea to depend on them....do ur homework, get ur facts right and ask ur dealer to get 'em.. plain n simple
matching RAM sticks is only a prerequisite for dual channel...(ur motherboard doesnt support dual channel so dont bother!)ur vendor is wrong dont listen to him!

PC2100=266MHZ=133MHZ
PC2700=333MHZ=166MHZ
PC3200=400Mhz=200MHZ
in ur own words
u can go ahead with the PC3200 RAM without any problems!

 

[shyamno]

Thank's to all if there is any further problem a reply will be posted here.