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    2 x different types of ram

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by hellrazor, Apr 29, 2012.

  1. hellrazor

    hellrazor Notebook Geek

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    Hi
    I've an old banger toshiba l300d according to the crucial memory scanner it requires ddr2 pc2 6400 , it came with 2gb of this and then I put in an extra 512mb of ram from my previous dead toshiba which is DDR 2533 I'm guessing this may be the cause of extremely poor system performance these days or is it just ready for the bin?
    Cheers
     
    hellrazor, Apr 29, 2012
    #1
  2. GHLow

    GHLow Notebook Enthusiast

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    The original DDR2 6400 you specified operates at 800MHz, whereas DDR2 4200 which I assume is the one you obtained from the dead Toshiba operates at 533MHz.

    The system downrates your RAM frequency to the lowest denominator, so your DDR2 6400 is effectively functioning as a DDR2 4200. The bandwidth throughput is reduced by to 533/800.

    I assume that the 512mb is actually 2x256mb, otherwise, the Toshiba l300d permits dual-channel operation for RAM, meaning that RAM should be paired with an identical module for optimal performance, eg. 2x1gb + 2x256mb
     
    GHLow, Apr 29, 2012
    #2
  3. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    What is your current system? Most likely it has only 2 SODIMM slots, so it would be 2GB + 512MB. It will run in asynchronous dual channel mode and be clocked at the lower speed, DDR2-533. Your system will not be slower by adding more memory, even if it's a slower speed. More RAM >> slower speed.
     
    sgogeta4, Apr 29, 2012
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  4. LaptopUser247

    LaptopUser247 Notebook Consultant

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    GHLow wrote exactly what I would say so listen to him/her and your're bound to get some improvement.
     
    LaptopUser247, Apr 29, 2012
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