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    Another newbie Ram question,,,,(Sorry)

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by vtec96, Apr 26, 2006.

  1. vtec96

    vtec96 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Another newbie ram question,,,,(Sorry)

    so mine Dell 6400 comes with one 512MB DDR2 533 MHz ram..and now i wanna upgrade it..

    Option 1.
    Keep the 512 ram and add another 1gb DDR2 533 MHz

    Option 2.
    Sell the 512mb ram and get 1gb DDR2 677MHz

    I have searched already...but I am still so confused,,,sorry!

    Which option will give me better performance...
    Thanks a lot !
     
  2. jetstar

    jetstar Notebook Deity

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    Option (1) 1.5 GB RAM!
     
  3. _radditz_

    _radditz_ Fallen to the Sith...

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    I second that.
     
  4. Jamie

    Jamie Notebook Consultant

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    im under the impression that when relpacing ram it is much better and i believe safer, to upgrade both the the same level. So for example you have the 512, it would be better to put either another 512 in there or sell the five twelve and put a 1G in there. that way you are updating equally. The reason for this is because i think the computer has a hard time of appropriating the memory when there are two different size sticks in there. i dont know this for a fact but im pretty sure on it. it could make it slower and not utilize the entire RAM

    so i would buy a 1G so that if you really needed it you can put another 1G in there later on.
     
  5. drumfu

    drumfu super modfu

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    you can run whatever combo you want. there is no stability or speed issue. the only thing to be aware of is that if you run a 533 mhz chip alongside a 667 mhz chip, the 667 will clock down to 533.
     
  6. Jamie

    Jamie Notebook Consultant

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    ok i was wrong i guess i was getting the speeds confused with the size issue.
     
  7. xbox360dellxpsm140guy

    xbox360dellxpsm140guy Notebook Guru

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    not to mention your laptop may not have a 667 fsb processor, so of course you should stick with the 533 in that case. And the 1.5 at 533 would be better than the 1.0 at 667.
     
  8. Chele

    Chele Notebook Consultant

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    Yep i agree, it's way better more ram even if it's not the fastest one, plus you will only noteice the diference if you do something really heavy like gaming.
     
  9. Shampoo

    Shampoo Notebook Deity

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    Unless your system is specified to run 667mhz ram, stick with 533 and get yourself some MORE ram.

    Even if your system CAN handle 667mhz bus speeds, but you already have 533mhz ram, I suggest getting MORE 533mhz ram, or if prices aren't much different just go with the 667mhz ram so later on if you see the need for it you can take out the 533mhz ram and get some more 667mhz ram.

    The 667mhz ram will default to the lower 533mhz speeds if you mix, but mixing is not recommended.

    Cheers,
    Mike