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    Mismatched RAM sticks?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by mavere, May 13, 2007.

  1. mavere

    mavere Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is it ok to mismatch RAM sizes; e.g. a 1GB stick + a 2GB stick? Last time I bought a computer, I had to add two identical sticks at a time.

    Also, am I correct in assuming that all recently released notebooks use SATA hard drives? So when a hard drive is marked as ATA-6, it won't work with said notebook?
     
    mavere, May 13, 2007
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  2. FREN

    FREN Hi, I'm a PC. NBR Reviewer

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    Yes, but there may be a problem with dual channel. Dual channel is only meant to support RAM that is the same capacity/frequency. However, a lot of people have had success dual channeling 1.5 GB of RAM (so a 1 GB and a 512 MB stick).

    It's really not that big of a deal, but I recommend staying away from anything over 2 GB of RAM on a laptop right now. Prices to upgrade are at a pretty high premium, and you don't really need more than 2 GB on any sane application anyway.

    It really depends on the manufacturer. Some use SATA, some still haven't switched. I would ask the manufacturer beforehand to avoid any costly mismatches. The "S" in SATA stands for "serial;" thus if you see Serial ATA150 you're fine, but if you see ATA-6, it won't be the same thing.
     
    FREN, May 13, 2007
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