Unclean January 13, 2009 Share Unclean Member January 13, 2009 Is it cool to mix RAM from different vendors? For example, if I use 2GB of this RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820146565 (what I already have) And then 4GB of this RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227289 Or should I just replace all of it? I have Vista 64 bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroDamage January 13, 2009 Share ZeroDamage Member January 13, 2009 The RAM will only run as fast as the slowest RAM there. Whether or not it will work depends. Sometimes it will work without a hitch. The motherboard will automatically sync the faster RAM down to the slower stick whether it be the actual speed of the RAM or the timings. Often times it will not work and you will need to manually set the RAM's timings so they both work. Sometimes it will not work at all. In short, it is usually best to buy from the same vendor and buy the same type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOFX January 13, 2009 Share NOFX Member January 13, 2009 I'm doing the same unclean.. I have two gigs and just purchased 2 more, but they don't have the exact brand I had previously. I was originally going to order $20 2x1 gig crucial. right before I confirmed the order, I checked out the specs on my old ram and saw I had quite a bit faster timings than the RAM I was about to purchase. so i did an advanced search and found some RAM with the exact same timings and very close voltages for $26. I would try to get them close if possible, otherwise it will only be as fast as the slowest stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOFX January 13, 2009 Share NOFX Member January 13, 2009 I basically have the same speed RAM you do. I opted to go for the cheaper route and pick up http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820144028 With the way gaming is going, I'd wouldn't be surprised if 6 gigs becomes the new standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samurai nightling January 13, 2009 Share samurai nightling Member January 13, 2009 Why not go for 8gb like i did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz.e.rus January 17, 2009 Share Laz.e.rus Member January 17, 2009 I have a similar issue. I have 2 GB of OCZ gold gxt PC 4000 I want to buy another 2GB, but I cant find any anywhere, but there seems to still be PC 3200 coming out of the woodwork. Can I mix another PC4000 if I can find it? The problem is its an OCd rig with mix-matched ram timings etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwack January 17, 2009 Share bushwack Member January 17, 2009 If for some reason they're not compatible, just use the 4 gigs and sell the 2gb, 4 gigs should be plenty for anything right? If your running XP like me anything over 4gb pretty much goes to waste as mine only shows as 3.25gb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samurai nightling January 18, 2009 Share samurai nightling Member January 18, 2009 (edited) If for some reason they're not compatible, just use the 4 gigs and sell the 2gb, 4 gigs should be plenty for anything right? If your running XP like me anything over 4gb pretty much goes to waste as mine only shows as 3.25gb. Depends if you're using 32 bit or 64 bit as to how much it shows. Any 64 bit can show way more than 4gb, but 32 is limited. And also, I've always read that the best thng to do with RAM is not to mix. Get the same kind, brand, lot number, everything to make sure it all works, or you're alwawys liable to come up with compatibility issues. Edited January 18, 2009 by samurai nightling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher January 18, 2009 Share Preacher Member January 18, 2009 4gb is 4gb though, the PC still uses it, it just doesn't show in the readout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 18, 2009 Share dragonfly Member January 18, 2009 4gb is 4gb though, the PC still uses it, it just doesn't show in the readout Oh, I thought that using 32 bits meant that there are only so many addresses that the OS can use, thus only allowing you 3.25 or whatever GB of memory usage. Je pense que je suis une noob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher January 18, 2009 Share Preacher Member January 18, 2009 It utilizes the RAM still, it just dispenses it a cache memory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz.e.rus January 19, 2009 Share Laz.e.rus Member January 19, 2009 Hmm..maybe I should just buy 4GB then of any PC4000 I can find and dispense with OCZ gold I have? (ELGE GXT-K) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher January 19, 2009 Share Preacher Member January 19, 2009 Personally I wouldn't run a system with different RAM, unless they were same voltage, timings and OC ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz.e.rus January 19, 2009 Share Laz.e.rus Member January 19, 2009 bummer. I cant even google up that ram anymore. The best I got is the specs from a system that OCZRyder had: http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/sh...amp;postcount=4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo January 19, 2009 Share Cujo Member January 19, 2009 windows 32bit system will not see OR USE any more than 4gb of ram. a 32bit operating system simply can't access more than 4gb. therefore, it will in no way benefit you having more than 4gb of ram in a 32bit system. finally found a good link explaining the whole situation once and for all: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000811.html i'm sure i've said the above several times. can we sticky that somewhere so mis-information stops being spread once and for all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly January 19, 2009 Share dragonfly Member January 19, 2009 Ah, old assembly class. How I don't miss you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclean January 19, 2009 Author Share Unclean Member January 19, 2009 I have Vista 64 bit, so it will "see" all of the RAM. Ordered some late last week, it arrives today. Will let you know how it works out - 4GB matched RAM in the first channel, 2GB in the second. Oh, that's another question... does RAM use the first channel fully before starting in on the second? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo January 19, 2009 Share Cujo Member January 19, 2009 afaik, ram access is random. coincidentally that's what the r in ram stands for... depending on your chipset you'll want the same amount of ram per channel. so you'll not want to divide it the way you're planning. i would just stick with 4gb anyhow. ram is cheap enough now that if you really need more than 4gb just buy another matched set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laz.e.rus January 23, 2009 Share Laz.e.rus Member January 23, 2009 Cujo- wouldnt happen to have 4 gigs of PC4000 still lying around would you? I'd settle for 2 to add to the 2 I have if its OCZ GXT gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo January 23, 2009 Share Cujo Member January 23, 2009 Cujo- wouldnt happen to have 4 gigs of PC4000 still lying around would you? I'd settle for 2 to add to the 2 I have if its OCZ GXT gold. only ddr i have lying around are all 512mb sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amertrash January 25, 2009 Share amertrash Member January 25, 2009 "Oh, that's another question... does RAM use the first channel fully before starting in on the second?" The system will simply see the RAM as one large array, and it will utilize it as such. As for the 4GB RAM limit it isn't a 32 bit problem, it's microsoft just limiting maximum ram. Anything since the Pentium Pro supports PAE(Processor Address Extention) or PSE(as the Pentium 3 or later), giving you 36 bits of addressing. If you're running Windows with Data Execution Prevention, then you're even using PAE as the NX bit(required for DEP) is part of it. However Windows XP(and Vista 32bit) don't support PAE/PSE other then for the use of the NX bit. It also memory maps any I/O device on the address bus, meaning if your video card has 1024MB of RAM, that will be taken as part of the 4GB limit. Along with every other I/O device you have, hence why you'll never get 4GB of usable RAM in XP as every device you have has to be addressable via memory mapping on the address bus. Technically the hardware itself supports addressing for 64GB. On a side note, TigerDirect as Cosair 2x1GB DDR2/800 kits for $10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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