Memory Question

Ransure · Post by **Ransure** » January 28, 2006, 3:25 am

Ok, so I should know this, but I dont.... My PC has been plagued with problems since I built it about 1.5 years ago, and it will be due an upgrade come summer time (after Im done putting new shit in my car).. I have fried two motherboards, two powersupplies... and the video has never been rock solid... Video errors and crashes in games like EQ, WoW, CoH... seemed like it was the GPU overheating...

Heres my setup.

AMD Barton 2600+
Epox 8RDA+
2 x 512 dual channel cheap brand
ATI 9700Pro
Tagan TruePower480(recent purchase)

Im thinking my memory is the weak link, or that all the shit in my comp is going bad...

So, now my question, if I go out and buy some nice 2x1gb kit that is whatever the latest speed ram is, will it work on my board? but just at the fastest speed that it can? I thought I had read that it could... but I wasnt sure. Id like whatever I buy to move into the new system, and I will prolly end up putting this board into a HTPC.

Stalker Vacio · Post by **Stalker Vacio** » January 28, 2006, 11:16 am

Sounds like you have a bad processor but to answer your question, it depends.

It's always best to purchase the recommended ram for your motherboard.

Here is a link to a few good memory configurators. I'd suggest purchasing what they recommend, nothing more.

http://www.crucial.com/

http://www.kingston.com/

Ransure · Post by **Ransure** » January 28, 2006, 1:36 pm

Could a bad proc be causing the problems Ive been having?.... heh, I just figured it was bad luck on this build... Ive put together about 15 computers over the past 10 years or so... and this is the first Ive had problems with reliability.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » January 28, 2006, 3:46 pm

2 x 512 dual channel cheap brand

You need to say exactly what type of RAM you have, and what you want to upgrade to. Though, when it comes to computer parts, RAM is one of the most reliable components, especially if left at its standard timings and voltage.

So, now my question, if I go out and buy some nice 2x1gb kit that is whatever the latest speed ram is, will it work on my board?

You can put higher clocked RAM in your computer, but you have to keep the same architecture. If your mobo supports PC3200 DDR @ 400Mhz, you can get 533Mhz and whatnot, but you get diminishing returns with the amount of price you'll be paying extra. Your motherboard can run higher speeds, but it's not built to do such a thing. What you -can't- do is get DDR2 if you have DDR. That's different architecture and won't even fit.

Faster RAM isn't going to fix your problem. If you think your GPU is overheating, then your GPU is probably overheating. If EQ is crashing, then the problem won't be fixed with a RAM upgrade.

Do you overclock? What's the name of your RAM?

Ransure · Post by **Ransure** » January 28, 2006, 4:53 pm

I seriously cant remember... it was some off brand that I ordered off of pricewatch for $100 or so bucks when I was building this thing...