Memory Upgrade Help please

[disasater2]

I currently have a Dell Dimenson 8400 which has four banks for memory. Currently two of those banks are filled with 512ram, ddr2 533mhz and I am going to upgrade the memory sometime this coming month.

What I'm wondering is can I upgrade the memory in the other two banks with two 1gig chips at the same mhz or for optimal performance do I need to have all four banks have the exact same memory chip?

[ryanlap27]

Originally posted by disasater2:
I currently have a Dell Dimenson 8400 which has four banks for memory. Currently two of those banks are filled with 512ram, ddr2 533mhz and I am going to upgrade the memory sometime this coming month.

What I'm wondering is can I upgrade the memory in the other two banks with two 1gig chips at the same mhz or for optimal performance do I need to have all four banks have the exact same memory chip?

The amount of ram doesn't matter as much as the type and speed.

Try and get the same type (Kingston, OCZ etc...) as what you have now. This way you can be sure all your ram is running with the same timing and mhz. Otherwise, your ram will only run as fast as the slower dimms in your system, or worst still, you'll have system instablity (crashes).

Anyways, 3GB's is a bit much don't you think?

[disasater2]

Thanks for the advice. 3GB is a bit much, but we currently have another computer with 1gb and 4 banks to. I ordered a 2gb kit, and when it arrives I'm going to take the 1gb out of this one put it in the other and then both comp's will be at 2gb with the same type of memory.

[Patenaudeluc]

Originally posted by disasater2:
I currently have a Dell Dimenson 8400 which has four banks for memory. Currently two of those banks are filled with 512ram, ddr2 533mhz and I am going to upgrade the memory sometime this coming month.

What I'm wondering is can I upgrade the memory in the other two banks with two 1gig chips at the same mhz or for optimal performance do I need to have all four banks have the exact same memory chip?

Your last post is accurate. Since, its rather only one RAM card or two RAM cards in the same colored DIMM slots and one other in the second slot after the first DIMM slot but, when it comes to putting a third card, it is always recommended to put two more in the second different colored type DIMM. Otherwise, the PC will become unstable or worse, it might even ignore the third card and, still, only 2Gb of the total RAM will be available for overall data storage.

As to answering the question of your first post, yes, you can. Might even be recommended as well.
Just do not touch the previously installed cards and use the two others to install your new two 1GB cards.
Noticed the first RAM card is in the first slot and the second is in the third slot? That's because of their same colored DIMM state and the two others are a totally different color. It is also because your MB is built around the concept of the Dual Channel DIMM configuration.

Hope that all this extra info. will help further your extra RAM decision. Print this post out to yourself for immediate referral during the RAM upgrade procedure.
http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/25.gif

[Patenaudeluc]

Originally posted by disasater2:
Thanks for the advice. 3GB is a bit much, but we currently have another computer with 1gb and 4 banks to. I ordered a 2gb kit, and when it arrives I'm going to take the 1gb out of this one put it in the other and then both comp's will be at 2gb with the same type of memory.

I just realized by re-reading your post at least 4 times over ,that you had, still, your older PC.

And, yes, your last decision at leaving the old one with the four 512Mb RAM cards(2Gb total) is quite an excellent choice. So, install the newest cards of 1Gb each(2Gb total) in the first and third slots of the four DIMMs. You'll notice why. They're of the same color and, of the same Dual Channel configuration.

Now, there is another possibility that just opened up. The joining of both systems in order to make a personal very small network(Household LAN).
It will only require the purchase of a LinkSys Modem for the LAN communications between the two systems.
The LinkSys Modem gets to be directly connected to your internet cable while your two PCs will be connected to the Modems LAN jacks of it.

Enjoy your new possibilities and, the totally new system!! http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/typing.gif

[ryanlap27]

Originally posted by Patenaudeluc:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by disasater2:
Thanks for the advice. 3GB is a bit much, but we currently have another computer with 1gb and 4 banks to. I ordered a 2gb kit, and when it arrives I'm going to take the 1gb out of this one put it in the other and then both comp's will be at 2gb with the same type of memory.

I just realized by re-reading your post at least 4 times over ,that you had, still, your older PC.

And, yes, your last decision at leaving the old one with the four 512Mb RAM cards(2Gb total) is quite an excellent choice. So, install the newest cards of 1Gb each(2Gb total) in the first and third slots of the four DIMMs. You'll notice why. They're of the same color and, of the same Dual Channel configuration.

Now, there is another possibility that just opened up. The joining of both systems in order to make a personal very small network(Household LAN).
It will only require the purchase of a LinkSys Modem for the LAN communications between the two systems.
The LinkSys Modem gets to be directly connected to your internet cable while your two PCs will be connected to the Modems LAN jacks of it.

Enjoy your new possibilities and, the totally new system!! http://forums.ubi.com/images/smilies/typing.gif </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

He asked about memory, why are you talking about LANs? Secondly, not ALL DIMM slots are color coded (SO IT's BEST TO CHECK THE MOBO MANUAL), and third, IT'S CALLED A ROUTER, HUB, or SWITCH. A modem may be BUILT-IN, but that's not what he needs for a LAN setup. Please stop trying to help, your help leads to more confusion...

[disasater2]

I really appricated the help, and the suggestion of a LAN did not confuse me. I had some sort of idea about why the DIMMS were color coded, but thanks for spelling it out for me. When messing around inside the computer, best to have as much info as possible.

I already have a lan setup between the two computers, and often have a lan party for Heroes, Civ, and Warcraft.

The two computers are up and running in suberb form, and I can now play a Huge map with 18 civs in Civ 4, without it crashing halfway through the game. Not to mention I can alt tab to Itunes for music with no delay or problems. It's great, and am eagerly looking forward to HOMM5.