Memory(ram) Question Compatibilty

[Damen 0]

Well for a while now I have been running on some odd number of MBs for my memory, I think it is 1.3GBs. I have for DIMM slots so I think the set up is(512,256,256,256) or something like that I suppose and they are different speeds(MHz) but that isn't what my question is about.

I was looking to upgrade my RAM to just two sticks 1GB each. So I found a nice pair I like but I noticed it was DDRII 200pin 880MHz. Now when I looked up the specs on my MB I saw that it supports DDR 128pin 400MHz (Dual Channel). What leads me to my actual question is could the specs on the sites be wrong and my MB actually be able to run DDRII? I find it hard to believe that with all the mismatched sticks in my slots that they are all DDR 128pin. Maybe they are, I don't know. But is there any way that the new sticks I am looking at purchasing could work with my MB?

I have noticed that 2GB of regular DDR ram costs almost double what DDRII does. This is why I am bringing it up to see if I can save $50.

Link to my MB on Crucial.com:
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Edited April 1, 2008 by Damen (see edit history)

[Saint_Michael 3]

Usually RAM is supposed universal regardless of the motherboard, however, we would need more info like a screen shot of the RAM sticks themselves, and a screen shot of what it says for your Specs. Also if we knew more about your motherboard that way we could google it and see if we can find any specs on it and see what else it supports then maybe we could better answer your question. In the meantime maybe getting a hold of the manufacturer of the motherboard and see what they say about it could prove to be a better result.However, from the looks of it you would have to get the DDR RAM installed into your computer.

[Damen 0]

Usually RAM is supposed universal regardless of the motherboard, however, we would need more info like a screen shot of the RAM sticks themselves, and a screen shot of what it says for your Specs. Also if we knew more about your motherboard that way we could google it and see if we can find any specs on it and see what else it supports then maybe we could better answer your question. In the meantime maybe getting a hold of the manufacturer of the motherboard and see what they say about it could prove to be a better result.
However, from the looks of it you would have to get the DDR RAM installed into your computer.

Yeah sorry about the lack of information I had to wait to get home before looking through my specs.

My motherboard is only maybe one and a half years old, it is a Mach Speed Viper MK8-939A.

My slots are regular DIMMS, two sections one a tad bit larger than the other. What I may end up doing tonight is opening the darn thing up and taking a look at the sticks I already have and see what it says on them. I am also going to look around the web for some Memory testing programs, who knows what can be found on the interweb. I think I might still have Belarc installed so I will see what that says.

Site with specs of my MB:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/sep;Sku=M450-2400

[Saint_Michael 3]

DDR I am pretty shocked just because of how DDRII is more proficient in computers these days and word has it that DDR III is out or on the way. Anyway, you made a minor mistake and that your motherboard suprts 184-Pin not 128. which changes everything, head over to new egg and check out DDR400 RAM here.. The corsair are top of the line and you could either drop $80 for 4-512MB sticks or drop &70 for the 2-1GB sticks, and of course it is obvious what the better deal is, Of course if you got a name on the RAM that is installed you oculd see what they have and go with them, but if they look cheap then go with the corsair set.

[Damen 0]

Thanks SM,Yeah it seems I did get the number wrong, I was still thinking in MB numbers I suppose and shouldn't have been going off my memory, pardon the pun.Yeah, that is one of the reasons I was dumb founded when I found my mother board doesn't support DDRII considering it really isn't that old. Thanks for the info on the prices, it seems I won't be able to get it as cheap as $50 like the DDRII but $70 still isn't that bad. But I might hold off on buying it anyways. A new MB isn't really that expensive and the difference between 400MHz and 800MHz is really big. I am still planning to open up the dust ridden thing tonight anyways to see what really is in there.Thanks again for your help.

[jlhaslip 4]

If you snag the pair of 1 Gig cards, you should be able to keep a pair of the 256 cards in slots 3 & 4.

[truefusion 3]

When the motherboard specs give a specific speed for RAM, whether it's DDR or DDR2, that means it can only support up to that speed. For example, yours supports up to DDR 400. Meaning, anything DDR that is under 400 should also work so long as it's within DDR and does not pass 400. My motherboard supports up to DDR2 800, but i'm using DDR2 667.