Which memory do I actually need??

BigB@dJ@y · 24 Oct 2006 at 18:29

I have a Dell Dimension 5150 with 1 GB (2x512) memory.
On the Crucial website I used the memory checker tool which said my motherboard cannot use Dual Channel and I need PC4200 DDR2 ram.

Fair enough I thought.

After reading a few posts on here I downloaded the CPU-Z tool.

In the memory section it states I have the following
Type: DDR2
Size: 1024Mb
Channels: DUAL

Freq: 200Mhz etc etc

Under the SPD section it states:-

Max Bandwidth: PC2-3200 (200Mhz)
Manufacturer: Nanya technologies

All I want to do is add another GB of memory (2x512)

Please tell me what I should be ordering (Just to run at stock)!!

Thanks.

Cob · 24 Oct 2006 at 18:34

You need pc4200. Your cpu is only running at 200Mhz but still needs the ddr2 because of it's chipset.

BigB@dJ@y · 24 Oct 2006 at 18:35

Will a dual channel kit work? Despite what Crucial memory checker says?

wyatt gates · 24 Oct 2006 at 20:37

If you Google for "Dimension 5150", you'll find the answer on the Dell site.

Tetras · 24 Oct 2006 at 22:33

Dual channel memory is no different from normal memory, the sticks are just matched so that they are optimised/best compatibility for your PC.

By far the best option is to sell 512MB modules and buy 2x1GB kits though, cos they will A: be easier to sell, B: far more likely to work and be compatible with your system (since you have no other memory that it needs to work with, so the chips/manufacturer/timings etc are not gonna be different) and C: leaves you upgrade room for the future (as you could have another set of 1GB modules).

BigB@dJ@y · 7 Dec 2006 at 22:19

Would Hynix PC2-3200 DDR2 be compatible with the existing memory?

Cob · 8 Dec 2006 at 15:17

In theory yes. But sometimes mixing manufacturers can cause problems.