PC2100 DDR RAM - Need Advice

[avs20 10+ year member]

I am in serious need of upgrading one of my comps. Right now it only has one stick of Crucial 256mb PC2100 RAM. I don't want to spend the money on Crucial again(I know it's kickass RAM) because this comp is used mainly for file sharing and loading songs onto an ipod. With 256mb of RAM..this process is extremely slow..as well as doing anything on it...it's like a turtle.

The CPU is a 1.6ghz, so I know the RAM is holding it back. Ive been looking around, and pricewatch has 1gb for $64. Is this stuff just absolute crap? Or would it work for what Im trying to do?

If you have any advice..feel free to interject

BTW..I do have a Fry's a stones throw away..so if they are running some awesome deal this week that you know about..let me know!

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[Ape 10+ year member]

I would go with the brand Corsair.. they are very reliable.

 

[Moe Lester 10+ year member]

I would go with the brand Corsair.. they are very reliable.

both of my XMS sticks wouldnt run their rated speeds:uhoh:

got a link to that memory you are looking at? more than likely its no-name with bad timings

 

[avs20 10+ year member]

Moe...just went to pricewatch.com and looked at 1gb sticks of pc2100. Not looking at anything specific...just looking for something that isnt garbage. I dont need the best for this computer

I might ust run by Frys and pick up 512mb for ~$50..unless you guys can show me something worth getting off the internet.

 

[Moe Lester 10+ year member]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146423 - Mushkin 2x 512MB - $92.89

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145485 - Crucial 512MB - $43.25

Id go for the mushkin, or if you wanna stick with crucial you can get a couple sticks of the 512.

 

[avs20 10+ year member]

Moe...been out of comps for a long time now...so Im a little rusty

The links you posted are pc2700...does it matter that Im running pc2100? I thought RAM was mobo dependent?

 

[Moe Lester 10+ year member]

its not going to matter, the PC2700 is only able to run at a higher speed than the 2100 will. the RAM will all be running the same speed though so everything will be fine. The reason I posted the 2700 is because it was cheaper than the 2100 for some reason lol.

 

[avs20 10+ year member]

So the 256 2100 I already have will be compatible with the 2700?

 

[Moe Lester 10+ year member]

yes, the PC2700 will just be running at PC2100 speeds.

 

[GCAdidas13 10+ year member]

about pc2700 ram

if your mobo can't support that fast of ram your computer will run very unstable.

thought my laptop could take pc3200 and put pc3200 in, crashed every 10 minutes. put pc2700 in, and it was fine

 

[Moe Lester 10+ year member]

about pc2700 ram
if your mobo can't support that fast of ram your computer will run very unstable.

thought my laptop could take pc3200 and put pc3200 in, crashed every 10 minutes. put pc2700 in, and it was fine

that is completely untrue... My mobo supports up to PC3200 DDR. Ive got 2 sticks of PC3500 running at 236 FSB each, FAR beyond the supported PC3200 speed. The same with my brothers board, and the past 3 computers I have gone through. My friend is running PC4000 in his board only rated to support PC3200. It is fine. The reason it says that it supports up to that speed memory is because that speed is the highest FSB that the board supports without overclocking.

 

[avs20 10+ year member]

So should I check the specs on my mobo and see if it even supports faster than pc2100?

 

[GCAdidas13 10+ year member]

that is completely untrue... My mobo supports up to PC3200 DDR. Ive got 2 sticks of PC3500 running at 236 FSB each, FAR beyond the supported PC3200 speed. The same with my brothers board, and the past 3 computers I have gone through. My friend is running PC4000 in his board only rated to support PC3200. It is fine. The reason it says that it supports up to that speed memory is because that speed is the highest FSB that the board supports without overclocking.

well the only thing i changed was the ram...

using crucial 3200 - unstable

using pqi 2700 - stable.

maybe my laptop's mobo is teh ghey

 

[Moe Lester 10+ year member]

So should I check the specs on my mobo and see if it even supports faster than pc2100?

it wont matter... the memory is going to run the same speed as your PC2100.

 

[avs20 10+ year member]

Great..thanks!