2700 / 3200 RAM Config: Asus Terminator P4 533A Barebones systeP4SC-EA

Hi,

Trying to help out my father in law, and don't want to ruin his system. He has the following system running XP Professional SP3:

Asus Terminator P4 533A Barebones System.

The motherboard appears to be a P4SC-EA according the the crucial system scan. The motherboard manual says that it can take up to 2GB unbuffered non ECC PC2700/2100/1600 DDR DIMMS. It is currently fitted with a 512MB stick (don't know much about it as not had a look)

Happen to have this lying around: D1D400-064283NG 1GB DDR PC-3200 400MHZ 184-PIN NON-ECC DIMM P/n: D1D400-064283NG - DANE-ELEC ORIGINALS

My question:
Motherboard manual says maximum PC2700. Can I put in PC3200? (As the manual was printed in 2003, I wasn't sure if 3200 existed then?) Can I whack it in and see what happens? Or is there a chance it will fry the motherboard? Certainly don't want to break it! I know RAM should be the same brand/size/speed wherever possible, but let's face it, adding a gig has got to outweigh any speed discrepancies, hasn't it?

Looking forward to a response! (and a faster PC!)

Thx
 
Usually yes. In fact,I think that some RAM is designated "PC 2700 (333Mhz) & PC 3200 (400Mhz). It will run according to the system RAM clock.

Just make sure the RAM you're going to install is a "generic" type. (Standard voltage and timing).

One other thing to consider. Older board that use DDR RAM have only limited capacity. Make sure you read the motherboard manufacturer's page for your board before you rush in and stuff 4GB of RAM into a board that only accepts 1GB.

You probably know this already, but more than about 2GB is sort of a waste in older machines. Many older boards are actually only 32 bit, and XP (32 bit) really isn't set up well to deal with more than about 2GB.

Even with 4GB installed in a 32 bit system, you won't have more than about 3.35GB usable.
 
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