PC memory question....

[Greenmachine]

Somebody told me that you can put PC 3200 memory in a PC 2100 mobo. Is that true? He said that the mobo will automotically slow it down so it will work. I am asking because currently PC3200 is cheaper than PC2100 and it will also be a better buy if I ever upgrade my mobo. Any help is greatly appreciated.....

 

[DonNagual]

I wish I could give you a difinitive answer, but I can't.

My answer is "probably". Usually it works, and as your friend says your board will automatically downclock the ram to the speed it likes..... usually. Sometimes the older boards just don't like the newer ram and won't start up.

What motherboard do you have?

 

[Greenmachine]

well the upgrade is for my roommate's comp. It is a Dell Dimension 4500S. Intel 845G is the chipset.

 

[DonNagual]

Well, this guy got it working so you should be fine:

Great memory!! I paired this 512MB PC3200 with a 256MB PC2100 in a Dell 4500S and it's running just fine (both memory sticks are at CL2.5). Even though it is running at the slower speed, this fast memory will be easily carried over to my next machine when I upgrade it. You really can't go wrong at this price!!

Not a gaurantee of course, but it is looking like your chances are pretty high.

source: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=586829&Tab=11&NoMapp=0

 

[Greenmachine]

hehe... appreciate the help Don. I am not so sure about Ultra memory. Twenty dollars for 512 seems kind of sketchy. I was thinking more along the lines of Corsair Valueselect.

 

[DonNagual]

Nah. I wasn't recommending the ram in that link, just simply pointing out that someone has popped some 3200 ram in your system and has it working. Corsair valueselect, I suspect, will do the job just fine.

 

[Tedster]

most Dell computers use proprietary memory. In many cases 3rd party memory won't work.