RAM Explanation

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alvdy

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Hi
Can someone please explain what the PC**** part of RAM is? Like some RAM is PC2100 and some is PC2300 ETC.
Also will any Motherboard support any of these numbers?
(More specifically the ASUS P5LD2 SE here)
Thanks
Allan
 
Straight from asus;

Asus said:
4 x DIMM, max. 4GB, DDR2 667/533/400, Non-ECC, un-buffered memory
Dual Channel Architecture

So in reality, you need DDR2 667 (PC5400) and lower, non-ecc, un-buffered memory.
 
Actually the "PC" part of the spec is the bandwidth.
Before you upgrade your memory, you will need to know what speed is and what bandwidth is to understand the spec of a memory module. Allow me to explain.


Clock speed determines the amount of data that can be transferred between the RAM and the rest of the system. The higher the clock speed, the greater the bandwidth. Speed is one of the most common ways that RAM is identified. A memory label reading "DDR2533" means it is DDR2 RAM running at 533MHz. However most RAM nowadays is Double Data Rate (DDR). It's quite enough to know that you need DDR/DDR2 memory for your system, because explaining how DDR actually works is not necessary to learn.

Bandwidth is (along with speed) also one of the most common ways that RAM is identified. Not only is 400MHz memory labelled "DDR400", but it is also labelled PC3200 (most of the time). A memory module spec'd at PC-3200 means it is capable of a theoretical 3200MB/s (or 3.2GB/s) of data transfer.

Now I hope all that made sense...
If not, just ask :)


The suggested speed/bandwidth for your motherboard is PC5400 DDR2667. Which means that the maximum speed of memory you can get is 667MHz @ 5400MB/s.

Do you need help choosing a RAM product too? What is your budget? What size of RAM do you want?


Hope I helped. :)
 
Hay guys thanks for the replies. This clears up a lot of things! What would you recommend as the best brands of RAM?
Cheers
Allan
 
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