Will 256 and 512mb ram work together?

[olefarte]

I've got 2X256mb sticks of Samsung PC1066 RDRAM. I'd like to increase it to at least double, and get two more 256mb sticks. My question is, if I decide to get two more 512mb sticks instead, and add them to the two I already have, will this work, (2X256, plus 2X512)? Also, what if I mix brands, does it have to be the same brand, although, from what I've checked on so far, there's not much choice for my type of ram anyway, and it's not cheap. I know this has probably already been answered somewhere in the forums, but I couldn't find it.

I've got a Pentuim 4, 3.06, Intel D850EMV2 motherboard, rest of specs in my profile.

 

[Rick]

Yes. Howver, the quirky behavior of memory compability applies still.

Doesn't have to be the same brand... Just buy it and it should work as long as it is the proper speed.

 

[olefarte]

Thanks Rick. Another question, in view of how much two 512mb sticks of this ram costs, I've even been thinking about a new motherboard and some DDR ram, (if I can afford that much).

Since I have a Gateway comuter, can I buy whatever motherboard I want, or do they use proprietary motherbaords?

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Have a look at e.g. www.crucial.com for the exact needed type of RAM for your current PC. They can also tell you what it costs.

Give us the exact PC-model and if you have them, mobo-brand/type/model/whatever you can find on it.

 

[olefarte]

Thanks RB. I've already looked at Crucial and evidently they don't have what I need. I've found it in Samsung and Kingston only so far. Probably get the Samsung because it's about the same price as the Kingston. And it runs from around $100 to $110 per 245mb stick and around 250 per 512mb stick.

My specs are in my first post and my profile.

I've got a Gateway 700XL, Pentuim 4, 3.06, Intel D850EMV2 motherboard, 2X256 mb Samsung PC1066 RDRAM, Maxtor 200 gig hard drive, Windows XP Home.

 

[Didou]

Well is it a desktop or a normal midi-tower ? Often it's just the backplate that changes & almost all the motherboards you buy now come with their own backplate (especially if they're full of USB, LAN, Firewire connectors in the back).

As for the inside, have a look & see if the screws are placed at standard areas.

It could indeed end up being cheaper getting a new board + DDR ram rather then buying more Rambus RDRam.:dead:

 

[olefarte]

Didou, I'm not sure what type of tower it is called, but it's tall, ala Alienware, probably not quite as big, but a lot larger than a midi. Plenty of room inside. The screws in the motherboard appear to be in the same place as the one's I've seen in stores.

My main problem besides money, is I'm not quite sure if I've got the skill to put iin a new motherboard and everything that goes on it. Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I am sure I want more ram. I play Battlefield/Desert Combat a lot, and it is very frustrating how slow it loads. From what I understand from reading the forums here, more ram will make it load at least some faster. And sounds like all the new games would benefit as well.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I've got to figure out what I want to do and if I'm brave enough to install a new motherboard.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

There are plenty of instructions around to replace a mobo, e.g. here:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/replace_motherboard.htm

If you don't have 2 left hands, and you can hold a phillips-screwdriver, you should be able to do it.
Besides, we here at the forum are at your disposal for any questions.

Your mobo can be replaced with any other Pentium4 mobo that suits your budget (but check the mobo-measurements to be sure), according to what I have read about it.

 

[olefarte]

Thanks again for all the input guys. After thinking this through a little more, I think I'm going to go with a little more ram for now and wait on the motherboard. It looks like if I'm going to upgrade that far, I should wait and get a PCI-Express motherboard, which also means a new video card. Now we are getting into some real money. AND, there will probably be a lot to pick from in the coming months. Think I'll have to wait on that.

So I"m going to go with more ram for now.

Oh, thanks for the link RB, that site has a lot of good guides.