Ok, besides dual channels and speed etc. Can a stick of 1 gig RAM and another stick of 512 RAM be used on the same motherboard? I always see people say the have 1.5 gig of RAM which means they have a stick of 1 gig and 512 stick or possibly 3 sticks of 512?

Yes. Careful though, some of those older boards don't take too well to high density 1 GB mem modules. Mushkin purposely makes lower density 1 GB mem modules incase you need some and this one doesn't work.

-S

In my experience, even what are effectively identically specced-sticks of RAM from different manufacturers can sometimes not work with one another, and the only way I've ever found to be certain RAM sticks would run okay with one another is to buy them all the same make, preferably from the same batch at the same time. This is a bummer, but it's been my experience.

One other thing to be aware of is that if you use a 1 gig stick with a .5 gig stick, make sure you put the 1 gig stick in the slot nearest the CPU. As mad as this sounds, the shorter distance between the biggest stick of RAM and the CPU will make it work slightly more efficiently, as you'll have more data having less distance to travel.

:D Chock

OK, I cracked open the case and I have PC3200 and a PC400:o :o :o . Both 512mb:shifty:

That is both the same. DDR 400 is PC3200. Told you that you had a 200 MHz FSB. Do I get a cookie now? :p

-S

So then, is there any gain by placing a 1 gig along side one of the 512mb sticks? Yes, cookie now.

I want my cookie back. I got into the bios and it says I have pc2700 yet my sticks have the stickers that say pc3200. What the heck is up with that????????:doh:

Oh so now the picuture comes out: you have PC3200 RAM stickers

Cookie?

I pray to God that you're not pulling things off/inserting onto mobo while the PSU is plugged into mains.

I pray to God that is not true.

Tell us what mobo you have? Then cookie?

Why yes! I'm doing it all while smoking a cigarette next to a can of gas:roll: My mobo is some nvida board. I do not know what it is.

Download CPU-Z (link on previous post) that will tell you what your mobo is (plus lots more info)

:D Chock

Dude, do NOT freak out. Leave that for the time when you go: "Oh. Well maybe I shouldn't have messed with that."

I'm just saying: don't be pulling stuff off of a powered mobo. NEVER do that.

NEVER plug anything into a powered mobo either.

NEVER touch anything on the mobo unless you've grounded yourself by touching the PC chassis (while the PSU is plugged in) first.

Once you unplug the mobo from mains by disconnecting the PSU from mains, and you've yanked items off of said mobo, well, then, plugging PSU into mains will not be just a bad idea, it'll probably blow everything you know.

Once you pull mains from PSU plugged into mobo, you're obligated to not come into contact with anything else, or hope that by touching your finger to running water and then walking back to the mobo test area is good enough.

Listen, ESD is pretty remote of a possibility and all those ESD wrist-straps that you see that you can buy are a scam.

Listen: do not unplug anything from a plugged-in mobo. Do not un-plug anything from a plug-in mobo.

Always touch the chassis of a plugged-in PC prior to touching anything inside the PC. If you can't figure out if you're neutral: just touch the plate on the back of the box (near to where the PC is plugged in to from the wall).

That is one of the biggest things you could ever know.

I was actually just going to suggest that...CPU-Z will tell you everything you need to know regarding dual channel and what speed your RAM is running at...just be aware that if you have mixed populations (i.e. 1 512MB stick of PC2700 (aka DDR333) and 1 512MB of PC3200 (aka DDR400)), the two sticks will show as 1GB of RAM, but will run at the slower RAM's speed (PC2700).

I know those moments...I hate those moments...I just had a bunch building my new rig...

My Mom asked me:

Suppose you were going to build another machine. NOTHING's connected to the PSU, how do you ground yourself.

I answered:

You touch the chassis of some other machine that is plugged into mains.

Mom's response:

You can do that?