DDR2 Memory in DDR Slot

[Raulrocks]

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this but ...anyone know exactly what happens if you put DDR2 memory in a DDR Slot? And please don't tell me it's not possible. Trust me...it is very possible.

Thanks

[Atomic Rooster]

It wont work. DDR2 has 240 pins whereas DDR has 184 pins. The contacts wont line up properly. It could ruin both the memory and the slot.

[Prince Lalijama]

This is what would happen.

[ShyguyXPC]

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this but ...anyone know exactly what happens if you put DDR2 memory in a DDR Slot? And please don't tell me it's not possible. Trust me...it is very possible.

Thanks

Its not Possible, or at least shouldn't be...

It wont work. DDR2 has 240 pins whereas DDR has 184 pins. The contacts wont line up properly. It could ruin both the memory and the slot.

as AR said, it won't work, DDR2 has more pins, contacts won't line up, & the other little thing that makes it Impossible, is the fact the little notch/divider on the row of pins is located at a different location, so unless you forced the DDR2 memory into the DDR Slot, or installed it backwards somehow, more or less destroying any pins near the notch/divider in the slot, its not Possible...

I know you said not to tell you that, but its the truth...

read: DDR2 SDRAM - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DDR2 DIMMs are not designed to be backward compatible with DDR DIMMs. The notch on DDR2 DIMMs is in a different position than DDR DIMMs, and the pin density is slightly higher than DDR DIMMs in desktops. DDR2 is a 240-pin module, DDR is a 184-pin module. Notebooks have 200-pin modules for DDR and DDR2.

Faster DDR2 DIMMs are compatible with slower DDR2 DIMMs; however, the faster module runs at the slower module's speed. Using slower DDR2 memory in a system capable of higher speeds results in the bus running at the speed of the slowest memory in use.

[Raulrocks]

Okay, well I tried to upgrade my memory and I didn't have to force it. Has anyone experience a burning smell after installing memory and the pc not booting? I immediately shut down as soon as I smelled it, waited a while, then tried replacing the old memory, but it doesn't boot.

[Mickwish]

Any scorch marks on the memory you put in? If not, it may not be the RAM that caused the burning smell. Could be CPU. What kind of CPU and motherboard? Maybe you jigged the heat sink fan a bit an cause the CPU to burn out. Not a good thing...

Bad RAM can also cause a short circuit; not always with the RAMslot though, as it could cause current to flow somewhere else on the motherboard it shouldn't. Not common, but it can happen. Again, not a good thing...

If you didn't need to force it it wasn't DDR2 in a DDR slot, basically. Can you post some specs for CPU / mobo/ and both types of RAM you have tried? Numbers off the RAM sticks would work.

Cheers
Mick

[Raulrocks]

Here's what I did: I tried to upgrade my memory, which had been configured with 1 stick of 128mb and 1 of 512mb. My MOBO can support up to 2 gb, so I took out the 128 and installed 1 stick at 1gb of Kingston ValueRam PC3200.

Here's where the problem started I think, when I turned on my computer it wouldn't boot, but I got beeps and it started to smell like it was burning. I immediately shut it down. There are no scorch marks on the old memory and I don't recall seeing any scorch marks on the 1gb when I took it out, but I returned it to the store.

I left it alone for a while, then I took out the 1gb stick and replaced the old memory. Now when I turn it on, nothing happens. There are 2 lights on the front near the power button, the one to left is orange and the one to right is green. The monitor says "no signal". No beeps, no nothing. Just the fan. I've tried putting the sticks in different slots and I've tried only using either the 128 or the 512 alone.

Here are the specs:
Dell Dimension 2400
OS - Win XP Pro
CPU - Intel Pentium 4, 2.66GHz
Mobo - Dell P/N: 411726100004, Processor Supported: Intel 478-Pin processor, 400Mhz FSB, Intel 845GV chipset
PSU - Achieve ATX 550W
Original RAM - 1 stick 128mb Kingston (the number on it 9930258); 1 stick 512mb Kingston ValueRam

Thanks

[carl33p]

As has been said many times. DDR ram CANNOT be installed into a DDR2 slot. Or vice versa.

PC3200 is DDR memory.
DDR-400

[Steve R Jones]

You probably fried the mobo. But, try taking the 128 stick out and see wht happens with just the 512.

[Raulrocks]

You probably fried the mobo. But, try taking the 128 stick out and see wht happens with just the 512.

Thanks, I did try that. I tried just the 128 and then just the 512, but it didn't work. I think you're right.

[Prince Lalijama]

So you've established that he has fried the mobo, but what caused it to become fried?

[ShyguyXPC]

well we know it wasn't because he jammed DDR2 into the DDR slot, as he mentioned it was PC3200 which is DDR-400 as carl pointed out...

[Steve R Jones]

The Burning Smell would be a dead give away that something fried

[RamonGTP]

The Burning Smell would be a dead give away that something fried

That's been established already, the question now is why it happened.

[electric]

believe it!,its real easy when your in a hurry,seen first hand
and burns quick [ ass ways ]

give clearing the CMOS a try,install good ram,reboot

[Computer Hobbist]

Hi,

I was reading your problem and much the same problem I did. I found out this 2 reasons.
1. You did not flash the latest BIOS to your motherboard.
2. Since you didn't flash the latest BIOS, your motherboard originally takes PC2100. Both of your old RAM are the same specifications as PC2100. You mixed PC2100 to PC4000 that why.

I learned these lessons very well, my desktop's motherboard doesn't boot too and smoked the moment I mixed different RAMs. Hope this will somehow enlighten you. Good luck.

[Computer Hobbist]

Hi,
I was reading your problem and much the same problem I did. I found out these 2 reasons.
1. You did not flash the latest BIOS to your motherboard (maybe).
2. Since you didn't flash the latest BIOS, your motherboard originally takes PC2100. Both of your old RAMs are the same specifications as PC2100. You mixed PC2100 to PC4000 that why.
I learned these lessons very well, my desktop's motherboard doesn't boot too and smoked the moment because I mixed different RAMs. Hope this will somehow enlighten you. Good luck.

[sr71000]

I don't know what computer hobbist is talking about but if you installed ddr-400 (pc3200) into a motherboard that takes ddr 133 (pc2100) it should just underclock the faster ram. It should have been fine. Give the board a sniff test. See if you can find spots that smell burnt (seriously). Especially around the power supply area. You could have fried most anything (mobo, power supply, processor...). It sounds to me like one of the first two though. If it literally smoked my guess would be the power supply. Look at the capacitors and see if any look abnormal. If there's any white crusty stuff on it or if they look bulged on the sides or at the top. See if they look pushed away from the board (bulding underneath pushing itself up). I'd say most likely you're going to either need a psu or you're going to find bad caps. My guess is that you already had a weakening/failing part in the system and installing the ram gave it that little extra push for some reason (jostling the case, extra power requirements, something else...i really have no idea what would make it die just then but chances are it's something that was already just waiting to go bad).

[Blitzkreig75]

Check the PSU. I think that 'Achieve' is a low-to-no-end PSU. I've had several crap PSUs just take a dump on me for no obvious reason.

Maybe you'll have killed only the PSU, and spared the mobo.

[rahul_sh2989]

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this but ...anyone know exactly what happens if you put DDR2 memory in a DDR Slot? And please don't tell me it's not possible. Trust me...it is very possible.

Thanks