Upgrading RAM

[Keith Buttigieg]

I currently have the 2GB Corsair 800mhz RAM and want to upgrade it. I was thinking of getting another 2GB Corsair 800mhz so that I'll have 4GB of 800mhz or maybe changing the RAM that I already have and install the 2GB Corsair Dominator 1066mhz. Which will give the best performance,mostly for gaming, according to my system? Thanks.

PC Description :
OS: Windows XP Professional 32 bit
CPU: AMD phenom x4 9650 2.31Ghz
RAM: 2GB Corsair PC800 DDR2
Motherboard: Asus M3N-HT Deluxe
VGA: Nvidia Gainward GF 9800GT 1024MB
PSU: Xilence 800w

[GroundZero3]

You will not be able to see all of the ram if you upgrade to another 2 Gb stick due to the restrictions of a 32 bit os

[Keith Buttigieg]

Yeah I did some reasearch and found that on Windows XP 32 bit only 3.5GB will be recognised out of 4GB. Which RAM, in your oppinion, gives me the best performance?

[jasonz0rz]

Welcome to TechIMO.

Per your mobo's specs:

4 x DIMM, Max. 8 GB, DDR2 1066/800/667/533 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Dual Channel memory architecture
* DDR2 1066 is supported by AM2+ CPU only

1066 would be the best bet, even if you are only using 3.5 GB

[ShyguyXPC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Buttigieg

Yeah I did some reasearch and found that on Windows XP 32 bit only 3.5GB will be recognised out of 4GB. Which RAM, in your oppinion, gives me the best performance?

actually even less will be recognized since your using a 1GB Memory Video card... You'll be lucky if you even see 3GB total of RAM (depending on how much Cache/Buffer memory your hard drives/optical drives use as well as the Cache on your CPU).

[Keith Buttigieg]

So in my case, 2GB Corsair Dominator 1066mhz is better than 4GB Corsair 800mhz ?
Which will give the best performance when working with my system, especially for gaming? Thanks.

PC Description :
OS: Windows XP Professional 32 bit
CPU: AMD phenom x4 9650 2.31Ghz
RAM: 2GB Corsair PC800 DDR2
Motherboard: Asus M3N-HT Deluxe
VGA: Nvidia Gainward GF 9800GT 1024MB
PSU: Xilence 800w

[pullmyfoot]

Yes it is. Just stick both in and see if it works.. You might as well. But the 1066 ram will run at 800 speed because it will be forced to run at the slower speed. Then go and get a 64bit OS.

FYI, 32 bit OSes recognize a maximum of 4 gigs. This includes video card ram, your Bios, and all that other stuff. Somehow everything else comes first, then the system sees whats left for the main system ram (actually if you think about it it makes sense). That means you will see less than 3gigs of your total ram