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johnfrance
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upgrading my RAM

Tue May 15, 2012 6:33 am

Hi guys, I would like to add more RAM to my econobox system (Oct 2010, is it really that long ago?) but need some advice. I currently have Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 Memory , and would like to up it to 8Gb. (LR4 running slower, 4Gb is minimum spec from Adobe). Can I/ Should I order two more of the same? Amazon have them for £23 but some users have reported poor QC. In fact I had to change the modules myself late last year. Can I mix the modules with others, which? Should I just dump these and buy 2 * 4GB ?same make, is there a better alternative? Sorry about all the dumb questions, but I'm only just getting the hang of this stuff. Many thanks in advance John
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Tue May 15, 2012 8:43 am

$39 for 2x4 GiB + your existing 2x2 GiB = 12 GiB total. 8)
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Chrispy_
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Tue May 15, 2012 8:44 am

I'll assume you're running the Asus EVO board as per that guide. I'll also assume you know about needing a 64-bit OS for >4GB RAM.
Unless you're overclocking or trying to absolutely maximise your performance, just get basic DDR3-1333 and slap it in.
I'd suggest buying a couple of 4GB modules and adding to your existing RAM to end up with 12GB. (RAM is so cheap it's a crime to skimp on the stuff....)

http://www.ebuyer.com/274336-corsair-8gb-2x4gb-ddr3-1333mhz-memory-kit-cl9-1-5v-cmv8gx3m2a1333c9
£33.50 delivered.

The motherboard won't care about the different size modules, and they're running at the exact same speed as your existing ones. For best performance, match the quantities and order of RAM in each of the two memory channels (A and B). On that board, it would be best to do insert RAM in this order, starting from the slot closest to the processor:

A1) 4GB
A2) 2GB
B1) 4GB
B2) 2GB

As long as your A1 matches B1 and A2 matches B2 it will work in dual-channel mode for all 12GB, but it's also good practice to put the larger sticks closer to the CPU within each channel since these have shorter trace routes are are (supposedly) more stable.
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johnfrance
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Wed May 16, 2012 2:48 am

Thanks guys, That's just what I needed to hear. Great news! John :D
 
Arclight
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Wed May 16, 2012 3:23 am

johnfrance wrote:
Thanks guys, That's just what I needed to hear. Great news! John :D



Ummm i love me the smell of new RAM in the morning.

Don't forget to run some tests when you get the modules. Test them 1 by 1 to make sure you won't run into BSODs or other problem later down the road.
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Disclaimer: All answers and suggestions are provided by an enthusiastic amateur and are therefore without warranty either explicit or implicit. Basically you use my suggestions at your own risk.
 
P5-133XL
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Wed May 16, 2012 8:11 am

johnfrance wrote:
Hi guys, I would like to add more RAM to my econobox system (Oct 2010, is it really that long ago?) but need some advice. I currently have Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 Memory , and would like to up it to 8Gb. (LR4 running slower, 4Gb is minimum spec from Adobe). Can I/ Should I order two more of the same? Amazon have them for £23 but some users have reported poor QC. In fact I had to change the modules myself late last year. Can I mix the modules with others, which? Should I just dump these and buy 2 * 4GB ?same make, is there a better alternative? Sorry about all the dumb questions, but I'm only just getting the hang of this stuff. Many thanks in advance John


You didn't specify enough information to accurately answer your question. First, without knowledge of the motherboard I don't know if you only have two slots or more so as to be able to add more modules. I also don't know whether you are using a 64 bit OS version or not for only a 64 bit OS has the capability to address more than 4GB.

That being said, many inexpensive MB's have timing issues when filling all four RAM slots. You may need under-clock the RAM to get it to work at all. It is generally better to get fewer SIMMS but bigger. It is cheaper just to add extra RAM rather than throwing away the old RAM and getting bigger up to the point that it doesn't work. Unfortunately, you won't know till you try.

In generally you can mix and match similar RAM types but that is not a guaranty and the machine will just run at the slowest timing. Occasionally, you'll run into situations that that won't work or you'll have to manually set the timings in the BIOS to get it to work.
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Chrispy_
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Tue May 22, 2012 11:44 am

He specified not only his motherboard but his complete system:
TR October 2010 Econobox build

I think he's sorted anyway.
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lilrabbit129
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Re: upgrading my RAM

Sun May 27, 2012 3:08 am

I recently upgraded my system also ( much older than yours, C2Q Q8400, Biostar TP45HP, and GSkill 1066 DDR2 4x2GB).

In order to get the RAM to play nice with the motherboard in all 4 slots, I had to up the voltage on both the RAM and the chipset. Even then, I'm running the ram under-speed ( 800Mhz ). I remember I had to do something similar on my old Athlon64 rig a few years ago. Seems like filling all 4 slots on a motherboard can create issues.

My system finally got through 6 hours of Memtest+ and it seems to be running OK, but the hard drives got some corruption ( probably from running lightroom when the ram was still erroring).
Core2Quad Q8400 stock, Biostar TForce T45HP, ATI Radeon HD4870, 128GB Intel M3 SSD, 1TB Samsung
Athlon64 3000+ @2.3Ghz 3GB RAM, Nvidia 6800GT AGP.

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