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Old 01-08-2011, 05:47 AM   #1
shane_c
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Currently have a Dell Dimension 3000 desktop with 512mb of RAM (2x256). We need to add more because it doesn't like doing more than one thing at once. Do we need to add 2 matching sticks or could I just add a 1gb stick in one of the slots making it 1.256gb?
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Old 01-08-2011, 06:32 AM   #2
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It's always best to use two matching sticks with DDR ram. It'll probably work if you add the 1GB stick, but you won't get as much benefit out of it. You might even hinder performance.
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Old 01-08-2011, 06:41 AM   #3
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That^

and you might have a bit of a hard time finding ram for a computer that old.
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Old 01-08-2011, 06:45 AM   #4
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After a quick search 1 gb of DDR SD is running around $50, which is a lot for low end ram because they probably don't make much of it anymore.
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Old 01-08-2011, 06:46 AM   #5
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If you can afford it, you're probably better off to just upgrade your whole system by buying a new computer. Fixing up an old clunker is going to cost you more in the long term as components start to fail after about 3 years in my experience.
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Old 01-08-2011, 06:47 AM   #6
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Memory Express has different sizes and manufacters of RAM for your computer.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...)/Default.aspx
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Old 01-08-2011, 08:26 AM   #7
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Best is to replace both with a matched pair. If you can swing 2GB, it might extend the life by the PC a year or 2 but in the end you will need to upgrade anyway, so consider carefully. Anything less than that is really just a waste of time.

If you do just do one stick, just be aware that the speed of the slowest RAM will be used, so in some cases you would be better off by replacing both sticks with a single stick, rather than leaving one of the older sticks in.

Either way, go to www.crucial.com and either manually choose your computer model from the list or download the scanner and it will tell you exactly what you can have. At that point, they tend to have better prices on older RAM, but be sure to compare with Memory Express at least.
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Old 01-08-2011, 08:56 AM   #8
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Go here:
http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/index.aspx

Find out what the machines will take, then go to newegg.com and buy it.
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Old 01-08-2011, 10:42 AM   #9
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I have an old Dell Dimension 3000 and I've upgraded the ram a couple of times. Currently I have a 1GB and a 512 mb stick. It has no problem operating like this. I think I read that you lose 5% in speed by having unmatched pairs and the computer is solid running Windows 7.
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Old 01-08-2011, 11:03 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan View Post
I have an old Dell Dimension 3000 and I've upgraded the ram a couple of times. Currently I have a 1GB and a 512 mb stick. It has no problem operating like this. I think I read that you lose 5% in speed by having unmatched pairs and the computer is solid running Windows 7.
Yeah, the gains from dual channel memory in regular desktop use are pretty insignificant. It's disappointing - it's the kind of thing that sounds like a such a great idea and a huge performance boost, and then in practice, you can't feel or observe a difference other than via synthetic benchmarks.
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Old 01-08-2011, 07:27 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan View Post
I have an old Dell Dimension 3000 and I've upgraded the ram a couple of times. Currently I have a 1GB and a 512 mb stick. It has no problem operating like this. I think I read that you lose 5% in speed by having unmatched pairs and the computer is solid running Windows 7.
Yeah, the only real loss comes from using memory that is of drastically different speeds.
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Old 01-08-2011, 10:05 PM   #12
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While you may not get the full benefit of having mismatched sticks of RAM, you'll have more RAM and will see improved performance.

Thanks for reminding me, I've been meaning to buy more RAM for my Dell XPS for a while now. I think I'll order some right now.
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Old 01-08-2011, 10:18 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buff View Post
While you may not get the full benefit of having mismatched sticks of RAM, you'll have more RAM and will see improved performance.

Thanks for reminding me, I've been meaning to buy more RAM for my Dell XPS for a while now. I think I'll order some right now.
Yeah, for sure. I had half a gig of ram and I was better off to add another one gig stick than to match it with a another half gig stick. That DDR is expensive and the computer isn't worth investing much more into it.
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