2 GB RAM - Matching?

Hi,
I know you're supposed to match your ram. I currently have 1 gb of ram in my first slot, and a 256 in the second slot. In total I have 1.25 GB ram.

I want to upgrade to 2 gb ram. When you guys say that the ram has to match, do you mean it has to match in size ie. both of them are 1gb Ram, DDR2 SDRAM, etc.

--or--

Do you mean it has to be the exact same stick? ie. 2 of the same Crucial 40u53kjf452 models both 1gb?

Reason is, I have a elpida as my 1 gb, and I can't find where to buy another one from.

Help please? Thanks.

Try to get them as similar as possible in terms of size and speed. It doesn't really matter what brand, but getting a similar brand reduces the likelihood of any small detail being different.

Though to be honest, dual channel doesn't really offer much in terms of a performance boost unless you're using memory intensive programs. So just find a stick that's similar in size and speed and you should be good to go.

Kash said:

Try to get them as similar as possible in terms of size and speed. It doesn't really matter what brand, but getting a similar brand reduces the likelihood of any small detail being different.

Though to be honest, dual channel doesn't really offer much in terms of a performance boost unless you're using memory intensive programs. So just find a stick that's similar in size and speed and you should be good to go.

Click to expand...

Would running 4x WoW Windows at lowest graphics and shrunk all the way down count as memory intensive?

What about just 1 window of Counter Strike? More specific please

Thanks for the quick response by the way. And by saying size/speed I'm assuming you mean 1g/667 mhz, not like 1.5 inches/1g right?

By memory intensive programs I meant more along the lines of audio/video programs like Photoshop and Final Cut.

And yes, I meant 1GB running at DDR2 667MHz (PC 5300)

So matching the brands (as long as the specs match) isn't a problem? In other words, I shouldn't worry about trying to get the exact same card, as long as the specs match, and it'll still count as "matching"?

That would be correct

Thanks for the help

T'was my pleasure

Heh, one more question, sorry

How can I tell if my current card is PC5300? I can't find it in the system profiler.
Also, doesn't only PC5400 exist, not PC5300?

Well, I just bought: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3053841&CatId=2500

Thanks for the help. I'm excited.

Both PC5400 and PC5300 are available, but you want PC5300 for your Mac. The RAM that comes with your Mac is PC5300. This is that one little detail I was talking about that could break dual channel mode.

And you overpaid. This stick is cheaper and made by a better manufacturer:

G.SKILL 1GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 = $34.99

I replaced the original 256 with a 1gb, so I'm not sure if that was PC5300 or PC5400. How can I check to see if the one I already have is 53 or 54?

I'm not too worried about the price, but thanks for the link. Hopefully someone will see this and help me figure out if I have a 5300 or 5400 soon so I can call tigerdirect to cancel my order.

Unfortunately, System Profiler only gives the speed in MHz. Now I personally don't know of any program that gives more in-depth information than the Profiler. So assuming there isn't one, it would seem the only way to truly find out would be to open up the Mac and look at the stick itself.

I did that, and it didn't say on there. The only numbers it said were:
(in random order since most of them I didn't understand)

GH DDR2 667 16B 16C
0622H
SD2/1GB 667MPPC
SOD 1BG DDR2 P21x
060106100231

those are all the numbers that were on the card. I doubt that's any help, but can you make anything out from that? The brand was elpida

EDIT: I think it is PC2-5300 I guess i need to call tiger and cancel my order.
Looks like this is the card: http://www.elpida.com/en/products/details/EBE11UE6ACSA.html

EDIT2: I just called and cancelled the order with no penalties. Thanks for the help Kash, saved me a future hastle. :] I guess I'll go ahead and buy that Newegg one.

Again, glad to be of service

is it worth it to stuff 3gb ram into a macbook (thereby deactivating dual channel functionality) instead of my 2gb current spec? For all you haters out there, yes you can put a 2gb and 1gb stick in the later macbook models (not macbook pro, macbook)!

Kash said:

Both PC5400 and PC5300 are available, but you want PC5300 for your Mac. The RAM that comes with your Mac is PC5300. This is that one little detail I was talking about that could break dual channel mode.

And you overpaid. This stick is cheaper and made by a better manufacturer:

G.SKILL 1GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 = $34.99

Click to expand...

I just bought this.
Thanks Kash

rjharary said:

is it worth it to stuff 3gb ram into a macbook (thereby deactivating dual channel functionality) instead of my 2gb current spec? For all you haters out there, yes you can put a 2gb and 1gb stick in the later macbook models (not macbook pro, macbook)!

Click to expand...

We've had several discussions on this, so if you want lengthy details, I would suggest doing a search. Until then, I'll give you the quick and dirty version.

Any performance increases depend on your computing style. If you use programs that can fully utilize the extra 1GB of RAM, then the performance boost you get from that far outweighs anything dual channel can offer. However, if 2GB is working just fine, then it would be a waste of money and performance to upgrade to 3GB.