Hardware DDR2 questions

[Joey Ravn]

Well, I'm a total newb when it comes to hardware. As you can see here (In Spanish, scroll down to the DDR2 memories), DDR2 is extremely cheap, at least compared to DDR. So...

1. Why is this so? Why DDR2 is cheaper than DDR1?

2. How can I know if my PC is compatible with DDR2? It's fairly new (it's a Compaq I bought about a year and half ago), but I'd like to be sure before buying anything.

3. Moreover, I should know whether the RAM I have installed is faster than the one I will be buying, shouldn't I? How can I know this?

4. My system has 1GB in two 512 slots. Could something happen (i.e: not being compatible or something like that) if I buy a 1GB DDR2 RAM now, leaving one of my current modules on? Meaning, of course, that, for the moment, I would have 1.5GB RAM, while I save some more for the second one.

5. What's the main difference between the ~€20 modules and the ~€150 ones? I assume, of course, that the latter are better, obviously, but why such a high price difference?

Thanks for everything, in advance

 

[xcalibur]

Well, I'm a total newb when it comes to hardware. As you can see here (In Spanish, scroll down to the DDR2 memories), DDR2 is extremely cheap, at least compared to DDR. So...

1. Why is this so? Why DDR2 is cheaper than DDR1?

2. How can I know if my PC is compatible with DDR2? It's fairly new (it's a Compaq I bought about a year and half ago), but I'd like to be sure before buying anything.

3. Moreover, I should know whether the RAM I have installed is faster than the one I will be buying, shouldn't I? How can I know this?

4. My system has 1GB in two 512 slots. Could something happen (i.e: not being compatible or something like that) if I buy a 1GB DDR2 RAM now, leaving one of my current modules on? Meaning, of course, that, for the moment, I would have 1.5GB RAM, while I save some more for the second one.

5. What's the main difference between the ~€20 modules and the ~€150 ones? I assume, of course, that the latter are better, obviously, but why such a high price difference?

Thanks for everything, in advance

1. Why is PCI-Express cheaper than AGP?

2. If you know the exact make and model you can find out on its product page. Newer motherboards should support DDr2

3. Run CPU-Z, It should have a tab which shows you the current speed of your Ram.
Ram comes in 533/677/800/1033/1333 MHZ flavours and the higher the number, the better.
The standard is 800 MHZ lately.

4. I'm not sure but I've heard from quite reliable sources that running to identical ram modules together gives the best performance. Sure you might 1.5 BG Ram but if you can't take full advantage of it then whats the point?

5. I would say quality and speed. Most likely just brand though...
Corsair and Kingston are the top brands around.

 

[Jiggah]

Well, I'm a total newb when it comes to hardware. As you can see here (In Spanish, scroll down to the DDR2 memories), DDR2 is extremely cheap, at least compared to DDR. So...

1. Why is this so? Why DDR2 is cheaper than DDR1?

2. How can I know if my PC is compatible with DDR2? It's fairly new (it's a Compaq I bought about a year and half ago), but I'd like to be sure before buying anything.

3. Moreover, I should know whether the RAM I have installed is faster than the one I will be buying, shouldn't I? How can I know this?

4. My system has 1GB in two 512 slots. Could something happen (i.e: not being compatible or something like that) if I buy a 1GB DDR2 RAM now, leaving one of my current modules on? Meaning, of course, that, for the moment, I would have 1.5GB RAM, while I save some more for the second one.

5. What's the main difference between the ~€20 modules and the ~€150 ones? I assume, of course, that the latter are better, obviously, but why such a high price difference?

Thanks for everything, in advance

1. DDR2 has been a standard for the last like 4 years, meaning more production = less cost.

2. Get a utility like CPU-Z that will tell you what your current RAM is running, which will give you and indication of what RAM can be used. Alternatively, you can also check website that give information about premade system to give you info about upgradability. There might be motherboard issues with RAM change if you don't know what type you need.

3. They usually have a speed listing i.e. DDR2 800 or PC3200 vs PC2700.

4. If you have DDR2 but slower then it'll downclock the faster RAM to the slower speed.

5. The set clock speed as well as overall cooling and efficiency usually determines the pricing. You'll see number like 5-5-5-7 or 2-3-3-7, which is an indicator of speed/latency.

 

[Joey Ravn]

Well, this is what I got. Do you think that the €20 1 GB DDR2 533 KINGSTON 240PIN module would be a good purchase? For that price, I can probably get two of those, to have 2GB RAM, but, for the moment, would it be wiser to leave only the new module, without the old 512 one? You know, for that thing you said about the slower one making the faster one run slow and all hat =/

Thanks for the info.

 

[xcalibur]

Looking at you current computer, yes.
Throw away your old ram and buy 2 1GB.
They are twice the speed of your current ram and you will find a HUGE increase in performance.

 

[Joey Ravn]

Looking at you current computer, yes.
Throw away your old ram and buy 2 1GB.
They are twice the speed of your current ram and you will find a HUGE increase in performance.

Nice. Next week, RAM, there I come!