Cheap RAM upgrade from 2 X 4gb

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smallet

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Nov 15, 2013
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I dont know much up about the present ram prices or kinds.

Mobo: GA-MA785GM-US2H (four memory slots)
Existing RAM modules: 2x Hyundai Electronics(DMT125U6BFR8C-H9)
RAM specs: DRAM Freq: 669.7MHz(weird, I thought my ram was 1300mhz till now), bandwidth: PC3-10700 (667MHz) Speccy Screenshot

My question is, should i fill my remaining 2 slots with some other ram leaving these two? Does having ram split over 4 slots slow down the pc? As the present ones are quite shitty whats my best option? I used the igx of my mobo (radeon hd 4200) till now, whic claims about 1gb of my ram as its own and i have hardly have any left. My processor is AMD Phenom II X4 965BE. I'm guessing 8gb ram will be more than enough for now. What would be the cheapest way to go about this. Dont know much about the current ram prices and i dont need high end gaming ones. And as black friday is coming up, would those deals be worth it? Anything around 40usd maybe......

Would be adding this as a part of my pc upgrade: dedicated hd 7850 (130usd in newegg right now -freeing up that ram), replacing that stock amd cooler (so loud!), maybe a hd upgrade (2 slow 500gb hds). would love any feedback on other upgrades too. (for a 1080p display res.)

Basic specs: Speccy screenshot (400w psu)
 
Solution
P1nnacle
Your RAM is DDR (double data rate) so it will show up in software as half of its rated speed. So your RAM is actually running at 1333MHz. Having RAM split over 4 slots would increase the available bandwidth, but it won't be much of a difference over just using two slots. I'd look for RAM deals on Black Friday (more likely Cyber Monday) since the RAM market price has skyrocketed with the latest typhoon (see: very bad time to buy RAM). Those upgrades sound like good ones to go for, a dedicated GPU will help you out tremendously.
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P1nnacle

P1nnacle

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Your RAM is DDR (double data rate) so it will show up in software as half of its rated speed. So your RAM is actually running at 1333MHz. Having RAM split over 4 slots would increase the available bandwidth, but it won't be much of a difference over just using two slots. I'd look for RAM deals on Black Friday (more likely Cyber Monday) since the RAM market price has skyrocketed with the latest typhoon (see: very bad time to buy RAM). Those upgrades sound like good ones to go for, a dedicated GPU will help you out tremendously.
 
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Solution
Supahos

Supahos

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Nov 11, 2013
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Yes your ram is running at (actually) 1339.4 mhz (get weird fractions sometimes). The biggest thing you can add in most cases is a video card and its true in your case as well. As close to thanksgiving as we are Definately don't buy anything untill either the friday or monday after (unless something like a shell shocker interests you). I would buy a 2x4gb kit when you do replace and retire your old ram, when you mix kits it can cause instability, and definately will have to all run at the speed of the slower ram.
 
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smallet

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Nov 15, 2013
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Wait, so is the 1300mhz ram actually any good then? What should be my minimum baseline for my upgrade to actually feel some difference? And what prices can i expect for 8gb (2x4gb or 4X2gb) during black friday? And i hardly have any idea about brands. Who might be offering the best value and longevity?

Edit: And also didnt know that RAM prices were affected by natural disasters just like hard drive prices (thailand or SEA i think).
 
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Supahos

Supahos

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You could probably feel a difference between what is likely high latency 1333 and good 1600/1866 ram, but you will feel a bigger difference upgrading a video card. Not saying not to upgrade the ram, just saying the GPU would make more sense first.

yes most of the companies that make the ram are located in those same areas, so it affects them as well.
 
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smallet

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Nov 15, 2013
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As you said, mixing kits might be a problem, but what if i wanted to add just another 4 gb or 2 gb stick? What are the things that need to match for that? If 1300mhz would be enough for now, i dont see any need for it as i just need good gaming performance and nothing much else.

And i am guessing those decimal points will create problems then?

Edit: Which sub forum do i have to post for asking about the upgrade opinions for my pc? Dont want be shouted for using the wrong one :)

Edit2: Would this do?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 What is that "2N" in Timing 9-9-9-24-2N
 
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Supahos

Supahos

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the "2N" is the command rate... IE the "clock" turns twice between recieving instructions and commanding the stick to do whatever it wants it to do. You need to know what the timings on the stick you have are, and yes you want it at 1333 mhz, the oddball numbers won't matter the new sticks will run at the same speed.
 
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smallet

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Nov 15, 2013
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Thanks a lot for the help both of you :)
I finally decided what to do. I would just go on with my gpu upgrade first and see if that freed up full 4gb(opposed to 3gb) ram would be enough for some time (currently, the virtual memory usage during games is too high). Will try a cheap little 2gb (like this one) ram matching all the requirements (will return if it doesnt work). I'm guessing 6gb will be more than enough at these low speeds. If that doesnt work, will just wait for prices to drop for a full 2x4gb one to alteast below 50usd.

And would the gpu prices fall any further by the time we get to black friday? radeon 7790 - 7850 - ti boost prices have been slashed a lot recently. Was considering a 7790 (around 100usd) but felt that 30 more for a much better 7850 was justified.
 
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