Laptop RAM Questions: Cas, speed etc

[NewFossil]

I have a laptop that is using 1x512 DDR2-533 PC4200 CL-5 made by A-Data. I am running Vista and it is VERY SLOW!!! I want to add annother stick of 512 but have concerns over CAS and speed as well as Dual Channel.

I would like it to be running in Dual Channel. Must it be the same CAS and Speed?

Does it have to be the same brand? (I hope not because I cannot find this exact same stick anywhere in the US).


My best option a stick of PC5300, CL-4. Will this work for Dual channel?

 

[Wonderwill]

I have a laptop that is using 1x512 DDR2-533 PC4200 CL-5 made by A-Data. I am running Vista and it is VERY SLOW!!! I want to add annother stick of 512 but have concerns over CAS and speed as well as Dual Channel.

I would like it to be running in Dual Channel. Must it be the same CAS and Speed?

Does it have to be the same brand? (I hope not because I cannot find this exact same stick anywhere in the US).


My best option a stick of PC5300, CL-4. Will this work for Dual channel?

No, it doesn't have to be the same CAS and frequency, but all the RAM will only run as fast as the slowest module. As for the brand, it isn't a safe gamble of your money, as there's no guaruntee it will work at all. Anyway, with vista, you will probably want at least 2 GB in the future. If money is a big problem and you still want to run dual channel your best bet will be to buy 2x512 of the same stick. Otherwise get 2x1GB for a very smooth system.

 

[Mondoman]

I have a laptop that is using 1x512 DDR2-533 PC4200 CL-5 made by A-Data. ... I want to add annother stick of 512 but have concerns over CAS and speed as well as Dual Channel.

Whether or not you can run in dual channel mode depends on the chipset and motherboard design. Laptops are often designed without dual-channel support to save money. If your laptop does support dual-channel mode, the newer the chipset/design, the more likely it is to work no matter if the speed, latency, and brand are matching or not.

 

[memorymaster]

But your system would run at the slowest speed read from the spd, which is at PC2-4200 CL5. If you could find another stick closer to that speed instead of spending the extra money for a faster stick, I would go with it. But if you cannot find anything closer, then you will just have to run your PC2-5300 as a PC2-4200.