Hey guys, memory newb question here.

[crumblingpyramid]

First off let me say that I've read the memory and motherboard faq, as well as took a cursory glance through some of the recent posts concerning memory and compatibility. Some of what I've read comes close to answering my question, but I feel it might be better to ask straight-out just to be sure (and to save me the heartbreak of ordering memory that just won't work for me).

I recently had a pc built for me with the following specs ("they" constructed it mostly before my eyes and I have a mid-to-low range knowledge of memory/video card upgrade):

1.ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 X58 Intel Mobo (with six slots for DDR3 ram)
2.Core-i7 920 cpu
3.3 sticks of Elpida 1gb memory (so 3 gigs in alternating slots). Each one is DDR3 (obviously), and each one is 240-pin @ 1333mhz (PC3-10666)
4. An Nvidia GTX 295 card.

Sorry if elaborating on the whole build seems unneccessary or even condescending, I just want to be thorough in giving specs.

Okay, now to my question: I, admittedly, don't know much about DDR3 memory (or perhaps memory in general); things like CAS Latency, Voltage, etc. etc. make my head hurt. To put it simply, I want to use the ram that is already present inside my system in conjunction with other ram without causing some kind of crazy meltdown or fry-out. I've used cpu-z's table to find out some stuff from the "SPD" tab, but this still looks like greek to me. Which column or row should I be looking at? JEDEC #2?

Here's what I had in mind: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231230
Now, you'll notice that this ram has the same CAS latency of my current memory - that of 7 - but slightly different timings: 7-7-7-18 instead of Elpida's 7-7-7-20. Would this work? Am I making this more complicated than it needs to be? I was under the impression that if I closely match up the numbers of what I have now to prospective DDR3 ram, it will be compatible (save for the capacity, which is different. In the case of G.Skills, it's 3 sticks of 2gig ram, as opposed to the 3 sticks of 1gig already present in the system). I was hoping I wouldn't have to banish the Elpida sticks and just buy a bunch of extra ram. If this setup works...then I think i would have 9 gigs of DDR3, just of different brands. One last thing -- what about voltages? I think the 1 gig sticks in there now have a 1.5v. But the G-skill I was looking at on newegg are "1.5v - 1.6v." Does this matter as well?

Thank you ahead of time for explaining things to me. I'm sorry it took so many words to articulate a perhaps otherwise simple question...but...I don't know. It's 1:32 am. Is there a simple way to look/compare mem modules? What numbers are immediately important? I'm also here to learn so I might help others. You guys have my gratitude.

 

[o1die]

Sometimes mixing memory works fine; sometimes not. I work at dell and one rule is never mix brands of memory on server boards. Get the exact same memory if possible, or sell your old stuff and replace with 6 sticks of the same brand, timings, etc. Don't pay extra for getting a matched set. Just order 6 of the same. Amazon.com had some ocz 1333 2gb of ddr3 for $21.xx shipped with no rebate, so 6 of these would cost about $130 with free shipping. The link is at fatwallet.

 

[crumblingpyramid]

Thanks for taking the time to respond, O1die. Hmmm...this is pretty much what I feared. In order to safely upgrade it sounds like I may need to discard or sell the 1gb sticks in order to get where I want to be ram-wise. I wish there was a better way to do it.

 

[crumblingpyramid]

I hate to bump this, but I really wanted some more input from the other veteran users of TH. Does anyone else have any advice in clearing up this issue, or can you provide some insight? I really just want to know if I can use those 3 sticks of ram (explained in the original post) in conjunction with some similar sticks in order to reach 9 gigs of DDR3 triple channel. Has anyone had any luck with this, or crossing brands?